2016 was a wonderful year for movies. Here are a few of my favorite of the top rated movies of this year.

‘Zootopia’
“Zootopia” is about a rabbit who dreams of becoming a police officer which is not a job that rabbits can have within the social hierarchy of Zootopia.
Number 1 on Rotten Tomatoes for 2016, “Zootopia” covers social issues in a fun and engaging way. It simplifies an often stigmatized narrative of discrimination and makes it approachable for everyone, kids and adults alike. Not only does it teach a good lesson about self discovery but it allows us to determine how we live our lives.

‘Finding Dory’
“Finding Dory” is a sequel to the widely known “Finding Nemo” film. “Finding Dory” is another fun animated movie with a wonderful lesson. It has dynamic characters that help tell the story of a kind-hearted fish, Dory, who wants to find her way back home.
This film also talks about mental illness through Dory’s short term memory loss and it is comforting to see a movie made for children that is all about accepting who you are.

‘Moana’
This more recent film also has a wonderful message for children and adults alike. It deals with a young girl who decides to chase after what she wants while also saving the world.
This Disney princess film does not involve any kind of love interest: Moana is her own hero. This is an empowering contrast to older princess movies in which a princess’s whole destiny was to be saved by a prince.

‘Loving’
This movie is more recent and less well-known. It is just as moving and beautiful.
“Loving” is a historical piece that deals with the first legal interracial marriage in the US that helped question the constitutionality of restricting two people from marrying each other based on race. This movie does a fantastic job of portraying the beautiful love story that changed history while also remaining accurate in the harsh realities they faced at this point in history.