Thrashbrowns v. Mouse House, Round 6

Zootopia (2016)

The Story:

The House of Mouse takes on racism and societal change with this story of Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin), the first bunny cop in the city of Zootopia. Judy takes it upon herself to solve a kidnapping, inadvertently discovering a nefarious plot. Together with grifter fox Nick (Jason Bateman), Judy must get to the bottom of things to prove herself and keep the city from tearing itself apart.

Has Thrashbrowns seen it? Why or why not?

This movie looked a little too cutesy, a little too DISNEY, for my taste. So in spite of hearing that this flick was like an allegory about racism and having my interest piqued a tiny bit by that aspect, I skipped it.

The Good:

Well, some of the jokes are pretty funny. I did like the bits that spoofed The Godfather. The sloth bit started off pretty great. More on that later.

I also really appreciated the voice work from the likes of Idris Elba, Tommy Chong, Jenny Slate and Alan Tudyk. Chong's New Age stoner yak character was especially funny.

Finally, I liked how this movie tried to give us a relevant message. Racism is a pressing issue that continues to afflict our society, and yet everyone is so scared of the word "racism," it doesn't get brought up in serious, thoughtful conversation. So, for a Disney kids movie to raise this issue is commendable. 

The Bad:

This movie isn't nearly as funny or smart as it thinks it is. For one thing, it runs some of its best gags into the ground. For example, the sloth gag at the DMV starts off great, but that scene goes on and on and on and wears out its welcome. Maybe the point was for the audience to feel Judy's frustration in that situation. But it's not pleasant and this movie is full of similar missteps.

Another issue is the way the film simplifies the issue of racism. It boils the whole issue down to biology and fear, an analog for factors that are out of human control. It doesn't take into consideration that regardless of environment or fear, individuals have a choice whether to succumb to those factors or find a way to rise above them. It makes a point of illustrating that Judy just wants to make the world a better place without considering that maybe that's the exact same thing that racists think they're trying to do. 

In short, it raises an issue and decides to spoon-feed viewers what the filmmakers think is the right answer instead of presenting the issue in an even-handed manner which allows viewers to make up their own minds. 

Most Annoying Disney-ism:

Bad. Pop. Music.

So, there's a character called Gazelle, voiced by Shakira. She's the biggest pop star in Zootopia. She has an app where folks can dance with her. The news goes to her for commentary about current events. Yeah, she's a big deal. 

Only you could cut her completely out of the movie and not affect the story whatsoever. 

So why is she here? Marketing, baby! She sings a couple of terrible pop songs, one that plays under the montage of Judy traveling to Zootopia and another that plays during the closing credits. That's another way to sell this movie to kids. They see the movie, love it and nag parents into buying the soundtrack. I get it, but the last thing this movie needed was shitty pop songs on the soundtrack.

Does Thrashbrowns get why people love this?

Not really. I mean, the characters are cute, not really any cuter than characters from any other animated movies. The jokes are hit-and-miss. The message is too simplistic to effectively address racism in a way that doesn't feel myopic or hollow. So I'm not sure what other folks have seen that I missed.

Did Thrashbrowns like it?

Yes and no. I laughed a bit, enjoyed the visuals (although I'm starting to feel like every computer-animated film looks the same, right down to the pseudo-photorealistic sheen) and appreciated the ambition of trying to tell a story about racism. But I'm recalling on old maxim I heard once that goes something like just cuz a movie is about something important doesn't make it good. I think that applies here.

Up next: 

For the first time, Thrashbrowns v. Mouse House is leaving the realms of animation and checking out the acclaimed Christian Bale masterpiece The Dar- I mean Newsies.