Despite being a film about walking, talking animals, Disney’s “Zootopia” is one of the studio’s most mature animated features to date.
The movie follows determined, wide-eyed (literally) officer Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), the first bunny on Zootopia’s police force, as she tries to prove that a bunny can do more than just meter maid duty. When she’s given her first case to track down a missing person—err, otter—she discovers her only lead is a scam-artist fox named Nick (voiced by Jason Bateman) who she blackmails into helping her. With Judy and Nick hot on the missing otter’s trail, the two unlikely heroes find themselves caught up in a conspiracy that’s bigger than either one of them could have ever imagined. Can the two natural-born enemies put aside their differences for the greater good of Zootopia? Or are Nick’s “savage” tendencies as a predator too strong for him to overcome?
A smartly written action-comedy, “Zootopia” keeps audiences of all ages entertained. Not only does its story keep viewers guessing who the evil mastermind is until the big reveal, but it also packs plenty of heartfelt moments as Judy and Nick learn to trust each other and work together as a team. Goodwin and Bateman are perfect in their roles, and the film’s ending gives fans hope that Judy and Nick’s story might one day continue (note to the Disney Channel: “Zootopia” would be great as a TV series).
The visuals are stunning as well, particularly the different habitat neighborhoods of Zootopia and the many animals that inhabit the bustling mammal metropolis. The animators’ attention to detail also provides plenty of visual gags throughout the film, which helps to keep things from ever becoming too suspenseful for younger viewers while never detracting from the mystery at hand.
Audiences will hear more about the animation process while watching the bonus features on the “Zootopia” Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack with Digital HD release (MSRP: $39.99; also available as a Blu-ray 3-D Combo Pack). One of the more interesting inclusions is “Research: A True-Life Adventure,” which documents how the filmmakers went to Africa and Disney’s Animal Kingdom to study the many different animals featured in the film. Rather than making them similar in size on-screen, the animators worked hard to celebrate each animal’s differences, which posed many conceptual challenges to overcome throughout the animation process.
Although a bit dry for younger viewers, the three-part featurette “Zoology: The Roundtables” goes into further detail about the making of the film, particularly its characters, environments and the 70-plus animators who worked hard to constantly make the impossible possible. It’s interesting to hear how far animation has come even since 2008’s “Bolt” and just how detailed “Zootopia’s” characters truly are, with each giraffe in the film boasting 9 million hairs.
Arguably the most fascinating extra included on the two-disc release is “The Origin of an Animal Tale,” which takes a look at how dark “Zootopia’s” story was initially. Fans will not only discover that Nick was originally the star of the film, but also that “Zootopia’s” story focused more on tame collars predators had to wear to keep them in check that were similar to shock collars used on dogs. Nick’s cynical view of Zootopia rubbed off on test audiences too much, though, so the filmmakers decided to make Judy the main character instead and change the focus of the film.
Viewers can actually see some of “Zootopia’s” original plot points included among the seven deleted scenes featured on the Blu-ray disc, including the original “Jumbo Pop” scene which is shown through Nick’s point of view and the emotional “Taming Party” scene which shows a reluctant polar bear sadly giving his son his first tame collar on his birthday. While the son is excited, as he sees the collar as a sign of becoming a man, the father sees it as something that will forever prevent his son from expressing his true personality. Other deleted scenes include a comical alternate opening that shows a young Judy getting a bobcat out of a tree by using a laser pointer; an alternate version of “Homesick Hopps” where Judy doesn’t reveal to her parents that she’s a meter maid; a scene where Nick pitches a predator-only amusement park to prey-run banks in hopes of getting funding; a funny “Detective Work” scene where Judy is forced to work on an elephant’s computer while he’s on migration leave; and a scene where Judy takes Nick to a “safe space”—otherwise known as her apartment—only to discover her whole family has shown up unexpectedly. Each scene is accompanied by an optional video introduction from directors Byron Howard (“Tangled”) and Rich Moore (“Wreck-It Ralph”) to explain why it was cut.
Fans of “Zootopia” can see several characters that were cut from the film, too, during the short featurette “Deleted Characters.” Among those included are a pair of gerbils whose sole point in the movie was to antagonize Nick; Mayor Swinton, “Zootopia’s” original villain; and Wooly, a literal sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Another fun featurette is the “Z.P.D. Forensic Files,” which takes a quick look at the film’s many hidden Easter eggs. Viewers will see where “Zootopia” payed homage to such beloved Disney films as “Frozen,” “Big Hero 6” and even the upcoming “Moana” as well as where to spot those hidden Mickeys when watching the movie again.
Wrapping up the bonus features are two music-based extras also included on the “Zootopia” DVD release (MSRP: $29.99): “Scoretopia,” which looks at the film’s unique score, and the music video for Shakira’s single from the soundtrack, “Try Everything.”
With more than an hour of entertaining extras and a story that will enchant viewers young and old, audiences are sure to go wild for “Zootopia’s” Blu-ray release.
“Zootopia” is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3-D.
