"filled with marvellous, hilarious moments that every Disney's aficionado will adore"

Recently we often hear or read about awful news on disasters or tragedies fuelled by fear of what is mostly different. In Hollywood, many movies have touched upon this subject rather subtly. Among them, Zootropolis is Disney's answer (again) to all this hate, creating a tale on how important it is to never judge a book by its cover and cave to the fear of what is different.

Written by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, Zootropolis is Disney's latest project in which animals are the sole characters whereby they possess human traits and personalities. As per usual, this movie is not only for children, on the contrary, it is filled with jokes and situations that are entirely too familiar to adults.

The plot is simple: Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a determined and hard working bunny, dreams of being a police officer in the big city. No one takes her seriously, not even her parents, because nobody would believe that a small, vulnerable and scaredy bunny could be a convincing police officer. When, against all odds, Judy finally sees her dream become a reality, she has to face more difficulties because her colleagues, mostly predators, appear more fitted for the role and don't believe in her.

Luckily, Judy has the chance to prove herself, when she has to investigate a series of disappearing residents, and with the reluctant help of a fox con artist, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), she can finally show Zootropolis that she can impress. Throughout the movie they both try their hardest to show that they are more than what everyone believes them to be, even though at the beginning Nick hides behind a façade to protect himself. Along the way they are both determined to prove everyone wrong and complete their mission by relying only on themselves.

Moreover, what Disney is also trying to do is to teach children and adults to always believe in themselves and, even when everything seems to go wrong, never doubt that you can make it. Just because it is harder it doesn't mean that you can't do it, and, just like Judy and Nick, you have to believe that you are strong and that you are not what other people think you are.

Not judging is also another strong topic ever-present in the story. Jumping to conclusions doesn't always work and even the most innocent animal can turn out to be the most dangerous, while a predator isn't defined by its feral instincts. What makes Zootropolis a well made project is the fact that the approach to use animals to explain to children a reality that is present in our society is clever, not only because it makes it easier for children to understand the message lying underneath, but also because it makes it entertaining both for them and their parents.

The comedy timing and jokes are hilarious and more often than not adults will laugh out loud because they will recognise themselves in many of the situations Judy and her animal friends have to deal with. Disney likes to keep the audience on their toes and what is particularly exceptional is the fact that for the most attentive viewer there are a lot of cultural and movie references scattered in it: Zootropolis is filled with marvellous, hilarious moments that every Disney's aficionado will adore.