DIRECTOR: BYRON HOWARD, RICH MOORE | STARRING: GINNIFER GOODWIN, JASON BATEMAN, IDRIS ELBA

RUNTIME: 108 MINUTES | RATING: PG | SCORE: 5/5

This is the best animated film since Toy Story 3.

There are times when you watch a film and know you have something special when the smile on your face just doesn’t disappear. Zootopia does that for its 108-minute runtime as it follows the character of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a new cop who struggles to make a difference in the grand city of Zootopia. Within this melting pot of different species with their own boroughs, we see a conspiracy arise which Judy tries to uncover. With the help of a con-artist fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), she goes against the stereotypes that try to hold her down as she aims to learn the truth behind the sinister plans going on in Zootopia.

GOOD:

Let me just get this out of the way. Zootopia is a masterpiece. While that word may be subjective to many people, know that this film excels in several aspects that make it one you won’t forget.

Starting off with the animation, we get treated to this incredible world that makes you believe these anthropomorphic animals can exist within this society. From the way they work around how they live in their own subregions, how they transport from place to place, to even how their fast food chains manage to work for all different sizes, this film establishes itself as one of the vastest worlds Disney has ever created. It continues that with how the animators take the extra steps of having the subtleties of each animal correlate with the voice actors and their movements. You would swear every lion sounds like J.K. Simmons if they could talk.

A number of visual gags and easter eggs are packed in enough for me to write an entirely new article that covers all of the puns, movie, TV, and Disney references sprinkled throughout the film. From the use of Zoogle (Google), Zoober (Uber), Snort’s Illustrated (Pigs Sports Magazine) and Trader Doe’s (Trader Joe’s), you can watch this film four times and still find something new lurking in the distance. It’s a film where the background is just as interesting as the foreground.

But now, the story.

Directors Howard and Moore have said in interviews that the inspiration for the film came after a retreat to Kenya. While there, they observed predators and prey coming together to drink water without hostility before departing on their separate ways. They connected that dynamic to our societies of people with different viewpoints that come together for the essentials and imagined a world where animals would evolve to create something similar.

Before even getting into the "race-related" message though, I want to praise the film for creating strong characters. It doesn't pull a Blomkamp where it's a "message-movie" relying so heavily on trying to get it across that it hurts the narrative. Instead, it's a character film that sees Judy Hopps, in a world where bunnies aren't hefty enough to be considered good police officers, fighting against the prejudices chucked at her. It's dark. Early on we even see her get bullied in a way that literally and metaphorically scars her. We see her wondering whether this extra work she has to put in to fulfill her goals is worth it, or if she should just succumb to her father's ideals of "having dreams is ok, just as long as you don't follow them".

Now for the themes that I'm sure Fox News will be howling -- PROPAGANDA!

As I stated, it's an animated world that creates this society of animals that carries with it its own story. Of course, it's hard, especially with current events, to not connect with the social problems presented in the film. Some may relate it to Black and White issues. Some may relate it to Muslims and their status in America. Some may relate to it in their own personal way and that's what makes it a masterpiece.

It has a theme, but it's not forced or coercing the audience to subject to it. It's presenting it organically and in a why that allows you to connect with the scenarios. It's a film that a hundred years from now, can be watched and still connect with its audience and whatever issues they are dealing with.

BAD:

So, now it's my job to cover the bad. But here's the thing, every time I noticed something negative, the movie pretty much covered its tracks. For example:

1) They do the generic animated dance number that seems to come out of nowhere with a pop-star who's cast just to be part of the soundtrack.

However, as crazy as it sounds, the casting of Shakira was brilliant with how they use her in the film -- an oblivious celebrity who tries to stand for social justice when it becomes a hot topic. Even the ending dance number was animated well enough to mix in with the closing credits to make it reasonably fit in, unlike J. Lo and Rhianna's parts in Home.

2) There are very obvious jokes and foreshadowing.

From knowing when a phone was going to go off to guessing the end-plan, these may be the lowest points of the film, but they're negatives that are more nitpicking than plot-holes.

3) Some jokes seem to be softened for the PG rating.

There are jokes, such as the "nudist-party" scene, that are hilarious yet weird when you notice the animals are smoothened like a Ken doll (not that we want to see animal genitalia). But it makes you wonder, "Um...how do they go to the bathroom?" Of course, it's an animated film, but it's one that goes into GREAT detail prior to this scene in creating this anthropomorphic universe that you wonder why they faltered on that aspect.

Overall, by the end credits, I give this movie one of the rarest scores I can give a film -- so rare, I average around 2 of these a year. But even though we're still in the early parts of 2016, I can say without a doubt that Zootopia is a WORK OF ART.

It's an animated masterpiece that you should see right away. Then three times afterwards.