Do we like them?

Do we like Nick Wilde?

A character from Zootopia (2016)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He starts out a cynical hustler, but he's loyal, funny and brave once someone gives him a reason to be.

Nick Wilde is a sharp-tongued red fox who makes his living on the streets of Zootopia, a city where predators and prey live side by side. He's charming and sarcastic, and he's always working an angle. The film introduces him as a con artist who runs a hustle with a pawed-together popsicle scheme.

Judy Hopps, a determined rabbit and the city's first bunny police officer, needs a lead on a missing-persons case. She ends up leaning on Nick to get it. He's reluctant at first and teams up with her under pressure rather than by choice. The two of them make a classic odd-couple pairing, and his wisecracks puncture her idealism.

We score him high because the cynicism is a shield, not a character flaw. Beneath the smirk he's perceptive, resourceful and loyal, and the story shows why he learned to expect the worst from others. He is also the funniest part of the film, and his bond with Judy is its heart. He's a rogue who proves to be a good one.