In 2016, Disney released two feature length animated movies, Moana and Zootopia. Both were very good and both were nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, which Zootopia won. I gave Zootopia an A and Moana an A-, so I felt like the Academy made the right decision. But there is a lot of debate and as time goes on it seems like Zootopia has maybe started to take a backseat to Moana. Moana had some legitimately very good songs, not least of which was “How Far I’ll Go,” but also “Where You Are” and “You’re Welcome.” The first of that was nominated for an Oscar but lost to a song from La La Land, which was a tough break since most years I think “How Far I’ll Go” would win. Moana also had a great story about a girl (kind of a princess, she is the Chief’s daughter and heir apparent) finding her place and adding a bunch of nice cultural flourishes regarding Pacific islander culture, with some strong messages about family and determination, plus some comedy to keep things light.
Zootopia came out first that year and blew me away for imagining a world of animals talking, wearing clothes, and going to work. The different species are a stand-in for the real world’s ethnic differences, with some animals mistrusting others just because of their species. It is basically a race movie. But it is also a noir detective movie as a diabolical plot is unraveled, showing the seedy underbelly of the animal capital, Zootopia. And it is a fun movie about a hustler and an enthusiastic rookie cop reluctantly teaming up to figure it all out. There are no songs, really, though it has some music.
I gave Zootopia the edge in 2016 because it was so imaginative and found an interesting way to make a statement without being overbearing. Both movies are very well animated, Zootopia for its fur-covered animals, and city infrastructure designed for everything from mice to giraffes. Moana has more cartoony animation that still really works and looks great, with water and light and traditional islander designs in clothes, tattoos, etc. I watched both movies again recently, Moana first this time, appreciating the songs and the story, packed pretty tightly, but also with maybe some extra tasks to make it a little longer. Those tasks are still helpful in establishing some character development between Moana and her reluctant demigod partner, Maui, and they are fun, but maybe not essential to the story. Maybe I had shortchanged this movie with an A- and it really deserves an A.
Then I watched Zootopia again and wondered if the mystery story had been done too many times, the reluctant buddies solving a crime, etc. But no, I was still just as impressed with the imagination of this world of animals, some great side characters, and the messages about seeing past people’s outward differences. It moves along really well too and just about everything serves the story, from the origin of the rookie cop (a rabbit, who are seen as kind of dumb and physically not up to police work) and the hustler (a sly fox mistrusted for his quasi-legal dealings and carnivore past of eating rabbits). So Zootopia still gets an A and to me still barely edges out Moana, even though maybe Moana should also have gotten an A.