Civilized Animals
Zootopia
Review by Ross Anthony

Would you obey a bunny cop?

Zootopia endears their central bunny character to audiences with zest, zeal, and infectious idealism. She's the do-gooder bunny that dreams of being a peace officer (as we say in Califopia). Her dream and perseverance take her from farmland to the big city where, somehow, all of the animals, predator and prey alike, have learned to live and work together, and anyone can be anything. If that sounds optimistic, remember utopia is part of the title.

The pace is crisp, the imagination robust, the art direction wildly beautiful with so many animals from the animal kingdom represented in the human kingdom setting. The details sparkle. The film itself is a blueprint for a theme park that perhaps Disney has up its sleeve. The train ride through the different climate zones/habitats of Zootopia transports this point with vast land and city scape vistas that give you that feeling of exploring a new and wonderful place.

But, that is just setting and set up, the rest of the picture plays out a little like an old fashion mystery movie that pairs two unlikely protagonists. Nothing exceptionally new there, save for the punchy fun banter and animation (and I'm talking about fun for adults as well). The theme is also brave, impressive and relevant. My only problem with this film is the sloth scene. It's the kind of joke you'll get in a flash, but the production lingers on it far longer than need be (for my tastes).

Overall, this is a fun, funny, lively, imaginative and courageous little film. At my screening, folks clapped at the end.

-- Books by Ross Anthony, Author/Illustrator --


  • Zootopia. Copyright © 2016.
  • Starring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman. Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush. Disney.

Grade..........................A (3.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Wednesday, 13-Apr-2016 09:27:59 PDT