Disney's Zootopia (2016)

“*Welcome to the urban jungle.*”―Tagline
***Zootopia*** (also known as ***Zootropolis*** in the UK, Ireland, the Middle East, and Disney+ in UK English or ***Zoomania*** in Germany and Austria) is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated adventure-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is co-directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush, and produced by Clark Spencer. It is the 55th animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon. It was released on March 4, 2016 in the United States and Canada, and February 14, 2016 in Belgium.

The film received widespread critical acclaim with a lot of praise directed towards the film's animation, voice acting, characters, humor, screenplay, and themes about discrimination and social stereotypes. The film was also a massive box office success, grossing $1.023 billion worldwide against its $150 million budget and ranked as the second highest-grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time of release, after 2013’s *Frozen*. A theme park attraction inspired by the film has been announced for Shanghai Disneyland, while a short series based on the film premiered on Disney+ in 2022.

## Disney's Zootopia (2016)

### Directed by

Byron Howard
Rich Moore
Jared Bush (Co-Director)

### Written by

Byron Howard (Story)
Rich Moore (Story)
Josie Trinidad (Story)
Jim Reardon (Story)
Jennifer Lee (Story)
Jared Bush (Story and Screenplay)
Phil Johnston (Story and Screenplay)

### Produced by

Clark Spencer

File:Profile - An Title Card for Disney's Zootopia (2016).png

## Development

Byron Howard directed a comedy adventure film with a working title *Zootopia*. The film, written by Jared Bush, was scheduled for 2016. It tells a story about a fast-talking fox, named Nick Wilde, who lives in an animal city of Zootopia, divided in neighbourhoods like Tundratown, Sahara Square, Little Rodentia, and Bunnyburrow. Wilde "goes on the run when he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. Zootopia's top cop, a self-righteous rabbit, named Lt. 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."

During early development, the film was to feature a male rabbit named Jack Savage, but was changed to a fox named Nick Wilde, because the name "Jack Savage" was already being used in the cancelled film *Gigantic*.

*Zootopia* was to 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 John Lasseter, who lifted Howard "in the air like a baby Simba," when he proposed the idea for the film.

The film was to feature Nick helping Judy to solve a case of shock collars, but it was deemed too violent for a PG-rated Disney movie. When *Wreck-It Ralph* director Rich Moore was hired to direct the movie with Howard, the film changed to Judy Hopps' plot. In the final film, Judy solves a case about predators that are mysteriously reverting back to their savage ways.

## Plot

Zootopia is a gleaming metropolis populated by anthropomorphic mammals, divided into several districts including Savanna Central, Sahara Square, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and Rainforest District.

The film begins in a treacherous jungle which fades into a children's play about the history of Zootopia. One day, Judy Hopps, a rabbit from rural Bunnyburrow, fulfills her dream of joining the Zootopia Police Department as the city's first rabbit officer. However, she is regularly assigned parking duty by Chief Bogo. During one of her shifts, she is manipulated by Nick Wilde, a con artist fox.

Judy unlawfully arrests Duke Weaselton in Little Rodentia and is reprimanded by Bogo until Mrs. Otterton, an otter, arrives pleading for help in locating her missing husband, one of the many recently missing mammals. Judy volunteers to find him and Assistant Mayor Bellwether praises her for taking the case, much to Bogo's dismay. Judy agrees to resign if she cannot solve the case within 48 hours. With Nick as a key witness of Mr. Otterton's disappearance, Judy locates the fox and coerces him to assist her with the investigation lest he be charged with tax evasion, to which he openly admitted and Judy recorded with her carrot pen.

After acquiring Mr. Otterton's license plate number from Mystic Springs Oasis, Judy and Nick track the vehicle from the Department of Mammal Vehicles to Mr. Big, a feared arctic shrew crime boss in Tundratown. Mr. Big spares their lives after learning that Judy had rescued his daughter earlier, and informs the pair that Mr. Otterton is his florist and had gone savage - reverted to a feral state - and attacked his chauffeur Manchas, a black jaguar.

