Walt Disney Animation Studios Wikia
Walt Disney Animation Studios Wikia
Walt Disney Animation Studios
2,213
pages
in: Zootopia, Disney animated features canon, Films,
and 18 more

Zootopia

Sign in to edit


Zootopia (titled Zootropolis or Zoomania in various regions) is a 2016 American computer-animatedbuddy cop action comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 55th Disney animated feature film, and the first installment in the Zootopia franchise, it was directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, co-directed by Jared Bush (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Bush and Phil Johnston, and a story by Howard, Moore, Bush, Johnston, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, and Jennifer Lee. The film stars the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira. Taking place in the titular city where anthropomorphic mammals coexist, it tells a story of an unlikely partnership between a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist as they uncover a criminal conspiracy involving the disappearance of predators.

Plot[]

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it's a melting pot where humanoid mammals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. However, the city is separated into classes, where they face prejudice based on preconceived notions about their species. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn't so easy, as she was sidelined into a boring career meter maid because she’s the first rabbit in the police force. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case of a missing otter, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery.

Cast[]

Credits[]

Zootopia Credits

Production[]

On August 9, 2013, Disney announced at the D23 Expo that director Byron Howard (Bolt, Tangled) is directing an animals' world comedy-adventure film with a working title Zootopia from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film is scripted by Jared Bush, is scheduled for a March 2016 release. Jason Bateman was reportedly in talks to voice a character in the film. According to Howard, Zootopia will be different from other animal anthropomorphic films, where animals either live in the natural world or in the human world. The concept, where animals live in a modern world designed by animals, was well received by chief creative officer John Lasseter, who lifted Howard "in the air like a baby Simba," when he proposed the idea for the film.

In March 2015, it was revealed that Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) had been added as a director of the film, in addition to Jared Bush (Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero) as co-director, and that the film's plot had been revised. As announced in 2013, the original plot would have featured a fast-talking fox named Nick Wilde, who goes on the run after being framed for a crime he didn't commit. Zootopia's top cop named Lieutenant Judy Hopps, is hot on his tail, but when both become targets of a conspiracy, they're forced to team up and discover even natural enemies can become best friends.

On May 6, 2015, Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin had been respectively cast as Nick Wilde and Lieutenant Judy Hopps in the film. The filmmakers chose Bateman because they wanted an actor who could bring "a funny yet heartfelt side" with "a wily, dry-witted sort of voice." Bateman described his character as "a crafty, sarcastic schemer," remarking similarity to many of his roles he was doing since he was 12. "I foolishly said, 'What kind of voice do you guys want me to do?' And they just looked at me like I was an idiot and said, 'Just do what you do. Just talk.'" Commenting on Goodwin's pick, Moore said that she brought "very centered sweetness, tremendous heart and a great sense of humor," describing her character as "a little Pollyanna mixed with Furiosa." Goodwin viewed her character as a little emotional at times, but not as someone who should be underestimated. "People mistake kindness for naivete or stupidity and she is a good girl through and through. But she's not a dumb bunny."

Rating[]

Zootopia is rated PG by the MPAA (for some thematic elements, rude humor and action), making it the twelfth Disney animated film to deserve that rating, after The Black Cauldron, Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, Bolt, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen and Big Hero 6.

Music[]

On July 25, 2015, composer Michael Giacchino started to compose the music score for Zootopia, on October 5, 2015 in French, producer Clark Spencer revealed that Giacchino is writing the score, and it was revealed on November 1, 2015 in English. In addition to her voice role of Gazelle, the biggest pop star in Zootopia, Shakira will also contribute to the film an original song, entitled "Try Everything", which will be written by Sia and Stargate.

Trivia[]

