Zootopia leaves all other Disney 3D animations in the dust. The plot, characters, styling, quality of animation and script are so spot on. I could watch this film a thousand times and not grow bored. If you haven't seen it, stop what you are doing and watch it.

It's quite amazing how far computer graphics have come in films. Watch an older film like "Toy Story" or "Shrek" and you'll see what I mean. They were the cutting edge CGI movies when they came out but when seen today you realize just how far they've come since then. As an experiment, try watching one of these older films and then see the best computer animated film you can find, "Zootopia", and you'll see just how far they've come. The characters not only are gorgeously animated but the film is so rich in texture. Scenes of the characters flying through a rain forest or walking in a bustling metropolis simply look astounding. Combine with that some of the nicest 3D effects you can find and some very lovable characters and you've got a winner.

The story is set in a world without humans. However, these animals act and dress much like people. Oddly, however, the predators and prey have somehow worked out their differences and live in peace. However, despite it seeming like a paradise, there still are some prejudices in this world. Animals are often locked within expectations...and the cute bunny, Judy Hopps, finds out the hard way about these expectations. As a child, she wanted to be a police officer...but she finds that the expectation is that they be the huge, hulking animals...the wolves, the rhinos, the elephants and the bears. But Judy is persistent and fights these prejudices in order to become the first rabbit cop...but along the way she learns that hard way that she, too, has prejudices of her own and her new unlikely friend, a fox, helps to show her that she, too, has a way to go when it comes to expectations. Fortunately, while this strong message of political correctness and inclusion is clearly there, it's not obnoxious in its presentation. Additionally, there is a mystery within the story that is clever and diverting...and offers some nice twists as well.

So is the film perfect? Not quite. Unlike the typical CGI film, this one did not have a short the preceded it and because of this I felt a bit cheated since this has become the norm for most computer animated films from major studios. Additionally, some might find the message within the film to be a bit heavy-handed...though I didn't mind. Overall, this is a great film for all ages....something that makes it a major plus for families. Parents won't feel like taking a nap and kids will be captivated because the film, if anything, is amazingly cute!

As someone who has been an enormous Disney fan all my life (the only films that don't do much for me are 'Chicken Little', 'Home on the Range' and 'The Black Cauldron', if it counts also 'Planes'),Zootropolis may not be as good as the best of classic Disney or the 'big four' of the Renaissance era.

However, it is for me the jewel of Disney's 'second renaissance' (their return to form era starting with 'The Princess and the Frog', and if it counts -might not as it is Disney Toon Studios- their only misfire from that era is 'Planes'). Despite a couple of issues 'The Princess and the Frog' was still enormously entertaining. 'Tangled was Disney's best since 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (not sure how much of a popular opinion that is though),until the even better 'Wreck it Ralph' took that title. 'Winnie the Pooh' was immensely charming and sweet with its one problem being that it was too short. 'Frozen' despite what people say to me was the best animated film of 2013 besides 'Ernest et Celestine' (and the amount of hate it gets and the detractors' attitude towards those who loved, or even liked, the film has been blown way out of proportion). And 'Big Hero 6' was fun and touching with one of Disney's most endearing characters in recent years in Baymax.

Onto the review properly for 'Zootropolis' now. The animation is fantastic with rich colours, vivid, beautifully designed and colourful backgrounds and lovingly designed characters whose movements flow fluidly and never robotically. Some of it is even very inventive and imaginative in the set pieces. Michael Giacchino's score is cleverly orchestrated, energetic and catchy, not as good as his scores for the ones for the Pixar films 'Up' and 'Inside Out' but it complements 'Zootropolis' very well indeed.

'Zootropolis' has some very smart and hilarious writing, cleverly balancing sly references, witty humour and also genuine pathos and heart with few if any awkward tonal shifts. The visual gags are similarly inventive and a joy to watch. The story is so consistently well paced and involving and is told with such energy, charm and heart that some may forget the storyline being predictable. To me, it had enough originality to not make it matter that much. What was also impressive about 'Zootropolis' was how it dealt with such heavy and wholly relevant themes and issues, one of most daring along with 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and deal with it with a light touch. Some did find the message (one that's easy to identify with) forced and heavy-handed, it wasn't an issue to me at all, to this viewer it was incorporated well and respectfully.

The characters in 'Zootropolis' are interesting - all serving a point to the story- with colourful personalities, none of them felt bland, none felt shoe-horned in, none felt annoying and none felt unnecessary. Love the sassiness and charm of the protagonist, and while the twist wasn't a surprise as such the villain did serve a good threat and more interesting than the recent Disney twist villains. The voice acting is just terrific from all, especially from Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman. Can't go wrong with Idris Elba, JK Simmons and Maurice LaMarche either.

All in all, with the one small exception of the forgettable and slightly grating main song from Shakira (which was not enough to bring the film down personally) 'Zootropolis' was a superb film, not only of Disney's post-2009 films but also one of their best post-Tarzan and towards the top end in the Disney animated film ranking. 10/10 Bethany Cox