Judy and Nick locate Manchas at his home in the Rainforest District. Manchas describes the attack on him and mentions that Otterton had been yelling about "night howlers". However, before he can reveal anything else, Manchas himself goes savage and chases the pair through the Rainforest District, but they manage to escape. Judy calls the ZPD for help, but when Bogo and his reinforcements arrive, Manchas is nowhere to be found. Bogo demands Judy to resign, but Nick takes a stand, insisting they have 10 more hours to solve the case. As the pair leave the Rainforest District, Nick opens up to Judy, revealing that he was bullied by prey animals as a cub for being a fox and subsequently became a con artist, resolving to live out the "sly fox" stereotype, as no one saw a fox as anything else.

Nick realizes that the city's traffic camera system may have captured how Manchas disappeared, and the pair consult Bellwether. They then discover Manchas was captured by wolves, which Judy assumes is what Mr. Otterton had meant by "night howlers". Judy and Nick locate Cliffside Asylum, which contains all the missing mammals mentioned earlier (including Mr. Otterton and Manchas), all of which have gone savage, and discover Mayor Lionheart consulting with a doctor about their condition, revealing that he has illegally imprisoned the savaged predators to prevent citywide panic, and by extension, the loss of his reputation. The pair escape with the evidence and warn Bogo. The police then swarm the area, arresting Lionheart and those involved. Bellwether subsequently becomes the new mayor.

Having developed a friendship with Nick throughout the case, Judy requests that he joins the ZPD and become her partner, which Nick happily considers. However, during a press conference, a pressured Judy describes the savaged mammals' condition as them reverting back to their "primitive savage ways". This seemingly confirms Judy's secret bigotry against foxes to Nick, who angrily walks out on her offer. When fear and discrimination against predators spreads across Zootopia, a guilt-ridden Judy resigns. During this time, pop star Gazelle holds a peaceful protest and publicly asks for the harmonious Zootopia she loves and cherishes to be restored.

Returning to Bunnyburrow, a depressed Judy rejoins the family business as a carrot farmer. However, she later learns from her parents and reformed childhood bully, fox Gideon Grey, that "night howlers" are toxic flowers that have severe psychotropic effects on mammals. Judy returns to Zootopia and reconciles with Nick. They then locate Weaselton, who explains that he has been collecting night howlers and selling them to a ram named Doug, who owns a secret underground laboratory.

The pair find the lab and discover Doug creating a night howler serum which he has been injecting into predators via paintball-like pellets fired by an air-powered sniper gun. Judy and Nick race to the ZPD with the evidence, but just short of the ZPD, the pair encounter Bellwether in the Natural History Museum who insists on taking the evidence. Realizing she is the mastermind of the conspiracy, Judy and Nick try to flee, but are knocked into a pit by her henchram. Bellwether shoots a night howler dart from the evidence case at Nick and frames a call for help to the ZPD. Nick becomes savage and corners Judy, but it turns out the pair were acting in order to trick Bellwether into openly admitting her prey-supremacist scheme to take over Zootopia and rid it of all predators, and that they replaced the dart gun ammo with blueberries from the Hopps' farm. Bellwether furiously threatens to frame the pair, like she framed Lionheart, but with Bellwether's monologue recorded on Judy's carrot pen, Chief Bogo and the ZPD arrive and arrest her and her henchram. Upon being informed and interviewed on the matter, Lionheart denies any knowledge of Bellwether's plot, but admits to have illegally imprisoned the savage predators, claiming it to have been done for the "right reasons".

Later, Judy is reinstated into the ZPD. An antidote is discovered for the effects of the night howlers and all the infected predators, including Mr. Otterton and Mr. Manchas, are cured. Months later, Nick joins the ZPD as the first fox officer and Judy's partner. The final scene has almost all of Zootopia attending a concert from Gazelle while Bellwether angrily views it on television in prison.

Zootopia is a gleaming metropolis populated by anthropomorphic mammals, divided into several districts including Sahara Square, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and Rainforest District.

This film begins with a jungle which fades into a children's play about the history of Zootopia. One day, Judy Hopps, a bunny rabbit from rural Bunnyburrow, fulfills her dream of joining the Zootopia Police Department as the first rabbit officer, however, she is regularly assigned parking duty by Chief Bogo. During one of her shifts, she is manipulated by Nick Wilde, a con artist fox. Judy unlawfully arrests Duke Weaselton at Little Rodentia and is reprimanded by Bogo until Mrs. Otterton, an otter, arrives pleading help on locating her missing husband, one of the many recently missing predators. To Bogo's dismay, Judy volunteers and the assignment is praised by assistant mayor Dawn Belleweather. However, Bogo gets Judy to agree to resign if she cannot solve the case within 48 hours. With Nick as a key witness of Mr. Otterton's disappearance, Judy locates the fox and coerces him to assist her with the investigation lest he be charged with tax evasion, which he openly admitted and Judy recorded with her carrot pen, saying "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

