Zootopia on DVD + Blu-Ray

The movie: Zootopia

When it was available: June 7, 2016

What it’s about: The animals have become civilized, taken over the world and live in harmony under the rule of law and order as humans did (or do elsewhere, presumably). Until, of course, general chaos ensues and their perfect world — their utopia of the zoo variety — is in danger of total collapse. A unexpected but determined bunny comes up through the ranks to sit with the Big Boys on the police force, proving that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Or ears. Instead of racial profiling, we’re met with animal profiling, and learn that prejudice is the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The verdict? We all loved this movie. My kids saw it first in the theatre with their grandparents, and managed to contain their excitement and allow me to enjoy it spoiler-free when Zootopia arrived on DVD and Blu-Ray. Although I think the racial undertones were lost on my bubble-wrapped children, it served as a great starting point to have conversations about judging others and stereotyping. The teamwork message also rang loud and clear. Most important to my kids is that there were some very funny moments and the plot moved quickly enough that they sat through the whole thing at a theatre and then at home, giving way to very few distractions. As always, I’d recommend getting the DVD package with the digital copy code included; load it onto your devices for the perfect travel companion.