Zootopia (2016) - Furry little Wall St. bros who are fat and eat popsicles! AAGH!

Loved the cheerfully earnest wabbit protagonist and her streetwise fox buddy. Appealing voice work from Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, lots of low-key charming banter, and some nicely fizzy, not-quite-romantic chemistry. Inspired world building, too, brought to life with the same naively optimistic, techno-futurist flair the Disney/Pixar hybrid team brought to Big Hero 6. Nice and timely message, too. The "noir" detective story that powers the plot is routine and dopey, but I hardly cared, dazed to burbling stupor by the massive doses of cutietoxin pouring in through my eyeholes.

apparently I will be seeing this this weekend

the first time I have seen a CGI Disney or Pixar movie in the theater iirc

Appealing voice work from Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman

read this not once, not twice, but three times as appalling

I MAINTAIN THAT THIS ZOOTOPIA EXISTS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS ROBIN HOOD ONLY IN THE FUTURE

voice talents on robin hood are pretty untouchable

What an incredible movie this was, and how grateful am I that this is the kind of movie my kids get to grow up with. The weakest link of the whole thing is the bad guy's plan, and even that is a pretty clever riff on the CIA conspiracy to introduce drugs into the inner cities and then scapegoat minority addicts for political gain. In an animated Disney film! Didn't like the Shakira shilling, but other than that, so smart, so well-done, super timely. Much better than "Big Hero 6," which also had a bad-guy problem but no political subtext to redeem it.

http://i.imgur.com/RciufPm.png

I liked the movie quite a bit. The world was really imaginative and I feel like there's enough material there for tons of other stories, which seems likely to happen since the movie's getting good reviews. But I was rmde when the rabbit called the fox "eloquent". The moral was better when they weren't laying it on so thick. Didn't even make sense - aren't foxes supposed to be stereotypically sweet-talking in this universe?

The "eloquent" line was of course a reference to the sort of "he's so well-spoken" patronizing racial line one encounters so often. (IIn fact, I think after she calls him eloquent he does call her patronizing.) But I actually liked how they laid it on thick and there's a lot of that ("a bunny can call another bunny cute;" the fox playing with the sheep's wool-puff). The central allegory wasn't even an allegory. It's explicitly a movie about prejudice that pretty much mirrors our own world, particularly as pertains to gender and racial stereotypes. Animals or no, it's a distinctly humanist viewpoint, where it's not groups but individuals who undermine order and equality, not least by playing one group against the other for personal gain.

xpost I wouldn't go that far, but her review is otherwise more or less otm. Except when she contradictorily calls it "near-perfect, flawless."I think I would call it "perfect, near-flawless."

I kept thinking of "Cars" - my least favorite Disney film, and one of my least favorite films in recent memory - and how "Cars" doesn't even make sense on its own stupid terms. But the animal world in "Zootopia" totally adheres to its own crazy logic, with the differences in animal specials/sizes/instincts and skills absolutely essential to the plot, the interaction between characters and the way its world works.

Plus, the crazy otter may be the cutest scary creature in animated film history.

this movie did have the best trailer of any movie in recent years.

Yeah that's exactly what I was rolling my eyes about, how obvious the reference was and how little sense it makes if you don't read the story as allegory. The "only we can call each other 'cute'" line was a better, more subtle way to get at the same thing, but I still thought it stuck out. Anyway, it was a small thing that got at me, I thought the movie did a great job with its message in other parts

Keep in mind: it's a kids movie! Sure, adults will get that stuff, but it's in there for adults to get (see also: bootleg DVDs, Breaking Bad references, Godfather riffs). For kids, especially the current generation raised on "you can be anything," it's just a little sneaky taste of the real world that they may be oblivious of.

I also thought the bullying stuff in this was pretty real-world horrifying as well. That muzzle ...

Took the kids today, we all liked it. In the category of "smarter than it needs to be," which I appreciate especially in kids' films. And the central buddy-movie story was well-played.

Did the same and had same reaction.

"see also: bootleg DVDs, Breaking Bad references, Godfather riffs"

no

oh good Disney are taking queues from dreamworks. so happy about that

not really tho

There is nothing DreamWorks y about this, but hey, don't see it. It has jokes.

I should say, the Godfather bit aside, the Breaking Bad and bootleg DVD gags barely even register as blink and you'll miss them jokes. Total background details, which is what I liked about then.

Yeah, the Godfather one was the most egregious -- but I agree there's a difference in tone and style from Dreamworks and Shrek. Those things are all part of the fully conceived world, they're there as guides saying "This world is just like yours." They mostly don't feel like cheap laughs. (And OK those of us over the age of 9 or whatever don't need those guides -- but I don't blame a kids' movie for taking account of its audience.)

if classic movie references are suddenly 'beneath' disney yall are gonna be really shocked when you see literally any 80s or 90s disney movie

Robin Williams' genie definitely prefigured Shrek.

News anchors are different depending on the country:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cc1WXWZUEAAIjQl.jpg

AVClub think piece mistakenly claims that in Zootopia, only predators are police, but it's not accurate at all: buffalo, elephants, rhinos, etc. But it did result in this smart comment:

This error actually flags one of the interesting things about Zootopia- as opposed to a strict allegory about one dimension of real-world prejudice, it presents an interlocking set of bigotries. There is an obvious systemic bias based on size, but also a predator/prey distinction that had faded somewhat over time, and that some people are trying to reignite as a means of consolidating political power. And then there's a plethora of species-specific biases, some of which are shared, some of which are themselves species-specific (bunnies don't like foxes).

The result is a movie that is an utter mess when read allegorically, but that by recognizing intersectionality more closely reflects the nature of prejudice.

I thought this was really good, too: http://themuse.jezebel.com/we-never-had-disney-movies-like-zootopia-when-i-was-gro-1763261356

I'd been so wrapped up in how it handles racism that I somehow didn't even notice all the stuff about sexism, too.

Really subversive movie. Confusing thread title - this had nothing to do with Wall St?

My gut reaction when I saw it was to call it subversive, too, but I think it's too explicit to be subversive. It is explicitly about prejudice. I guess the only thing subversive about that is that it's in a kids movie, but it's not like it's a hidden message or allegory. It's the actual subject of the film.

The fact that the message was so explicit in a straight up kids movie - and not something like The Simpsons - was pretty subversive, I feel. I can't applaud the filmmakers enough, the movie is brilliant and a real public service.

My thoughts exactly. I wish people were talking about this here.

Confusing thread title - this had nothing to do with Wall St?

I haven't seen the movie, but these guys from the trailer seem to fit the bill.

https://youtu.be/kqeHCNojuQ4?t=1m40s

Lemmings, iirc.

so I ended up not seeing this after all - y wife took our daughter and then the film/project broke midway through. they got a bunch of free tickets in return. so maybe I will see this next weekend...

the projector broke halfway through? that blows

Lemmings, iirc.

Holy crap, I knew they were lemmings but I didn't even get the bank joke - they're working at "Lemming Brothers Bank"!

I need to see this again, ASAP. I already forgot about the howling wolves joke.

yeah, is good joke, no?

the lembings, i mean. also cute.

so this is not the zoolander sequel huh

This thread + this review = I'm officially innerested.

this was really good.

my kids didn't really like it :/

how old are they? I think it probably won't resonate with kids under 10 very well

6-4-2

this was pretty interesting - I think a lot of the allegorical prejudice stuff went right over my 8yo's head (who, let's face it, is primarily into these movies for the joeks and the adventure), but it was striking how foregrounded things like "character being explicitly called out on unconscious prejudice" were

Feel like it's weird that I have a 10-year-old and this movie is apparently a huge hit and I had no idea it even existed until I saw a lot of thinkpieces about it on Twitter today.

My friend noted the otter's name is Emmitt, which he figured had to be a reference to Jim Henson's:
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/1/18/Title.emmet.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20131224192858
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/9/9c/Jugband.JPG/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20071127144259

yes. also there were two other characters with referential names but now it completely escapes me who they were.

oh wait yeah, in the 'breaking bad' scene the two guys who come to the door with lattes are named Walter and Jesse

i thought the breaking bad references were really lame & stuck out, pointless, unlike the Henson or Lehmann references. what a great movie, though. glad it's doing well.

the meth lab thing did seem a little ... unnecessary

There should be a statute of limitations on Godfather riffs. Iirc, didn't Inside Out have a fleeting Chinatown gag? It's been a while, probably time to move on from those.

Anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdQV2pe7r04

it's called Zootropolis in the UK?

xpost Some of these^ are a stretch, but some I totally missed.

Woolter and Jesse

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfl1/v/t1.0-9/12809515_567866740057010_6503752979789141942_n.jpg?oh=573a0d996cd4559cd8860c21b4ab0ab0&oe=575DF261

says more about the person who made that that the rabbit cop is "sexualized".

ahah, indeed !

GROSS: https://www.inverse.com/article/12214-zootopia-is-a-deliberate-definitive-and-probably-sensual-fantasy-for-furries

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

loved this. also loved that the in-jokes were kept manageable and didn't overwhelm the material. the scenery was so nice too.

Yeah, this was super good. And really gorgeous, like some of the best computer animation I've seen. Overly-referential winky Dreamworks-esque garbage movies totally make me rage barf, and this came nowhere near triggering that gag reflex.

I have to think that John Lasseter's ascension is largely to thank for the rising quality of Disney's stuff. He seems more like someone who really cares about making thoughtful (and even progressive) movies than I've come to expect from the people in charge of Disney's films. Kids are lucky! What I wouldn't have given for movies this good when I was young.

yeah, even the whole "lol sloths working at a DMV get it" is like a brief 5 minutes that doesn't overstay its welcome, the Jesse Walt BB thing is just a quick aside, the "let it go" joke....those things are ancillary, not the crux of the piece.

plus I do like that the when the original Mayor was removed from his post, and arrested, he wasn't some mustache twirling bad guy, he actually had genuine concern for the people in his city and just went about it the wrong way. kids getting shown greys instead of black and whites always makes me happy.

even Officer Hops' faux pas wasn't some "fell in with the wrong crowd" or "momentarily forgot who she was" thing, it was just a case of an inexperienced 'detective' being a deer in the headlights for her first press conference, being at a loss for words, grasping onto the narrative she remembered from the facility, and not thinking through the subtext of what she said. and then it getting used as a teachable moment within the movie.

Very good points. This was much more nuanced than the Disney movies of my yoot.

The impressive amount of world-building in this begs for at least one sequel.
Were there any cyclists in Zootopia? Everybody drives or takes the train, I guess.

I thought the screenwriter did an excellent job as the voice of the hillbilly fox. Sad that John DiMaggio is so underutilized.

Was a little underwhelmed by how quick the plot turns from the press conference to the revelation from an unexpected source. Most of the action was just okay, but I get this isn't a rock 'em sock 'em adventure movie. I do think they did an extremely good job harkening back to ye olde buddy cop movies, felt like it was laid on just thick enough, any more and it would have been too much.

also what everybody else said about the somewhat subversive, heavily intersectional moral messages etc. It takes a surprisingly elephantine shit not just on naked, obvious bigotry, but harder stuff too, low expectations, "biology" and so on.

it bothered me that "Everybody Hurts" was playing on the radio in this

Ha! just watched this all over again because the 5yo wanted to for whatever reason. This is a good movie.

this movie ruled

Good movie -- saw it two weeks ago.

coming to netflix on September 20.

A few groan-worthy moments aside (all noted above), I thought this was great. The allegory, the buddy story and even the mystery plot all worked for me, but most surprising of all was that this might be by far the most enjoyable *action* flick I've seen in many a moon.

Jason Bateman's fox = Lord Soto's movie crush of the year

liked this a lot, it was great. besides the world building and character design being incredibly well-thought out and labored, the prejudice/racism/sexism allegories were super well executed. (this got a massive tumblr/SJW seal of approval over the last year which got me curious about it) the last few Disney Animation Studios films continue their streak of surpassing Pixar, at least in the story department.

i'm super fascinated by the alternate version discussed on the blu-ray - lots of deleted scenes and discussion about an even darker version where Nick is the central character. In this city, all the predators more blatantly oppressed by the prey majority, forced to wear shock collars that buzz them when they get "excited". one cut scene features a "taming party" where a parent gives his son a fucked-up bar mitzvah where he gets a taming collar that he'll wear his whole life. also includes a sequence where Nick tries to get a loan for a predator amusement park scheme and is rejected by every bank in town because of his "bad credit". and lastly, an altered scene where Judy's parents come to visit her apartment, find her with Nick and her father freaks out explicitly because he might be her boyfriend...

also anyone else notice how similar Nick's design was to the old Robin Hood cartoon? or maybe all anthropomorphized foxes with clothing will just kinda look like that...

it's a very sweet and funny movie and all but damn, if i had kids, i would love for them to watch that scene where Nick explains that "if the world's only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in being anything else."

I'd be fascinated by that version, but I can easily see it being a worse film - the press conference where Judy stumbles over the line is the better because they haven't been painting the species relations in a heavy brush before.

I think there's a scene (when she comes back and apologises?) where they're wearing Robin Hood colours.

The boyfriend thing would be interesting as the one thing that's kind of awkward about the setup is that as animals all cross-species relations are sexless. Which is nice in having a central boy-girl pair that isn't a romance..

Oh I totally agree - the choices they made for the final film were much better. Just peering into an alternate universe

Agree with everything that has been said about it's depth/world building, handling of race/biology/bias/etc. I loved it but my 3 year old said halfway through, "I don't want to watch this anymore."

I made her watch it anyway.

Haven't watched it but my 6 yr old wants to watch it every day

My kids, especially the 9-year old, have it memorize. She's also still obsessed with the Shakira song.

I made her watch it anyway.

A la Clockwork Orange?

I took the kids to see it in the theater, but my wife hadn't seen it and I knew she'd like it (despite some skepticism on her part). So we watched it last month when it came on Netflix, and she was charmed and impressed by it. Held up well to a second viewing for me.

Jason Bateman's fox = Lord Soto's movie crush of the year

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, September 15, 2016 7:31 PM

2016: Nicky Fox vs Matthias Schoenaerts

still such an awful thread title jfc

this was great. can't wait until they rip the cunt uprising a new one in zootopia 2

save us, disney

Disney's Bob Iger named to Donald Trump's new President’s Strategic and Policy Forum

"Rip the cunt uprising" wtf?!

um, anyway, good movie!

imagine what it must be like whenever there's a parasite outbreak. everybody with friends in the tundra probably surfs a couch for weeks on end until they get the all clear. everybody without friends in the tundra just ends up looking & feeling like the zootopia version of the lawyer from The Night Of