As strange as it sounds, Zootopia is a movie about a land of animals who behave like humans.

I watched this film with a big bowl of popcorn and was completely absorbed by it. The animals are so human-like that for a minute I was confused; are they animals or are they people? Everything from their behavior to their speech is the same as ours. They even mimic the way we isolate our peers of different races.

Zootopia is a 2016 American computer animated adventure film brought to us by Walt Disney pictures. It is an example of extraordinary direction by Byron Howard, who also directed famous movies like Bolt and Tangled. Howard is supported by co-directors Jared Bush and Rich Moore.

The film takes place in Zootopia, a huge city inhabited by various animals. It is civilized in many ways, with huge skyscrapers and good railway and air networks. The first glimpse of the city reminds me of New York. The plot focuses on Judy, a bunny who dreams of becoming a Zootopia Police Department officer. From the beginning, she is stereotyped by bigger animals who try to prevent her from becoming an officer. Many of the large predators underestimate the small rabbits, rats, and other small animals. Despite these obstacles, Judy uses various means to become a police officer. She meets Nick Wilde, a fox, who works with her on an important case.

There are many wonderful characters in Zootopia, and they are well cast with the rich voices of Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (Nick Wilde), Idris Elba (Police Chief Bogo), Shakira (Gazelle), and many others. To me, Nick is the character who makes the movie interesting. At one point in the movie, Judy names him as the key witness for her case. Even though Nick is a predator, he helps Judy; even though Nick is a supposedly untrustworthy and sly fox, Judy keeps her faith in him. When I look at our human race, I notice that even though god has given each of us equal intelligence and discretion, making us equally trustworthy, we often lose faith in each other. The relationship between Nick and Judy is very inspiring to me because it depicts that behaving civilly towards one another is not an option but a requirement for any society to sustain itself.

Zootopia has changed the world of animation. It features minute details and completely personifies animals. By the end, we start imagining them as humans. The animators and cinematographers did a great job in making this movie a success.

I really enjoyed the wonderful screenplay because it is thoughtfully written. The story is an all-in-one package; it is a fantasy, mystery, and comedy together. It even directly comments on the stereotypes and discrimination that are common in the real world. Sometimes, a so-called special community considers itself superior and establishes a particular way of thinking about other groups. Because of this, members of those groups are not allowed to perform certain tasks or may be considered immoral. In some countries, such stereotypes are based on race, but in India they have been based on castes.

Nowadays, due to democratization, quite a few of these systems have been abolished. However, stereotyping still exists. I don’t know about other countries, but in remote areas of India, biases against members of certain castes are still prevalent. To fight against this is quite important. A great lesson from Zootopia is that even minority groups can perform important jobs.

It is refreshing to see an animated film that showcases human dignity and how we can treat each other with respect. I am looking forward to more uplifting films like Zootopia that will eliminate discriminatory systems across the world. We all are one species and should always stand together.

Zootopia not only touches your heart while showcasing stereotypes, it also makes you laugh. There are some scenes that will make you roll around with laughter. One of them is a scene about sloths. Usually government officers are active, but the sloth named Flash works so slowly that watching him is great fun. Another entertaining character is Clawhauser, the lazy cheetah police officer. Can you imagine an officer who has a donut stuck in his neck but doesn’t know about it? Many of us like funny characters in a play or movie, including me. Often such characters do not play a big role in the plot, but they can leave a strong impression in our minds forever.

Watching Zootopia was such a fabulous experience that I completely forgot that I had a test the next day! I rate the movie five out of five stars. It is enjoyable for all audiences. Young children from will love the animation, teens will love the screenplay, and adults will find the story interesting and enjoy the funny moments. Teens, especially, will learn about stereotypes. It is said that in adolescence we grasp new ideas more easily than in adulthood. If we are educated about stereotypes when we are young, we won’t accept discrimination. We should be taught early to make the world a better place, and Zootopia is an entertaining and educational way to do this.