1. What’s it about?
It’s about an adorable bunny, Judy Hopps, who always wanted to be a police officer, and, when she achieves her dream job, has to prove herself all over again.
In other words, it’s a “girl goes to the big city” story. Except the girl is a smart, stubborn bunny and the big city, Zootopia, is divided into numerous “neighborhoods,” home to different animal species such as Sahara Square, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and the Rainforest District.
It was this terrific visual sequence, about 1/3 into the movie, where Judy Hopps travels to Zootopia, that first made me think “this movie is going to be a classic.”
Hopps has to investigate a series of disappearances among the “predator” species of animals with the help of Nick Wilde, a fox who makes his living as a small-time con artist. Because, you know, you can’t trust foxes, especially if you’re a bunny.
2. Who’s in it?
Ginnifer Goodwin voices Judy, Jason Bateman voices Nick, and they’re both terrific. Listen for Idris Elba.
3. Will the whole family like it?
I went to the free screening accompanied by my 16-year-old twins who, let’s face it, were in it for the free popcorn and soda that I provided. They expected a cute animal cartoon and not much more.
“That was really, really good,” said the cynical son. “Not stupid like I thought it would be.”
“That was awesome,” said the less critical daughter.
I agreed with them both and, given the laughter in the audience from all ages, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this movie is definitely one the whole family will enjoy.
4. Yes, it has a theme.
On the surface, this movie is about proving yourself to people who misjudge you. Under the surface, there’s a running commentary on racism.
Nick, a predator, is pushed out of activities as a kid because the non-predator mammals don’t trust him. Judy, small and spunky, is given a job as a meter maid because her intelligence isn’t valued and, besides, as a bunny, she’s not fierce enough to be a police officer.
There’s also a plot twist about 2/3 of the movie that recalls the #blacklivesmatter movement. I kid you not. Yes, cute furry animals are on screen but this movie has a serious edge.
5. But it’s funny too!
If you’ve seen any of the trailers, you’ve seen the bit with the sloths running the DMV. That scene is better in context, too. But, moreover, there are several laugh-out-loud sequences, including a joke that pays off right near the ending credits, and Nick has some terrific lines.
There’s also a running joke about self-insertion dancing app. I can’t give away more because that would ruin the joke.
6. Are there any super-scary parts for younger kids?
There is one “haunted house/evil laboratory” sequence that is scary, one early bullying sequence that’s short, and a few attacks by the “predators” that are intense, but no parent deaths (yay!). I’d say this is one that will entertain younger kids but not scare them unduly, if at all.
7. Any inside movie jokes?
Yes, spot the different movie homages. Saying The Godfather is included among them is giving nothing away, but the others are there as well.
Not to mention the Breaking Bad reference.
8. Should I see it in 3D?
We saw it in 3D IMAX because we attended a free screening. Usually, we see everything in 2D and not IMAX because my daughter who wears glasses has trouble with seeing things correctly in 3D and because the sound can be overwhelming in IMAX.
Zootopia‘s story is strong enough that it will hold up in 2D. However, Disney has done a great job layering in the visuals to be immersive in 3D. That allowed us to sink into the action on screen. (Once I was adjusted my daughter’s 3D glasses, that is.)
The IMAX volume worried me because the previews were so loud I wished I had earplugs. But once the movie started, the volume was appropriate to sensitive young ears.
So, yes, if you like 3D and can afford it, it’s good. If you can’t afford it, well, you’ll still enjoy the movie.
This is a great description of the movie. It was absolutely fantastic. The showing that I attended was so diverse that it really showed the mass appeal of this film.
Also, I think the song by Shakira is such a perfect fit for the film. In fact I look forward to seeing it performed at the Oscars next year.
In other words, go see it. Go see it now and take everyone with you!
You don’t have a very good understanding of younger children. I had an 8 year old and 5 year old who were both so scared they wanted to leave the movie. The message was lost under the excessively dark tone and perilous situations.
Well, you should know your children more than anyone else…it wasn’t that “excessively dark” in my opinion. It’s rated PG so it does say that some scenes are to be looked upon with guidance from parents. I have a 2 year old, 4 year old, and 7 year old and they all loved it and weren’t that afraid.
My kids didn’t freak out, but my 6 year old did snuggle up to his mom a few times. If you have only seen the DMV preview the movie looks like a Minions level of movie, lighthearted fun with maybe some “perilous” situations thrown in that are as much funny as dangerous.
This movie is more in line with the classic Disney movies of Lion King (not comparing quality, just tone) where there are some high stakes and some generally scary scenes. (the bully scene right at the beginning might be one of the most intense scenes in Disney since Mufasa died, that pulled at my heart.)
