“Wicked For Good” and “Zootopia” Open Big 2

                 by Sandra Olmsted The Cinematic Skinny, the LightHeart.biz’ blog

This past weekend one can easily spend the entire weekend at the movies and still get that holiday shopping done by just picking up theater gift card for everyone. One stop for shopping and entertainment!

     Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good will delight the older kids and adults from 21 to 100+ because of the terrific musical performances, songs, and score and the exquisite production design’s colorful, dream-like backdrop for the story’s exploration of friendship, diversity, and power. Although it evokes Golden Age Musicals, Wicked: For Good has some flaws and plot problems; however, this sequel fixes problems in the Broadway version’s second act. As Wicked’s the next act,

Wicked: For Good reveals the now more complicated relationship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who has the gift for magic, and glittery Glinda (Ariana Grande), who is on her way to becoming the next charlatan of Oz. The main crux of story is that Elphaba revealed the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) as a fraud, and now she is banished from Oz. While the people believe his lies, the Wizard punishes all the animals, who voice their opinions about Elphaba’s goodness. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) helps turned all of Oz against Elphaba, including the Wizard’s the flying monkeys and Elphaba’s own sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode). Meanwhile, faulty romance is in the air of Oz with Glinda’s pending wedding to Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Nessarose’s love for Boq (Ethan Slater), a Munchkin, whose rights have been taken away by the Wizard’s edicts.

One of the great things about Wicked: For Good is the fascinating connection to the 1939 Wizard of Oz. Director Jon M. Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox flesh out new origin stories for the the Flying Monkeys, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and, especially,

   Zootpia 2

Zootpia 2, a buddy cop film, embraces diversity, inclusivity, and loving one another. This sequel’s stellar animation, lovable animal characters, fast pace, delightful humor, and quacky plot twists will keep viewers of all ages engaged in the film’s magical world. When the dynamic rabbit-fox duo of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) pick up the trail of a famous relic’s heist, they are on the outs with each other, the cape buffalo Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), all their alpha-animal fellow ZPD cops, and their “partners in crisis,” support-animal therapist, Dr. Fuzzby (Quinta Brunson). Now, Judy and Nick must work out their partner issues or else.

Meanwhile, mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), is completely controlled by Milton Lynxley, whose fortune was made from inventing the “weather wall,” which create the four different environments needed by different animals. Even though reptiles have no place in Zootopia, the vlogs of influencer beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster) hints at many soft reptilian underbellies in Zootopia, like the swampy waterfront where reptiles and sea mammals live under the radar. When exuberant Judy and reluctant Nick follow the clues to the threatened theft of the wealthy Lynxley family’s relic by someone with scales, the bunny-fox duo run afoul of the intimidating Chief Bogo and those evil, land-developing Lynxleys. Although a snake getting into Zootopia seems inconceivable, Judy and Nick suspect Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) and get help from Nibbles, who knows Zootopia better than even the ZPD. Judy and Nick also get help from Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg), the family runt, who wants to end his family’s corruption. Meanwhile, when cornered by Judy and Nick, Gary De’Snake claims the relic’s secret message can restore his family’s and all reptiles’ reputation and fortunes.

Shakria again sings as Gazelle while Macaulay Culkin voices Cattrick Lynxley, and Maurice LaMarche and Raymond S. Persi, respectively, return as Mr. Big, Zootopia’s arctic shrew Godfather, and Flash, slow-walking, slow-talking sloth. Zootopia 2, a Production of Walt Disney Animation Studios, runs 108 minutes and is rated PG for some thematic elements, rude humor and action.

Current films reviewed on The Cinematic Skinny at https://lightheart.biz/lightheart-blog. Please check it out and support this local St. Louis business.

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