Zootopia

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                                       
                                                         

Zootopia could’ve been a cliched mess, but it’s actually one of the smartest movies in the canon, thanks to the way in which it cleverly delivers its message.

The idea of having talking animals tell a tale about prejudice honestly sounds like something that would usually be aimed at a very young crowd and wouldn’t be very entertaining for anyone else, but this film does things in a completely fresh way. First of all, it sets up its world fantastically – also fantastic is the way that it shows how this world is adapted to allow various animals to live together. In combination with its great animation, this makes the scene where Judy Hopps first enters Zootopia one of the best scenes in the film.

It also delves deeper, intelligently mimicking real-world issues to really pack a punch at certain points. And a lot of the time it’s really funny too!

The only weak spot in the film is the villain – I appreciate what they were trying to do, but it just doesn’t work for me. The twist villains are getting kind of dull at this point and here it means that the bad guys motivation seems to come out of nowhere, as the audience isn’t really given enough time to process the fact that this character is evil.

Other than that, this film is among the best of the modern era, thanks to its great animation, sharp script and smart storytelling.  

Ranking

Good guys: It has a compelling lead who also learns from her mistakes in Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde provides an entertaining foil for her, meaning that the good guys get 8/10

Bad guys: They had good intentions with the bad guy, but it falls a little flat, so the bad guys get 4/10

Animation: Some really nice animation gets 7/10

Music: There is a really fun score here and Try Everything is also a great song, so the music gets 7/10

Plot: A  clever plot gets 10/10

Overall score: 36/50

Next review: Moana

Big Hero 6

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                                                            

Big Hero 6 may seem like your average superhero movie at first glance, but the depths of its plot put it up there with the best films of its era. As the title would suggest, the film focuses on the formation of the eponymous team of superheroes, led by 14-year old tech genius named Hiro.

From the emotional depth of the storyline and themes, to the parallels between the hero and the villain, this film has a level of depth and maturity not seen in many animated films in general. The animation is also very well done and the way in which San Francisco and Tokyo blend to form the film’s high-tech setting is also rather impressive.

Considering the lack of diversity in many Disney films, it should also be commended for its incredibly diverse main cast. And although all of the side characters other than Hiro are admittedly rather underdeveloped, they’re likable enough to be entertaining.  

The fact that Hiro makes as many mistakes and goes through as many emotions as a real 14-year old would, as opposed to being a perfect paragon of virtue, is also rather refreshing, as well as being more realistic. But by far the best character in the film is Baymax, the robotic nurse created by Hiro’s brother. He is as adorable and hilarious as Stitch and is also a fairly unique character on his own.

Overall, Big Hero 6 is a very entertaining and surprisingly deep film, which you should definitely check out if you haven’t seen it already.

Rating

Good guys: All of the protagonists are both unique and likable (if a tad underdeveloped in places), whilst Baymax is one of my favourite Disney sidekicks, so the good guys get 6/10

Bad guys: Disney once again uses the twist villain, but it works well here due to the parallels between their story and Hiro’s, so the bad guy gets 7/10

Animation: The city of San Franksoyko is very well designed, so the animation gets 6/10

Music: The movie has a really good score and Immortals is one of my favourite Disney songs, so the music gets 7/10

Plot: A moving plot gets 10/10

Overall score: 36/50

Next review: Zootopia