My family and I were very excited to see Disney’s Zootopia as soon as it was released on the big screen. For months, we had been seeing the fun-looking trailer about the sly fox and the brave girl bunny. Here is the official trailer:
I am a fan of the cast and creators, and was looking forward to seeing the story unfold with all their talent:
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the experience that we were hoping for.
My daughter was so uncomfortable with the movie that she refused to participate in my our video. She was specifically sad that her favorite animal, the Fennec Fox, was not the cute adorable character she had thought it was…
Family Viewing Disclaimer (1/low – 5/high scale):
My 11-year old daughter struggled with this PG movie. The serious detective story and species inter-discrimination themes were not what she was expecting to see. She was hoping for another fun-loving movie with heart. The dramatic scenes that were a tad too intense and even made me jump. I kept reaching over to her throughout the movie. Her serious grimace made me sad. My heart breaks when movies are advertised for kiddos, with funny trailers and merchandise, etc. but turn out to be a heavier film to experience.
1 – NUDITY/SEX – There is an entire 5-minute scene that takes place at a “spa”, where all the animals are ‘naked’. The subtle sexual jokes are easily missed.
3 – VIOLENCE – Officer Hopps is trying to solve a case where around a dozen animals are missing. The case turns serious when bloody scratch marks are found in the back of a limousine. The concept of animals going ‘savage’ in the civilized city of Zootopia grows more intense when animals turn wild/feral. Substance abuse is a main theme as well.
1 – PROFANITY – 1 mild scatological term, 6 mild anatomical terms. 2 mild obscenities, name-calling (crazy, nuts, goofy, stupid, stupidest, moron, jerk, dumb, dum-dum, dumb bunny, fuzzy wuzzy, country bumpkin, farm girl, Podunk, token bunny, carrot farmer, carrot face, cottontail, carrots, meter maid, savage, clown badge, three-wheeled joke mobile, pathetic, small-mind, loser, flabby, little dickens, popsicle hustler, hero, sad insipid fox, miserable, shifty lowlife, ignorant, irresponsible, dirty rats, rust bucket, Officer Fluff, Flopsey Mopsey, Officer Tutu, Duke of Bootleg), exclamations (City Hall is right up my tail, heck, gosh, Whoopsie, Oh dear, Oh mutton chops, sweet cheese and crackers, cripes, shut-up, shut it, shut your tiny mouth, shut your mouth), 9 religious exclamations (Holy Cripes, By God, Amen, Hallelujah, Oh Glorious Day, Oh my God, Ohmmmmmm, Oh My Goodness, Speak of the devil) [courtesy of http://www.kids-in-mind.com/z/zootopia.htm]
You may enjoy Zootopia with older kids, but I would not recommend it for those families where you skipped:
- The beginning of Finding Nemo, where the mama dies
- The Voodoo man song in “Princess and the Frog”
- Maleficent