This post is sponsored by Dolby Cinema™ . All opinions are my own. #Zootopia #DolbyCinema #ShareAMC
Yesterday I had the chance to see the new Disney movie Zootopia. I had seen the trailers on television and was really looking forward to it. I invited a friend and her two sons and we set out to laugh and be amazed!
Here are my thoughts for those of you considering the film:
The Theatre
This was my first trip to an AMC Dolby Cinema (in my case the AMC Hampton Towne Center Theatre). First of all the theatre was GORGEOUS. Everything was new and clean. Even the lobby had tons of electronics and other items I had never seen.
Once I was inside the actual theatre I was VERY happy to find super comfortable reclining seats. There was plenty of room in the cup holder to store all of my items and, had I been there with someone special, the arm rest in the middle easily went up for maximum cuddling. Or, in some cases, to hold a child who gets restless or is scared.
My cowboy boots loved the chair
I knew before going in that the actual chairs were supposed to react with the movie but I didn’t know what that meant. As soon as I sat down I knew- there was a Coke commercial on the screen and when the bass got really loud the chair vibrated. I have to be honest- I thought this was going to be SUPER annoying once the movie started. However, like a 3D movie that does just the right amount of special effects, the chairs were the exact same way. It wasn’t at all like an amusement park ride- it added to the experience.
If they ever made another Jurrasic Park movie I think it would be worth the drive for those seats in that theatre.
The Plot
This is your typical girl from the little town comes to the big city and gets in over her head plot. Judy Hopps (played by the adorable Ginnifer Goodwin) lives in a small town with her hundreds of little brother and sister rabbits (insert obvious rabbit joke). Her parents are carrot farmers and expect her to settle into a happy comfortable life. She wants to become a police officer and work in the big city, Zootopia. No bunny has ever been an officer before but she wants to break through the barriers. Cut to a “Mulan-esque” montage of her at the Police Academy failing over and over due to her size but eventually learning to use her brain to overcome the obstacles and graduate top of her class.
(Side Note: After graduating she takes the monorail from her town to the center of Zootopia going through all of the Districts- Tundra, Sahara etc. I SWEAR I could hear Jennifer Lawrence offering herself up as tribute.)
While handing out parking tickets she comes across a fox hustler named Nick Wilde (played by Jason Bateman) who has now moved in front of Robin Hood as my best all time fox crush. Through a series of events they begin working a case together and we see this normally predator/prey relationship blossom into a beautiful “buddy cop” scenario.
The Good Stuff
Friends Can Be Friends No Matter How Different: The budding friendship between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde was one of those classic Disney relationships that young and old enjoy watching. Two characters who rise above their differences and become friends. There are strong racial and socio-economic undertones in the film (don’t worry they will go straight over most kid’s heads) and these two working together show that you don’t have to be what people expect you to be- you can be better.
Don’t Let Anything Hold You Back: Both Judy and Nick have been held back because of how they were born. Both are encouraged to work as hard as they can to accomplish what they want.
Police Officers Are Shown As Good People: In movies for children my opinion is showing police officers as good people is a plus. Judy Hopps is demonstrated as someone people can go to for help and to stay safe. I know later in life discussions may need to be had but right now as an aunt, if my niece or nephews were ever lost somewhere I would want their gut instinct to be to find an officer.
The Movie is Beautiful: I want to visit Zootopia. I swear you can SMELL the place while you watch it. The city, the colors, the noises- it is a beautiful film. I will be ASTONISHED if no Disney ride or recurring television series is created out of this.
The Sloths: I won’t say much more about that but expect your newsfeed to fill be full of Sloth GIFS by the end of the week.
The Bad Stuff
Scary Parts: There are some very scary parts in this movie. As I will say below I wouldn’t take anyone under age 7 to go see it (which is why they rated it PG). If your child is prone to nightmares a panther snarling while running after a small bunny might be a bit too much.
The Plot Gets Away From It: As with most kid’s movies now the writers seemed to have a hard time wrapping everything up. The plot starts to drag and the kids started getting restless. Also some of the plot points are pretty intricate- it was very much a detective type movie. So again a bit over kid’s heads.
Who Should See It?
Judging from the children around me and their reactions I would say the PG rating on this movie is accurate. My nephew is 6 and he would be scared at some parts of this movie. I would say ages 8 and up would be perfectly fine.
Also the younger kids around me really weren’t laughing too much. The bulk of the humor was over their head. So while the adults were laughing at the Godfather and Breaking Bad references they were sitting still. To me a good joke has to be funny to BOTH groups (if you need an example watch Big Hero 6 when they are trying to get Baymax up the stairs. My nephew and I were both laughing hysterically).
I would give it an A but only for some older kids- this one isn’t for the little ones.
Check It Out Yourself
Maybe you are lucky enough to live by a Dolby Cinema like I am. Check out these locations and experience it yourself:
Arizona AMC Desert Ridge 18
Georgia AMC North Point Mall 12
Illinois AMC Hawthorn 12
Missouri AMC BarryWoods 24
New Jersey AMC Garden State 16
Northern California AMC NewPark 12
Southern California
Texas