After acquiring Mr. Otterton's license plate number from Mystic Springs Oasis, Judy and Nick track the vehicle from the Department of Mammal Vehicles to Mr. Big, an arctic shrew crime boss in Tundratown. Mr. Big spares their lives after learning that Judy had rescued his daughter earlier, and informs the pair that Mr. Otterton is his florist and had been picked up by his chauffeur Manchas, a black jaguar, to bring him to Mr. Big to talk about something important. However, en-route, Otterton suddenly "went savage" - meaning he reverted to a feral state - and attacked Manchas before running off. Judy and Nick locate Manchas at his home in the Rainforest District for questioning. Manchas describes the attack on him and mentions that Otterton had been yelling about "night howlers". However, before he can reveal anything else, Manchas suddenly turns savage himself and chases the pair, but they manage to escape. Judy calls the ZPD for help, but when Bogo and his reinforcements arrive, Manchas is nowhere to be found. Bogo demands Judy's resignation, but Nick takes a stand, insisting they have 10 more hours to solve the case. As the pair leave the Rainforest District, Nick opens up to Judy, revealing that he was bullied by prey animals as a cub for being the only predator and subsequently became a con artist, resolving to live out the "sly fox" stereotype, as he felt no one will ever see a fox as anything else.

Nick realizes that the city's traffic camera system may have captured how Manchas disappeared, and the pair consults Assistant Mayor Bellwether. They then discover that Manchas was captured by wolves, which Judy assumes is what Otterton had meant by "night howlers". Judy and Nick locate Cliffside Asylum, where the wolves have detained the missing predators (including Mr. Otterton), all of which have gone savage, and eavesdrop on Mayor Lionheart consulting with a doctor about their condition, revealing that he is keeping the savage predators hidden from both the public and the ZPD, and that the cause their strange behavior is unknown. The pair escape, inform Bogo and the police swarm the area, arresting Lionheart and those involved. Bellwether subsequently becomes the new mayor.

Having developed a friendship with Nick throughout the case, Judy requests that he joins the ZPD and become her partner, which Nick happily considers. However, a pressured Judy describes the savaged predators' condition during a press conference as them reverting to their natural instincts. This confirms Judy's bigotry against foxes to Nick, who angrily walks out on her offer after he asks her if she sees *him* as a savage predator (along with her almost reaching for her fox repellent after he asks if she thought he would *eat* her). When fear and discrimination against predators spread across Zootopia, a guilt-ridden Judy resigns, feeling that she made things worse. During this time, Gazelle holds a peaceful protest and publicly asks for the harmonious Zootopia she loves to be restored.

Two to three months later, Judy has returned to Bunnyburrow and rejoined the family business as a carrot farmer. However, she later learns from her parents and reformed childhood bully, fox Gideon Grey, that "night howlers" are toxic flowers that have severe psychotropic effects on mammals. Realizing that the flowers are what Otterton was referring to and that they must be the cause of the outbreaks, Judy returns to Zootopia, where she reconciles with Nick. They then locate Weaselton, who explains that he has been collecting night howlers for a ram named Doug Ramses, who owns a lab hidden in the subway tunnels. The pair finds the lab and discovers Doug creating a night howler serum, which he has been exposing to predators via paintball-like pellets fired by an air-powered sniper gun. Judy and Nick hijack the lab (which is on a still functional train) and race to the ZPD with the evidence but are pursued by Doug's henchrams, whom they barely manage to defeat. The train is destroyed in the process, but Nick manages to save a case containing Doug's sniper gun and the serum pellet.

Just short of the ZPD, the pair encounters Bellwether, who insists she takes the evidence. Realizing she is the mastermind of the conspiracy, Judy and Nick try to flee but are knocked into a pit by her henchrams. Bellwether shoots a serum pellet from the evidence case at Nick and frames a call for help to the ZPD. Nick seemingly becomes savage and corners Judy, but it turns out the pair was acting in order to trick Bellwether into openly admitting her prey-supremacist scheme to take over Zootopia and rid it of all predators, and that they replaced the dart gun ammo with blueberries from the Hopps' farm. With Bellwether's monologue recorded on Judy's carrot pen just as Bellwether made her short-lived threat to frame them as she did with Lionheart, Chief Bogo and the ZPD arrive and arrest her and her henchrams upon hearing everything. Upon being informed and interviewed on the matter, Lionheart denies any knowledge of Bellwether's plot, but admits to having illegally imprisoned the savage predators, claiming it to have been done for "right reasons".

