‘Zootopia’: Review

Written by Deborah Wee for inSing.

It all started with ‘Dinosaur’ and ‘Ice Age’, and in 2003, ‘Finding Nemo’ broke box office records.

Then Hollywood’s love affair with the computer-animated animal kingdom erupted into an endless stampede, whisking in ‘Shark Tale’, ‘Madagascar’, ‘Chicken Little’, and countless others since. With six more animal-led animation features due to premiere the second half of this year, it has all gotten really old, really quickly.

No surprises that when Walt Disney Animation Studios decided to flood its 55th feature film with anthropomorphic wildlife and title it ‘Zootopia’, some of us reacted with a sceptical “so, what else is new?”

It turns out that a lot is new, actually. In fact, it is almost poetic that Disney teaches us not to judge a movie by its cover by giving us a film that is precisely about discrimination and stereotyping.

With ‘Zootopia’, the folks at Disney breathe life and magic into a worn-out and increasingly shallow genre, turning an animal-populated world into a surprisingly profound metaphor for human society and one of its most troubling flaws.

Combine this with the studio’s technical prowess for animation and knack for humour, and the result is a thoroughly entertaining, incredibly meaningful and extremely relevant film that appeals to all.

READ FULL REVIEW AT INSING.

inSing rating: 4/5 stars
Talkiewood rating: 4.5/5 (TALK-o-meter: “One of my all-time favourites!”)