On the third watch, I think I’ve figured out why I like Zootopia so much.

I mean, yes, the visual beauty, the inspiring message, the clever dialog, the catchy song. But lots of kids’ movies have those; it’s almost the price of entry. What makes Zootopia stand out, not only among movies but among written stories, is how carefully the writers have tucked in all the corners and made use of reincorporation.

From the opening school play (which achieves exposition while being entertaining, also hard to do), through the subsequent bully encounter, the carrot pen/voice recorder, the blueberries, the DMV guy, the song, the tiny vole… no detail is too small to tie to another moment in the film. (On this third watch, I noticed that Assistant Mayor Bellwether has a post-it by her phone with the name “Doug,” which links up later on.) The whole thing feels tightly woven together. Nothing is too small to be important, which also neatly reinforces the message of the film.

This is why, when I work through the second draft of Illustrated Gnome News, I’ll be replacing a couple of new minor characters with similar characters who’ve appeared in previous books. But I’ll also look for other opportunities to do this tight weaving, especially in my short fiction, where it’s particularly effective.