ZOOTOPIA   3.5*** (as an Animated film)

          You owe it to yourself to see Disney's new animated film Zootopia, a film that’s both timely and relevant . You owe it to yourself to see it in a time in America when craziness, hatefulness, and fear is being promoted by the very people who should be fighting against it. . You owe it to yourself to see this film simply because it's a brand new delightful Disney classic.

The film takes place in the diverse animal inhabited City of Zootopia, a place where predators and prey live together in harmony, and are more or less free to be whoever and whatever they want to be. These reasons are precisely what attracts Judy Hopps , a small bunny with big dreams of being a police officer in the big city. She’s living on a carrot farm with her parents and 275 sibling bunnies. Her parents don’t want her to go or  to be a police officer because not only has a bunny never become a police officer, but they feel Judy should stay on the  family farm, something Judy has no interest in doing. So she leaves to pursue her dream.

After successfully completing police academy training, Judy is thrust into the force alongside other, more muscled animals such as rhinoceroses, rams, bulls, and elephants. Judy's boss, Chief Bogo, a huge buffalo, assigns  her to be a "metermaid" while the other animals take on the bigger crimes, specifically a case involving fourteen missing predators. Judy tries to prove herself by issuing over two-hundred citations in just a couple of hours, but to no avail. . When Judy winds up catching a weasel after he robs a store, she is just about to be fired when Chief Bogo tasks her with finding a local otter who has been missing for over a week. If she can find the otter in 48 hours or less, she can keep her job, but if she doesn't, she'll be forced to resign. Judy enlists the help of Nick Wilde, a wiley fox, one of the most looked-down-upon predators in Zootopia, by  blackmailing him in order to get him to cooperate. Together, the two work to find the otter, but in turn, discover something bigger.

The message for children (and adults) is strong about not giving up your dream - even when all those around you are doubting you - and even trying to make you fail. Humor that adults can also enjoy has become a staple of movies like these - and Zootopia hits a home run in this area. There are many funny lines throughout the movie, but the scene at the Dept of Motor Vehicles made me and the entire audience laugh out loud.

Clark