Jared Bush

Zootopia

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Wilde and Hopps standing side by side

Talking about runaway successes, Zootopia 2. Though you might not fully credit it, this movie made its $150 million budget back in 48 hours and, on the day I saw it, had already become the ninth-highest grossing movie of all time. It’s clearly made even more money since then. Not bad for a sequel, an animated sequel at that, though the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 is also both of those and it’s currently sitting at number five. Note to self: check it out. But back to Zootopia 2, which continues the adventures of Hopps and Wilde, the bunny/fox cop duo, in a world where animals live in uneasy harmony. Could a fox … Read more

Encanto

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Encanto's heroine, Mirabel

If you liked Moana then you are the target for Encanto, a song-filled animated story of young female derring-do, set against the background of an ancient civilisation and with a sprinkling of magic to help things along. Polynesia did the decorative thing for Moana, it’s Mesoamerica in Encanto, but if actual knowledge brings you in out in hives, be not afraid, it’s largely just a few masks and other accessories borrowed from the Amerindian back catalogue to give Disney’s latest princess a USP that sets her apart from Pocahontas, Mulan, Merida et al. This one also wears glasses just to make her stand out from the increasingly homogenous big-eyed throng. The action takes … Read more