  • Bucky and Pronk Orynx-Antlerson are the first LGBT characters in the Disney Animated Canon. Disney now has an LGBT character in all of their major branches (Pixar has Specter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has Valkyrie, and Star Wars has Moff Mors).
  • This is only the thirteenth non-musical film in the Disney Animated Canon, following The Black Cauldron, The Rescuers Down Under, Dinosaur, The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, Wreck-It Ralph, and Big Hero 6. In addition, it's also the highest-grossing non-musical computer animated film made by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is also the highest-grossing original animated film, passing Finding Nemo.
  • The film would currently be the 35th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide if Jurassic Park and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace had never been re-released.
  • This is the sixth Disney Animated Canon film to have no humans present at all following Bambi, Robin Hood, The Lion King, Dinosaur, and Chicken Little.
    • Unlike its predecessors, this film features exclusively mammalian characters, although primates were cut from the film as the filmmakers felt that the animals looked too human-like when they walked on two legs, especially great apes. Bats were also cut from the film because they would've been the only flying animals in the world of Zootopia and because they were too small to wear clothing and look publicly suitable. However, a figurine of a bat eyewitness was released alongside with a figure of Clawhauser, ironically enough (it is unknown why no marine creatures are seen).
  • Along with Moana, this is the first time since 2002 that Disney releases two animated features in the same year.
  • This is Disney's third computer-animated film to be released in IMAX 3D theaters; the first being Tangled and Big Hero 6, though the first to be released in domestic IMAX theaters.
    • It is also the first time that Disney released an animated film in domestic IMAX theaters since Treasure Planet.
  • This is the first Walt Disney Animation Studios film not to be accompanied by a short film since 2010's Tangled.
  • This is the last Walt Disney Animation Studios film to feature the short 2011 Disney closing logo, until 2018's Ralph Breaks the Internet.
  • With a running time of 108 minutes, Zootopia is the third longest Disney animated film after Fantasia at 124 minutes, and Ralph Breaks the Internet at 112 minutes. Since Fantasia is a compilation of shorts, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Zootopia are the longest animated stories told by Disney.
  • This is the first Walt Disney Animation Studios film to have the credits 12 minutes long, making it one of the longest credits to run in an animated film. This would happen again in Frozen II, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Strange World.
  • The filmmakers were inspired by previous Disney films during the making of Zootopia: director Byron Howard wanted to create Zootopia as an homage to Robin Hood (which he has always considered his childhood favorite Disney film) with modern CG technology, and producer Clark Spencer was inspired by The Jungle Book to produce Zootopia.
  • During story development, there were other districts in the city of Zootopia that were developed but not used in the film. These include Outback Island, the Meadowlands, the Nocturnal District,[1] the Burrows,[2] the Canals, and Happytown.[3] The Burrows may have been a precursor of Bunnyburrow (an area outside of Zootopia), and Happytown (which was actually a slummy district) seems particularly geared toward the darker, more dystopian, and mean-spirited versions of the story that were later abandoned.
  • The word "Zootopia" is spoken 23 times during the film.
  • Throughout Zootopia, there are numerous animal parodies of real-life companies and popular culture names from their original copyright owners:
    • Lululemmings - Lululemon
    • Just Zoo It - Just Do It, Nike's famous slogan.
    • Preyda - Prada
    • Vanity Fur - Vanity Fair
    • Bearberry - Burberry
    • DNKY - DKNY
    • Snarlbucks - Starbucks
    • Zoogle - Google
    • Targoat - Target
    • ZNN - CNN
    • Mousy's - Macy's
    • iPaw - iPad
    • Carrot Inc. - Apple Inc.
    • Some smartphones feature a logo that looks like the logo, though here, it has the shape of a carrot instead, parodying Apple Inc. smartphones called iPhone's. There are also devices resembling tablets but with a paw print logo and the name "iPaw".
      • In the preview clip of the Little Rodentia chase scene, the "Mousy's" name does not appear on the store front, though Targoat does appear on Fru Fru's bag.
    • Lucky Chomps - Lucky Charms, a popular cereal.
    • MuzzleTime - FaceTime, Apple's video chat service.
    • Trader Doe's - Trader Joe's
    • Hoof Locker - Foot Locker
    • Molex - Rolex (Incidentally, Molex is the name of an actual company, a major industrial electronics manufacturer.)
    • PB&J - AT&T
    • Lemming Brothers Bank - Lehman Brothers
    • ITREEA - IKEA
    • ZUBER - UBER
    • Star Trunk - Star Trek
    • Catsio - Cassio, a company that produces calculators, keyboards, and watches.
  • Zootopia is the first Walt Disney Animation Studios film to have its background music score be composed by Michael Giacchino and also the second film score from that studio to be composed by a recurring Pixar composer; the first being The Princess and the Frog, where its score and songs were composed by Randy Newman.
  • The character Peter Moosebridge's portrayal differs based on each region's version of the film. While Moosebridge remains in the Canadian, American, and British (where he was renamed Moosos Alexander and voiced by BBC sports reporter, Veesos Alexander, though the UK home release used his US name and voice) versions, he is replaced by a jaguar called Boi Chai in the Brazilian version (voiced by Rede Bandeirantes news anchor Ricardo Boechat), a tanuki in the Japanese version, a koala in the Australian and New Zealand versions and a panda in the Chinese version.
  • Because the movie and titular city were renamed "Zootropolis" for its release in the UK and Ireland, an ADR group re-recorded the original cast's lines to accommodate the change, matching the original voices perfectly. Despite this, the characters' lips still mouth "Zootopia" when they say "Zootropolis."
  • On Judy's music player (that closely resembles a 6th generation iPod Nano), several famous artist and band names are parodied, including The Beatles (The Beagles), Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Yak), Foo Fighters (Fur Fighters), Guns N' Roses (Guns N' Rodents), Selena Gomez (Hyena Gomez), Kanye West (Kanine West), and Mick Jagger (Mick Jaguar).
  • Many of the events in the movie reflect events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s:
    • Gazelle's protest to return Zootopia to its ordinary state reflects the various nonviolent protests that occurred throughout this era.
    • The prejudice that the ZPD (particularly Chief Bogo) had against smaller and 'weaker' prey mammals (until Judy Hopps' triumph for the ZPD) is similar to the racism against African-Americans and all minorities during this era.
    • At the beginning of the film, during Nick's Ice Cream parlor scene, Jerry Jumbeaux Jr. states that his establishment has the right to "...refuse service to anyone." "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" was commonly found in public areas such as restaurants during this era.
  • At one point in the movie, just before she gets on the train for Zootopia, Judy's parents are reminding her of all the animals she has to fear, Judy quotes U.S. President FDR's famous statement "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
  • The calendars throughout the movie suggest the film's events took place during the month of May.
  • Outside of Jumbeaux's Cafe (where Judy bought the Jumbo Pop for Nick and Finnick), next door, there is a theater that is showing Star Trunk, a reference to Star Trek.
  • Finnick's van plate, which reads HB051986 is a reference to actor Herschel Bernardi, who died in May 1986.
  • In the original theatrical release, Mayor Lionheart's in-jail interview was slightly longer. After explaining why he imprisoned the animals, he asks the reporter, "You can understand that, can't you?" To which the reporter, a porcupine (prey species), replies flatly, "No." In all subsequent releases of the movie, these two lines are not present.
  • This is the first and only movie since 2005 to have the old Disney Interactive logo from 1995-2005.
  • The musical Rats is an homage to Cats.

