Zootopia (2016) Disney Blu-ray Review

Plot: In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Review: All her life growing up in Bunnyburrow, bunny Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) has only had one dream: To be Zootopia’s first bunny police officer. When she’s finally of age, she trains at the police academy, excels at the program (it takes her awhile to measure up physically, but she gets there), and then she’s instated at a department in the middle of the melting pot metropolis known as Zootopia. Her first assignment is writing parking tickets (which she’s great at), but on that first day she meets a fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), who she quickly learns in a wily con artist. She could turn him in for several infractions of the law, but instead she partners up with him when she realizes that his streetwise sense can help her solve a case she was never meant to solve. She stumbles on a plot concerning a very serious issue going on in Zootopia: once tame animals higher up on the food chain are acting out of congress and turning feral, which poses a major threat to all of Zootopia. Judy and Nick seem to be the only two animals onto the plot, but when they start investigating, they unearth a whole slew of micro-mysteries that require attention ASAP! Their adventure gets them chased by deadly, feral animals, leads them into a high speed locomotive chase, and a sinister plot to undermine what Zootopia is all about: to incorporate all creeds, species, and types of animals in the animal kingdom.

A pseudo-riff on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Disney’s Zootopia has one of the “grittier” animated Disney movies, but that’s not to say that families and grown-ups won’t enjoy every minute of it. It follows a very linear (and somewhat complicated) plot that requires your attention, and its characters are really the selling point. Judy Hopp and Nick Wilde make a great buddy/buddy cop team, the likes of which we haven’t really seen from Disney before. This movie feels like a neat little private eye movie … imagine a Phillip Marlow story filtered through animation, with high speed chases and clever twists, turns, and comedy, and Zootopia is what you’d get, and all said and done it’s a nicely balanced crossover appeal film for even hardened fans of action, suspense, and mystery. Filmmakers Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush crafted a blockbuster smash hit that will most certainly have a long shelf life.

Disney will be releasing a supplement-heavy Blu-ray/DVD combo set of Zootopia on June 7th.

Bonus features include*:

BLU-RAY 3D, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:

• Zoology: The Roundtables – Ginnifer Goodwin hosts an in-depth look at the movie’s characters, animation, environments and more. The artists at Disney Animation give a rare and in-depth look at the complexities of bringing an all-animal world to life from the ground-breaking technology behind the characters’ fur and clothing to the varied and vast environments of Tundratown, Sahara Square and the Rainforest District as well as the deep thought and research given to bringing 64 unique animal species to life through animation.
• The Origin of an Animal Tale – Follow the story’s development from its origins to a big story shift that turned the film upside down. In this feature-length documentary, filmmakers give a candid look into the difficulties of creating the story of Zootopia and the bold decision to switch the main character late in the production process, putting one resolute rabbit center stage.
• Research: A True-Life Adventure – The filmmakers traveled the globe to find inspiration for the diverse characters and amazing city of Zootopia. They reflect on the importance of research and how a deep dive into animal behavior at Disney Animal Kingdom theme park and a deep immersion into animal society on the African savanna shaped and inspired the characters of Zootopia and changed the filmmakers’ lives forever.
• P.D. Forensic Files – Find the movie’s hidden Easter Eggs. Every city has its hidden gems, especially when it has been created by the filmmakers of Disney Animation who love nothing more than sprinkling hidden references to some of Disney’s greatest animated features throughout the story.
• Scoretopia – Academy Award®-winning composer, Michael Giacchino spotlights five of cinema’s greatest percussionists and how they brought an organic, animalistic sound to his powerful and emotional music score.
• Deleted Characters – Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore introduce citizens of Zootopia who did not make the final cut.
• Deleted Scenes:
  • Alternate Opening – Young Judy Hopps rescues a fellow classmate and realizes she can reach beyond a life in carrot farming to a future in law enforcement.
  • Wild Times! Pitch – Nick desperately pitches the bankers of Zootopia on funding Wild Times!, an amusement park made exclusively for the predators of Zootopia and a sure-fire, money-making scheme for Nick and his friends.
  • Alternate Homesick Hopps – After a frustrating first day on the force, Judy has a conversation with her parents.  See how this scene changed from a heartfelt conversation with her parents to tough love when her parents discover their daughter is only a meter maid and not a “real cop.”
  • Detective Work – Judy borrows a fellow police officer’s computer to conduct research, which turns out to be no small task.
  • Alternate Jumbo Pop – In this early version of the story where Nick was the main character, the filmmakers and Jason Bateman were able to take hustling to a new level.
  • Hopps’ Apartment – When Judy’s entire family pays her a surprise visit they are shocked to discover the company she’s keeping.
  • The Taming Party – In this emotional clip from an early version of “Zootopia,” Judy attends her first “taming party” and gains a deeper understanding of the plight of the predator.
• “Try Everything” Music Video by Shakira

DVD:

• Scoretopia
• “Try Everything” Music Video by Shakira

DIGITAL HD EXCLUSIVE:

• International Character Reel – See the variances in news reporters in Zootopia around the world!

DISC SPECIFICATIONS:

 

Product SKUs: Digital HD/SD, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand

Feature Run Time: Approximately 108 minutes

Rating: PG in U.S. and Canada

Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition / 2.39:1, DVD Feature Film = 2.39:1

Audio: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks

DVD = English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio

Languages/Subtitles: English, French & Spanish/English SDH, French & Spanish