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 --