Later, Judy is reinstated into the ZPD. An antidote is discovered for the effects of the night howlers, and all the infected predators, including Mr. Otterton and Mr. Manchas, are cured. Months later (about a year after Judy started her job at the ZPD), Nick joins the ZPD as the first fox officer and Judy's new partner. The final scene (during the credits) has almost all Zootopian citizens attending Gazelle's concert while Bellwether angrily as Doug, Jesse, and the other prisoners patting on their lap views it on a television set in prison.

## Credits

*For a full cast & crew of **Zootopia**, click here.*

## Cast

### Credits

*For a full cast & crew of **Zootopia**, click here.*

### Top Billed Cast

* **Ginnifer Goodwin** as **Judy Hopps**, the protagonist. She is an enthusiastic optimist rabbit who wants nothing more than to be a member of the ZPD. Along with Nick Wilde, she cracks the biggest case of all time.
* **Jason Bateman** as **Nick Wilde**, the deuteragonist. He is a backwater streetwise fox who knows Zootopia like the back of his paw. He reluctantly joins Judy Hopps to crack the case of the missing mammals.
* **Idris Elba** as **Chief Bogo**, the tritagonist. He is a pessimistic Cape buffalo and Judy's boss. He allows the rabbit 48 hours to solve the case of the missing mammals, or else she resigns, to which she agrees.
* **Jenny Slate** as **Assistant Mayor Bellwether**, the hidden main antagonist. She is a diminutive sheep who is a slight pushover and the assistant mayor of Zootopia. She is the cause of the savaged animals.
* **Nate Torrence** as **Clawhauser**, a supporting character. He is an obese cheetah who loves donuts and singer Gazelle. He assists Judy in her case, presenting her with info she needs.
* **Bonnie Hunt** as **Bonnie Hopps**, the mother of Judy. She is a caring rabbit who supports her daughter, but fears for her too.
* **Don Lake** as **Stu Hopps**, the father of Judy and a carrot farmer. He is a nervous, but kindhearted rabbit who is a bit overprotective of Judy.
* **Tommy Chong** as **Yax**, a supporting character. He is a laid-back yak who is the owner of The Mystic Spring Oasis, a naturalist club.
* **J. K. Simmons** as **Mayor Lionheart**, a supporting character. He is the pompous, but noble mayor of Zootopia.
* **Octavia Spencer** as **Mrs. Otterton**, a supporting character. She is a concerned North American river otter whose husband, Emmitt Otterton, has gone missing.
* **Alan Tudyk** as **Duke Weaselton**, a supporting antagonist. He is a small-time least weasel crook who runs a bootleg DVD stand.
* **Shakira** as **Gazelle**, a pop star. She is Zootopia's resident celebrity and a mammal rights activist.

### Principal Cast

* Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, a rabbit from Bunnyburrow, who is a newly appointed member of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.
	+ Della Saba as young Judy Hopps
* Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde, a red fox, who is a small-time con artist.
	+ Kath Soucie as young Nick Wilde
* Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, a gruff and critical, but ultimately just and compassionate cape buffalo who is the police chief of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.
* Jenny Slate as Bellwether, a diminutive female sheep who is the assistant mayor of Zootopia, and is later revealed to be the mastermind behind the savage attacks.
* Nate Torrence as Clawhauser, an obese cheetah who works as a dispatcher for the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.
* Bonnie Hunt as Bonnie Hopps, a rabbit from Bunnyburrow who is the mother of Judy Hopps and 275 other children.
* Don Lake as Stu Hopps, a rabbit from Bunnyborrow who is Judy's father and is a well known carrot farmer.
* Tommy Chong as Yax, a laid-back yak who is the owner of the naturist club Mystic Springs Oasis in Sahara Square.
* J.K. Simmons as Mayor Lionheart, a lion who is the noble, but pompous Mayor of Zootopia.
* Octavia Spencer as Mrs. Otterton, a concerned otter, whos husband has gone missing.
* Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton, a small-time weasel crook.
* Shakira as Gazelle, a gazelle who is a popular pop star.

### Secondary Cast

* Tommy "Tiny" Lister as Finnick, a fennec fox, who is Nick's partner in crime.
* Maurice LaMarche as Mr. Big, an arctic shrew crime boss.
* Phil Johnston as Gideon Grey, a red fox from Bunnyburrow who used to bully the young rabbits and sheep when he was young. As an adult, he has made amends with those he picked on and become a much-respected baker. Phil also voices an offscreen character that complains about his tax dollars paying Judy's salary.
* Raymond S. Persi as Flash, a three-toed sloth; Raymond also voices Officer Higgins, a hippo.
* Jesse Corti as Mr. Manchas, a black jaguar from Zootopia's Rainforest District who is a chauffeur for Zootopia's biggest limo company and is the personal chauffeur to Mr. Big.
* Katie Lowes as Dr. Badger, a honey badger
* John DiMaggio as Jerry Jumbeaux Jr., an African elephant. He also voices a moose that Judy gives a ticket to and Jesse and Woolter, two tough rams who are Doug's accomplices. Lastly, John DiMaggio voices the pig reporter at Judy's press conference who says "Why? Why is this happening?"
* Peter Mansbridge as Peter Moosebridge, a moose
* Mark "Rhino" Smith as Officer McHorn, a rhinoceros from ZPD
* Josie Trinidad as Mrs. Dharma Armadillo, Judy's landlady
* Kristen Bell as Priscilla, a three-toed sloth
* Leah Latham as Fru Fru, an arctic shrew
* John Lavelle as Mouse Foreman
* Rich Moore as Doug, an emotionless sheep chemist and sniper who works for Bellwether. Moore also voices Larry, the wolf who tells Gary to stop howling.
* Byron Howard as Bucky Oryx-Antlerson, a kudu; and Travis, Gideon Grey's black-footed ferret friend
* Jared Bush as Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, an oryx
* Josh Dallas as Frantic Pig
* Gita Reddy as Nangi, an Indian elephant
* Fuschia! as the Drill Sergeant, a polar bear. The film's script also designates her as Major Friedkin.
* Zach King as a muzzled wolf brought into the ZPD.
* Jackson Stein as Jaguar, the kid who wants to be an actuary; and the main Boy Scout bully kid from Nick's flashback.
* Melissa Goodwin Shepherd, sister of Ginnifer Goodwin, as the angry mouse lady to whom Judy gives a parking ticket.
* Fabienne Rawley as Fabienne Growley, the snow leopard who is Peter Moosebridge's co-anchor of ZNN; and the elephant patron at Jumbeaux's Café.
* Madeleine Curry as Sharla the sheep, Sharla's brother, Gareth, and the hippo kid whose mother was given a parking ticket by Judy.
* Pace Paulsen as Boy Scout bully #2
* David A. Thibodeau as Gary, the white timber wolf.

## Characters

*For a full list of characters, click here.*

* Judy Hopps
* Nick Wilde
* Chief Bogo
* Assistant Mayor Bellwether
* Officer Clawhauser
* Bonnie Hopps
* Stu Hopps
* Yax
* Mayor Lionheart
* Mrs. Otterton
* Duke Weaselton
* Gazelle

### Additional Voices

* John Lavelle - Additional voices
* Bob Bergen - Additional voices
* Dave Boat - Additional voices
* David Cowgill - Additional voices
* Eddie Frierson - Additional voices
* Elisa Gabrielli - Additional voices
* Spencer Ganus - Additional voices
* Jackie Gonneau - Additional voices
* Nicholas Guest - Additional voices
* Jess Harnell - Additional voices
* Bridget Hoffman - Additional voices
* John Kassir - Additional voices
* Daniel Kaz - Additional voices
* Marcella Lentz-Pope - Additional voices
* Yuri Lowenthal - Additional voices
* Mona Marshall - Additional voices
* Scott Menville - Additional voices
* Paul Pape - Additional voices
* Phil Proctor - Additional voices
* Lynwood Robinson - Additional voices
* Patrick Seitz - Additional voices
* Lloyd Sherr - Additional voices
* Shane Sweet - Additional voices
* Kari Wahlgren - Additional voices