I think it is still kid friendly, but it is a different kid friendly if you get my meaning.
the 3 and 4 year olds in the theatre when I went to see Zootopia were absolutely enthralled, you might wanna see if your children are covered by an extrended warranty
Hello,
I am not going to be pompous and say “You don’t have a very good understanding of younger children.”, but I agree with the person above that says the movie has “…excessively dark tone and perilous situations…” and is not appropriate for younger children. I went to see “Zootopia” with 2 other families.. My son and his 2 friends (All 7 years old) were extremely scared during the scenes where the animals go “Savage”. I had to leave the theater for a couple of the scenes with him, and he was practically in tears the whole ride home. All three said that they’d never watch it again because it was so scary (If my son likes a movie he watches it about 20 times). I know all kids are different, but my son and his 2 friends are usually pretty fearless. I took him to see “Ant-Man” after screening it and he’s seen all the Star Wars movies except Episode III and they didn’t bother him. And we were on a 100 foot ski lift one time and he was having a ball as I was having a heart attack while sucking my thumb! Long story short, I wouldn’t recommend this movie for any kids under 10 years old I would say.
Thanks,
Ron
Framingham, MA
p.s. – I loved the movie, it is excellent, BTW!
My family saw it Friday night in a packed theater and there was quite a bit of angst and emotion from some of the darker scenes, particularly the black panther turning “savage”. This might have been a little much for a preschooler, hence the “PG” and not the “G” rating.
Now that I think about it, what is the last Disney Animation Studios film to get a “G” rating???
I work at a toy store that sells Zootopia toys and merch. There are some older kids in the mix, but from what ive seen a good chunk of those are being bought by parents of young children. The youngest I’ve seen, about 5. Even buying pushes of the “savage animals”, like Emmet Otterton. Now I didn’t see it with all of them, obviously, but from their excitement and talking with the parents, they all seem to have loved the movie. It depends on the kid, but I don’t see any reason to advise young children against seeing it.
I’m fourteen and my parents took me to see it. I had talked to some kids (8 and 7 yo. I believe) who had seen it first. They didn’t seem too afraid of it, but I was informed whist speaking to them about the movie that it was “scary”. I didn’t think that it would be scary at all, but I didn’t expect profound story and characters either. I don’t think that the trailers do it justice, in fact, they might even belittle it. However, I enjoyed the movie a lot and I think my parents enjoyed it too, however, I can see now how it could frighten a younger child. Every kid is different, and you can’t always know what will scare a child.
>.> This movie holds nothing darker or more intense than Tarzan did. In the 2010’s where kids seem to be particularly well bubble wrapped it might be a little much for them. It deals with some modern problems including bullying (Yes there’s that first scene of bullying but did we all forget the major bullying that happened to child-version of Nick the Fox? That trumped the first bullying scene by a lot >.< )
It's a PG Disney movie that has animals for its characters. It behaves with the same intensity as every other Dinsey movie that majorly dealt with animals as characters. Only difference is that there's no singing and dancing this time to cover up the elements that have always existed in the Disney movies.
My child is not sheltered. In fact she loves scary stuff even Dr. Who. Yet, to my surprise we are going into night two of a very traumatic experience after watching zootopia. I didn’t watch it myself because she went with her aunt, but I’ve never seen her so scared in her life. I wished I had researched it better but it was Disney, and the trailer looked harmless enough. I kept thinking that she must’ve been exaggerating and trying to get extra cuddles in bed, but now I’m not sure. I’m now curious to find out and watch for myself what disturbed her so much.
My 3 children ages 15, 11, and 5 saw this today with their Grandpa in the theater. The older two liked it and had no complaints. My 5 yr old daughter however, said she had a horrible day today and no fun because she had to watch a really scary movie. When I asked which movie and she said Zootopia, I scoffed it off. (I haven’t seen it yet btw) Flash forward to bed time..she was afraid to go to sleep, says she doesn’t know how to have good dreams anymore and has cried repeatedly with her only explanation being..the scary movie Zooptopia! Wow! Pretty curious to see this now and figure out what Disney has come up with to make kids cry. Lol.
I am a grandmother of a six yr girl, and couldn’t wait to take her to see the movie. She was terrified. This movie is not anything like Frozen as I had read. Not only was she frightened, but the prey/predator plot was way over her head. The movie is geared more for the 8-10 yr olds. I LOVED it, but regret not doing more research also. Children get into the characters just as adults do, and for my granddaughter to even think harm would come to Judy and Nick is what scared her as badly as it did.
