I remember when this movie was released, a lot of my friends went to the cinemas just to watch it and they all returned with good remarks about the movie, so, I made up my mind to watch it but until a few weeks ago, I had never watched it.
I rewatched the movie again today and it felt amazing again for the third time. The world the writers built was amazing both visually and choreographically. The CGI world which they introduced us to briefly, before the whole drama, was very soothing to the eye and the mind. The only place I have seen such a beautifully animated world is in the Madagascar animated film. Which was also a delight to watch.
Though the movie like every other animation is unique in its design, there was just something about how the animation didn't just depend on the voice of the actors to tell their story, they implemented a physical replica of every emotion felt by the character be it happy or sad, and it was just splendid. Take Judy Hopps the rabbit for example, whenever she is sad, most times you'll hear a sad song other times you won't but what is most prominent is the movement of her bunny ears, it's so cute whenever she doesn't. But don't tell her I said so😂.
There is also the physical representation of a stereotyping of animals in this movie. Something which in the real world we call racism. Stereotypes such as the cute Bunny, the cunning fox, the fierce lion, the timid sheep, the slippery weasel, the howling wolves, and also the raging buffalo. All of these which is used to tag a population of an animal just by the way one of its specie behaves was very evident in the story and in the animation itself. And this stereotyping acted as one of the pillars on which the movie story was built because it heavily relied on the viewers' perception of what type of animal they are currently staring at.
And then there are the crime scenes or the adventure proper when the bunny and the fox began their investigation. The chemistry between the two was just magical, I laughed and laughed and laughed my tears away. It is just the type of medicine the doctor would recommend for a rainy day.
There was also the frequent use of the L-Cut style of editing, where the next clip or scene would be cut and placed over the narrating voice of the previous clip. Allowing us to hear the full narration of the previous clip while the next scene is already in motion.
I found this type of edit very satisfying as it didn't only help to convey the story but also help during dark and scary scenes to maximize spookiness. The directors knew exactly what they wanted when they started production, which turned out to be a good and very powerful cinematic animation.
In all, the directors the cast, the animators, and the sound choreographers all deserve real applause for creating something visually stunning and mentally satisfying.
