22. Zootopia (2016)
Zootopia (released as Zootropolis in some countries) is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated buddy cop comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 55th Disney animated feature film. The film is directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, co-directed by Jared Bush, and starring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira. The film details the unlikely partnership between a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist as they uncover a conspiracy that involves the disappearance of predator inhabitants of a mammalian metropolis.
Zootopia premiered at the Brussels Animation Film Festival in Belgium on February 13, 2016, and went into general theatrical release in conventional 2D, Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats in the United States on March 4, 2016. The film was praised for its animation, voice cast, humor and themes about discrimination and social stereotypes. It opened to record-breaking box office success in several countries and has earned a worldwide gross of over $1 billion, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2016 and the 25th highest-grossing film of all time.
From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
Even after all these years of these incredible kids movies, you still, STILL, have those fucking skeptics out there who look at a movie like this and go “yeah, my kid will probably like this but I’ll probably hate it.” And especially with a company like Disney who has delivered quality animated film that both kids & adults have liked over the years, you still get those people out who look at this and go, “wow, this is lame, I’m not gonna like this” without even looking back to Bolt, The Princess & The Frog, Winnie The Pooh, Wreck It Ralph, Frozen, & Big Hero 6 and not seeing that Disney has been on a hot streak with movies that both kids & adults like.
And Zootopia is most definitely not only another Disney animated classic in the making but it’s also one of the biggest and most enjoyable surprises of recent memory.
There is so much stuff in this that just works to a tee and there are very few faults or negative things to say about it.
The animation is spectacular, some of Disney’s best, as the whole view of the city looks incredible, you end up having the same feelings that the main character, Judy, has when she first enters the city like you can’t believe this place is actually a reality. It’s kind of like when you first go to Walt Disney World and you’re just so impressed at this amazing world they’ve created. Thank god this movie is now a success because I hope they can incorporate these elements into their theme parks, hell, put it in Animal Kingdom, give me a reason to go to Animal Kingdom for once.
Not only that but the characters themselves are very likeable and memorable, Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, is a great female character and a continued proof that Disney is expanding on having more female and diversified characters becoming leads in these big movies. I like how she always tries to be optimistic about everything and is smart enough to overcome many of the obstacles she comes by in the film, at least until the third act but we’ll get to that later. Nick, voiced by Jason Bateman, is a very fun and enjoyable character playing a comic foil to Hopps as she tries to prove her worth in the town. The rest of the characters are nicely done and very well voice casted, it’s one of the few times where a ton of famous celebrities provide the voices well enough that you don’t even notice the celebrities involved. Even somebody like Shakira, who could’ve been a nuisance right off the bat, is used in a way that she’s not wide out in the open and annoying, she’s in there enough to not cause a ruckus and even her song, Try Everything, is actually a nice little tune.
But the best aspect about the movie is its’ message, the movie takes this 360 degree turn towards the third act where Judy says one thing that creates a Disney equivalent of a race war and the last act suddenly becomes a social commentary on some pretty heavy issues like race and political corruption but the way they do it is very subtle and not in your face about it. It’s like what happened with The Lego Movie in its’ third act, the movie takes this turn that not only works but tells an important lesson about life itself, Zootopia does that as well, gives an important message about not living in fear and living in peace & harmony, something that we can really use in today’s world.
With some of the best animation to come out of the studio, a lot of great characters, very funny moments, great music, and a great social message about life, Disney’s Zootopia is a brilliantly made, well-paced, and well-meaning animated movie, the best animated movie released since Inside Out and maybe since The Lego Movie and the best animated Disney movie (minus Pixar) since Winnie The Pooh. When 2016 comes to an end, Zootopia will most definitely be one of the year’s greatest highlights and a new animated Disney classic in the making.
21. Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar and was co-written and directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005. The title refers to a French dish, “ratatouille”, which is served at the end of the film and is also a play on words about the species of the main character. The film stars the voices of Patton Oswalt as Remy, an anthropomorphic rat who is interested in cooking; Lou Romano as Linguini, a young garbage boy who befriends Remy; Ian Holm as Skinner, the head chef of Auguste Gusteau’s restaurant; Janeane Garofalo as Colette, a rôtisseur at Gusteau’s restaurant; Peter O’Toole as Anton Ego, a restaurant critic; Brian Dennehy as Django, Remy’s father and leader of his clan; Peter Sohn as Emile, Remy’s older brother; and Brad Garrett as Auguste Gusteau, a recently deceased chef. The plot follows Remy, who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a Parisian restaurant’s garbage boy.
Development of Ratatouille began in 2000 when Pinkava wrote the original concepts of the film. In 2005, Bird was approached to direct the film and revise the story. Bird and some of the film’s crew members also visited Paris for inspiration. To create the food animation used in the film, the crew consulted chefs from both France and the United States. Bird also interned at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant, where Keller developed the confit byaldi, a dish used in the film.
Ratatouille premiered on June 22, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with its general release June 29, 2007, in the United States. The film grossed US$620.7 million at the box office and received universal acclaim. The film later won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, among other honors.
It’s a Pixar movie directed by Brad Bird…of course, it’s gonna be excellent. And it is, it’s a smart, brilliantly animated and excellently casted feature film.
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