Zootopia is one of the smartest, most nuanced movies I’ve seen about race relations. It gets so many complex and often-overlooked aspects across: the way that historical biases still have power in a “post-racial” world, how racism often comes from a place of fear or ignorance rather than outright hate, how even good people can let their biases get the best of them, how society’s presumptions about race can dictate one’s behavior, and quite a lot more. Even generally well-received films like Best Picture winner Crash can get this stuff wrong and make characters cartoonishly racist, so for an ACTUAL cartoon featuring a city of animals to convey these ideas so brilliantly is quite an achievement. Like last year’s excellent Inside Out, Zootopia manages to convey ideas that are far above most childrens’ heads in a way that they can understand on an emotional level.

But to just say that Zootopia is successful for conveying complex ideas to a broad audience in a nuanced manner is to sell it short. Just as a piece of entertainment, it’s hugely successful. For children, there is great animation and plenty of visual gags to keep them entertained. It’s briskly paced, very funny, and features extremely likable characters. For adults, there are several clever jokes that are likely to fly over kids’ heads, including references to R-rated fare like The Godfather and Breaking Bad. However, unlike a lot of animated pictures, these references feel like genuine nods of affection rather than cheap throwaway jokes, and they never detract from the central narrative.

The film does an excellent job of balancing its two potential audiences, as well. One scene set in a sloth-run DMV is a particularly strong example. For adults, the imagery of the sloths and their painstakingly slow approach to paperwork while flanked by massive crowds of people who just want to move on with their day is hilarious by itself. But for children, who know nothing of such frustrations, the animation of the sloths alone is hysterical. The lingering shot of a single sloth reacting to a joke is a brilliantly funny piece of animation.

The central narrative is a strong one, too. With a bit of tweaking and a different third act, Zootopia could easily be turned into a live-action buddy cop movie, and it would still be one of the best efforts the genre has seen in decades. Judy and Nick have a great rapport that builds over the course of the film, and when they inevitably separate for a portion of the film, the plot turn doesn’t feel tacked on. It’s a real moment of accidental betrayal, a deep cut that drives a wedge in their relationship. The way they get past it is perhaps a bit easy, but works because it comes from a place of emotional honesty.

There are plenty of aspects of Zootopia that make it worth recommending on their own. But the fact that it manages to to succeed on so many different levels simultaneously is what makes it truly remarkable. It’s hilarious, well-plotted, extremely likable, complex, and socially important. If you are looking for a family-friendly film, you could do no better.