Eddie the Eagle: One of my many dreams as a kid was to go to the Winter Olympics as a figure skater. Naturally though, I did not really do anything about that dream except take a skating class when I was 10 (an age where I’m sure Olympians would deem too old.) I still have that fleeting feeling whenever I watch figure skating that I wish I would have had the focus and determination to make that dream a reality. While I’m sure a great deal of people have similarly had a dream about going to the Olympics, Eddie Edwards actually went for it. Eddie loved skiing and from a young age told his parents he would go to the Olympics one day. When skiing didn’t work out, he turned his attention to ski jumping, which Great Britain did not have a team for. While he was not the best and did not have all the resources behind him that most Olympians do, he accomplished his dream of going to the 1988 Calgary Olympics. While the movie is loosely based on the true events, Eddie the Eagle is a great little film that will make you feel a little more courageous and leave you in high spirits. The film stars Taron Egerton as the unbreakable Eddie and Hugh Jackman as his reluctant, and often drunk, coach. Both actors have great chemistry together and bring the story to life with a lot of charm. While I was not terribly familiar with the story to begin with, the film was funny, sweet, and satisfying.
Zootopia: Disney’s newest feature is really a treat for the eyes and the soul. Disney Animation Studios has created some really impressive films in the past few years, and Zootopia is yet another one. The story puts you into the world of a big city filled with animals, that functions similarly to the world we humans live it. A bunny, named Judy Hopps, is the lead character. Similar to Eddie the Eagle, she has wanted something her whole life. And that something is to be the first bunny police officer. The hurdles she goes through are tough, but she reaches her goal. The only problem is that Judy gets assigned parking tickets instead of the real cases. Animals are inexplicably going missing and she wants to be a part of the investigation. During a day on the job Judy encounters Nick Wilde. Nick is a con artist fox, a species she has been told her whole life to be weary of. Judy and Nick eventually partner up using their skills to start cracking the case, with Judy hoping to prove herself to the police force. As the duo starts to follow the leads, stereotypes and prejudice come to light, just like our world today. The world created in this film is so intricate and the mystery aspect was also fun. Additionally the real contrasts to the human world made the story and message very heartfelt and profound. When the film ended, I didn’t want to leave Zootopia. It felt like there was so much more to explore in the city and so many more animal lifestyles to spend time with. I only hope we can see more of these personable, and complex, animals.
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