"Zootopia" (2016)

A Disney fun wild ride. The color and speed of which this story is told is fun and offbeat. Sometimes really dark (hence a PG rating) but MUCH MUCH MUCH better than "Inside/Out."

"Zootopia" is about the inherent fear we have with each other in a society that is homogenized. Or attempts to be. Prior to the arrival of police-dreamer wanna-be Judy Hopps (get it), the town of Zootopia is a metropolitan split into...specific towns. Something like America. In L.A. specifically, there are very specific neighborhoods to every culture. Koreatown, Little Saigon, Little Tokyo, Little Armenia, Little Ethiopia...something like this. And it's all policed by...well, a mixed bag of officers. Officer Hopps is thrown into this mess with a background in no-quitting, small town naivete.

She is bamboozled by the local Fox...a Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) who is her natural enemy. He's a hustler but a good-natured one. They pair up (as most buddy cop movies need), so in lies the adventure these two go through to find out a) who is making predators go back to being predators b) Hopps being taken seriously as a REAL cop.

I love this movie in its socialist glory. It's fun, and whatever the message is (um..Blacks getting the shaft in law), it isn't THAT subtle about what we're talking about. But who cares? These are very cute animals doing cute things. And it's fun without being crass. The same jokes fly at break neck speed. The music is pretty poppy ("The Incredibles" Michael Giacchino does the tunes here) and...well, it's just adorable movie. You want to hug the closest fuzziest thing around. Which may be your aunt Bertha.

"Zootopia" reminds me of my first time here in Los Angeles. Though I wasn't exactly as excited as Hopps is. BUT, she does have the same supportively-mid-range success mentally that permeates through a working class family's patois. Hopps parents just want the best for her and discourage her as encouragement.
What does that sound like?
"We want you to be the best meter maid ever!" Why? Because it means she's out of real danger (though a meter maid in L.A. is pretty tough biz).

Hopps isn't just a go-getter, she is an over-achiever and if we're to take anything from her spirit, it's that...more people need to be as enthusiastic about...the cards that are dealt.

Many great lessons here and a TON of fun. See it on the big screen to see her first train raid into the big city of "Zootopia." It actually made movies thrilling again.