Cameos and other Disney references[]

  • On the theatrical release poster for Zootopia, standing behind Yax is a zebra whose son appears to be holding a stuffed Mickey Mouse doll. A Mickey Mouse doll can also be spotted in a stroller being pushed by a hippo in the scene where Nick is driving Finnick in a stroller.
  • In addition to the previously mentioned songs on Judy's music player, several Disney songs are parodied, including "Let It Go" ("Let It Goat") from Frozen, "Part of Your World" ("Part of Your Wool") from The Little Mermaid, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" ("Can You Feel the Fluff Tonight") from The Lion King, and "Arabian Nights" ("Ara-bunny Nights") from Aladdin.
  • In Tundratown, two little elephant girls are dressed like Elsa and Anna from Frozen.
  • The flower emblem on the two plates in Jumbeaux's Café comes from a decoration on Anna's bed from Frozen.
  • On Finnick's van is an antenna ball that resembles Baymax from Big Hero 6.
    • Also, on the back of the van, the magical fish hook belonging to the character Maui from Moana can be seen.
  • In Little Rodentia, right next to Mousy's is a building called Lucky Cat Café, a reference to the Hamada residence in Big Hero 6.
    • In the same area, there is a building called Hans' Pastry Shop, alluding to Hans from Frozen.
  • At one point, Chief Bogo references "Let It Go" from Frozen. This is not only an obvious reference to the aforementioned film but also a nod to Frozen's co-director Jennifer Lee, who served as a co-writer for Zootopia.[4]
  • The picture on Chief Bogo's calendar in his office is the skyline of San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6.
  • Pascal from Tangled appears as a silhouette on a medal in Chief Bogo's office.
  • Genie's Lamp is sitting on a shelf in the Mystic Springs Oasis' reception office.
  • The bears scratching their backs against the trees in the naturist club resembles what Baloo was doing during "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book.
  • In one scene, Duke Weaselton is seen selling bootlegged films, all of which are animal variants of four of Walt Disney Animation Studios' previous films and one of that in-house studio's upcoming films. Those include:
  • Oswald the Lucky Rabbit appears as graffiti on the side of Doug's laboratory/subway car.
  • The deer mannequin Nick shreds apart in the film's climax bears a resemblance to Bambi.
  • In a deleted scene, Robert Callaghan's kabuki mask from Big Hero 6 is visible in Officer Bob's office.

Gallery[]

  1. ↑ Three Amazing Zootopia Locations That Didn't Make It Into The Movie by Eric Eisenberg
  2. ↑ Zootopia Districts
  3. ↑ Template:Cite web
  4. ↑ Zootopia Creators Talk Hidden Disney Gems
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms