Do adults love animated movies because they bring back childhood memories, are better than a lot of grown-up films or a bit of both? Whatever the reason, you'll leave buddy adventure Zootropolis in better form than when you went in.
Judy Hopps is on the case
With Easter almost upon us, Disney has unveiled its new bunny, Officer Judy Hopps (Goodwin), the first of her kind to wear the uniform of the Zootropolis Police Department. Problem is, living the dream in this animal kingdom isn't quite how young Judy imagined back home on the carrot farm with her mother, father and 275 brothers and sisters.
Judy's not cracking big cases and putting master mammal criminals away; she's slapping parking tickets on (little and big) cars because her bosses don't take her seriously. And then she meets fox Nick Wilde (Bateman).
Hopps and Wilde - it has a ring to it
Wilde is a master wheeler-dealer who manages to just about stay on the right side of the law. He's also one of the last people to see Emmet Otterton before he disappeared - one of 12 Zootropolis residents on a missing animals list. Judy gets wind of the case following a chance meeting at headquarters with Otterton's wife. But she and Nick will need to put aside their differences to solve the mystery.
Roll call
If you're expecting in-jokes for adults galore Zootropolis isn't that kind of movie but there's plenty of charm and a decent plot to keep things moving. The life lessons here are about holding on to dreams and embracing diversity but they're not delivered via baton charge - in the right frame of mind you might even get some inspiration yourself.
This guy steals the show
And this guy is another gem
For the Godfather-spoofing scene involving a shrew (he deserves his own movie) and an encounter with a sloth at the driving licence office Zootropolis is worth the ticket price alone, and if that kind of magic can be multiplied in the inevitable sequel Disney could have a classic on its hands.
This rabbit will run and run. Sorry.
Harry Guerin