My 9 year is not sheltered either and lives Once Upon a Time, Scooby Doo and even the Malicifent movie. However; as many other parents have noted, my daughter has had nightmares the last several nights because of the “savage” scenes in Zootopia. I find it interesting that the majority who loved it are adults with either no kids or older kids. No one child is alike but when you have a majority of parents saying the same thing, down to the particular scenes, that is something every parent should be aware of.
I have made sure to warn every parent I know with kids under 8 or so to not take their kids to see “Zooropia” – Spent a good chunk of the following Monday at work doing that!
I took my 6 year old granddaughter who loves Disney movies to see Zootopia. The movie is nothing like the trailer. The bright lights and happy scenes of the City of Zootopia give way to very dark, intense and scary scenes of animals turning wild and being held captive.
I realize it was rated PG, but the reasons were for ‘some thematic elements and rude humor and action’. There was no mention of crazed predators, missing fathers (ie: Mr. Otter), or bullying. I think the PG rating is also misleading, ‘Frozen’ was rated PG too.
There are some funny scenes; the DMV office and The Godfather references. But these will have no meaning to children.
After hiding her face for parts of the movie, we left before it was over. For probably the first time, I has really disappointed in a Disney movie.
I agree with the comments made about the movie being scary in places. I was really surprised that my 6 year old told me that he was scared. He brought this up 3 times in the following 6 hours after we watched the movie, even saying that he couldn’t get to sleep because he was thinking about it. When I asked him what was so scary, he was very specific; it was the scene where the black panther goes savage and chases the 2 heroes through the jungle, leading onto the bridge scene where he was eventually tied up. I tried to reassure my son that no one got hurt but it seemed to be the potential damage that the savage panther was capable of that scared him. I just thought that I would add this comment as my son is normally quite “hard” when it comes to this sort of thing. I also sniggered a bit last week when a friend told me that her son had asked to leave the cinema, thinking that he was being a bit “wet”. I was wrong, and clearly misjudged both the movie and my son. Please approach this scene with care!
That said, we both had a great time and my son is already looking forward to owning the DVD, so no permanent damage done 🙂
My wife was going to take our 7 year old daughter and her friend to see this film on Monday but it was sold out. The very next day I took my daughter to her gymnastics class and while I was waiting I heard two Moms talking about how their kids had been having nightmares for the past several nights after watching Zootopia! I was so relieved that it was sold out when my wife tried to take the kids. My daughter is very tender hearted to animals and I am sure she would be having these same nightmares. And from what I read here, it is a problem.
We left before the movie was over, the scenes of the animals going savage were too scary for him. He actually said multiple times “The movie isn’t like the trailer”. It’s not a bad movie, I was enjoying it and will probably finish it when it’s out for home viewing, but I wouldn’t recommend taking young children. My son is cuddled on my arm right now and sleeping in our bed because he was pretty scared.
My 5 year old who is generally pretty brave and strong willed, was so scared during the film that my husband also had to leave. This was over 5 weeks ago and she hasn’t been able to be in a room alone since. She is convinced that an otter is going to come into the house and scratch and bite her. She is refusing to sleep alone and our normally organised bed time routine has been turned upside down. She has seen plenty of other PG movies (the new Jungle Book included) which have not had this impact on her. It is reassuring to read that other families have experienced the same.
My kids went with their grandparents. The 4 year old got through it fine but my 9 year old son now is extremely scared of the dark as a result. It has been a couple of months now. I’m really wishing he hadn’t seen it.
I had similar experience. We had to leave the theater when the panther went savage, my 5 yr old was trembling and crying. This has never happened during a movie before. He also ended up being absolutely terrified of the dark and would not sleep in his bed for weeks. The “savage” scenes were very dark and surprising. It’s been months now.. Very disappointed with this movie.
My 7 year old and 9 year old twins saw this movie a little over a month ago. The twins loved it but my 7 year old has refused to sleep alone, cries when it’s bedtime because she sees scary things when she closes her eyes, and has been afraid to even be too far from me in the house. She keeps saying it Is because of Zootopia but can’t pinpoint exactly what was scary. I hate to think others are going through this but I’m glad to see she isn’t the only one.
I agree with a previous comment. Glad your 16 year olds liked the movie, but you don’t have an understanding of appropriate viewing for younger children. The Godfather scene, the Breaking Bad reference, and in particular the scene with the nudists/naturalists were NOT appropriate for younger kids. There is also a scary scene where a jaguar goes “savage” and chases the bunny and fox. It’s a buddy cop movie for kids, which is a bit odd. I don’t mind movies for kids with a few jokes for adults (Shrek, for example). But this movie is a film for adults made to look like a film for kids. I wouldn’t let any children see it. My recommendation: watch it with older tweens/teens on Netflix, but don’t waste actual money going to see it.