We explain why this latest Disney animated flick seems more mature than its predecessors in our Zootopia review

Zootopia is more than just a Disney animated film. In fact, Zootopia plays more like a crime-dramedy, with a lesson to be learned as well. Because when it comes to animated as of late, there’s always a life lesson to be learned.

With that in mind, Zootopia does a pretty good job of combining art with life and making it enjoyable for all ages.  And as usual, the animated is top-notch, so we’ll not be getting into that in this review.

The original story centers on newly appointed cop, bunny Judy Hopps. Not only is a she a rookie, but she’s a bunny, the first bunny ever in Zootopia to be a cop. Being short in stature more than likely labeled as a sort of weak, simple-minded, country creature, she’s not taken seriously, especially among her fellow cops.

At first, she’s given the job of meter maid, something not quite up to what Hopps wants to do, but she does her duty as best as she can. It’s not long after that that she stumbles across something that could give her the step up that she needs to solve real cases and arrest bad guys.

So, when she gets the chance, she takes it, bringing in a reluctant con-fox, Nick Wilde, to help her.

Being that the characters are animals and wear clothes and walk on two feet, Disney’s Zootopia is very much a story that sticks very close to life as a human. It makes them relatable in that sense, but also more adorable and cute, which appeases everyone.

However, this rookie-cop story interweaves a more mature storyline to it, which might go over the heads of the very young audience members. For them, it’s pretty much fodder for the eyes than for the mind, but some will get it and understand. For the adults, they’ll definitely get it and at times even enjoy it more, especially with references to certain TV shows or movies that are very mature.

There were a couple of scenes in there that were just ridiculously funny (if there’s one scene you’ll remember from the movie, it’s the DMV one), but honestly, not as many laugh-out-loud scenes as you would think.

Having said that, this felt like a very different style of storytelling for Disney than its previous animated films. As if they were trying to age-up the film and give it more references for adults to enjoy. Granted, Disney animated films have always added a bit of humor that would go over the heads of their major target audience, but this one seemed just seemed to want to push even further.

Still, it’s not a bad movie. In fact, it’s a good movie.  It definitely has a relatable story, about a person facing adversity and doubt to fulfilling her dream, all the while learning and bettering herself. There’s that lesson that can be learned from the movie, especially in this day and age where prejudice still lingers over us. But because of that, there’s a sense that what’s taught can easily be forgotten, and thus the longevity of this movie might not be as good as previous Disney flicks.

Hopefully, the lesson derived from it can, though.