## Development

According to director Byron 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 John Lasseter, who lifted Howard "in the air like a baby Simba," when he proposed the idea for the film. The film's original concept was originally supposed to be a spy film centered on a James Bond-esque secret agent rabbit named Jack Savage. The film was under the titles *Savage City* and *Savage Seas*. The filmmakers were unimpressed with the story, but were nevertheless interested in the concept of an all-animal city, allowing a project centering the idea to go underway.
While the characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic animals, the filmmakers were urged by Lasseter to keep the characteristics that make each animal unique, intact with the animation and movement that would be portrayed on screen. To do so, the film crew was sent to Kenya, Africa, as well as Disney's Animal Kingdom, on a research trip, where they studied various mammal wildlife. Live animals, such as sloths and fennec foxes, were also brought into the studio building for further, intimate study.
During research, the filmmakers learned that, in nature, prey mammals outnumber predators, despite the latter group generally being considered the dominant species. In response, the story was tailored to center the relationship between the "predator and prey" group while reflecting modern day society by having the story serve as an allegory for racism and prejudice. In this version, predators, despite having evolved, were generally viewed as dangerous threats and were forced to wear electric shock collars as a means to keep their "aggressive natures" under control at the hands of prey. The "tame collar" concept stuck through most of the film's production, even being approved by John Lasseter, but when screened for the team at Pixar, the response was negative. The city of Zootopia, in this state of being so blatantly unjust, was deemed too unlikable, and the story too dark, whereas the goal was to create a city that the audience could fall in love with while making a film that—despite its serious subject matter—can still be a fun family film.
The character of Nick Wilde was the protagonist of this version, but his role was later swapped with Judy Hopps after much discussion, the reason being that the filmmakers felt a closer connection to her character and the struggles she would have to face in the supposedly idealistic, but ultimately flawed, society.

The primary issues centering the film, as mentioned, are prejudice and preconceived notions based on stereotypes. To further emphasize this, the creatures that inhabit Zootopia were limited down to mammals, to portray a sense of segregation between animals of predator and prey mentality; animals such as birds and marine life were left out like most, if not all, are consumers of other living organisms, making it difficult to narrow them down within the status quo of the story's conflict. The thought process of stereotypes was also integrated when deciding which familiar species would serve as the film's opposing leads, eventually determined as a rabbit-and-fox partnership.

The city of Zootopia, itself, is comprised of various districts—all of which are tailored to best suit the animals living there, both in terms of atmosphere, climate, and scale. To accomplish this, the filmmakers assembled an "Environments team", who were tasked to create the unique spaces the characters roam and inhabit throughout the film. Each area was created to look as if it has a sense of history, adding chaos and minor details to bring the world to life. Furthermore, the studio revived the use of the Hyperion rendering system, which mimics real-world geometric complexity, and was first utilized in the previous animated feature, *Big Hero 6*. Each district was also modeled after various real-world areas. For example, Tundratown, the district consisting of low-temperature mammals such as polar bears, was architecturally influenced by Russia. Sahara Square, an area for high-temperature mammals such as camels, was modeled after Las Vegas. The renderings of the snow and wintry feel of Tundratown was also influenced by the 2013 animated feature *Frozen*.
In March 2015, Rich Moore, who previously directed *Wreck-It Ralph*, was revealed to have been working on the film as a director, with Jared Bush as a co-director.

On October 29, 2015, Moore announced that animation on the film was wrapped.

## Music

*Main article: Zootopia (soundtrack)*
In addition to her voice role of Gazelle, the biggest pop star in Zootopia, Shakira also contributed to the film an original song, entitled "Try Everything", which will be written by Sia and Stargate.

On November 1, 2015, it was revealed that Michael Giacchino, acclaimed composer best known for his work at Pixar, will be composing the score for *Zootopia*, marking his first feature entry into the Walt Disney Animation Studios library. The score was completed on November 20.

Michael Giacchino, who had previously composed scores for Pixar, composed the film's score. This film marked Giacchino's first feature-length project for Walt Disney Animation Studios. "*Try Everything*", an original song by pop star Shakira, also contributed to the films soundtrack; the song was written by Sia and Stargate. Shakira also voices the character of Gazelle, who performs the song in the film. The song was used in the third promotional trailer for the film. The film's score was recorded with an 80-piece orchestra in November 2015, with Tim Simonec conducting.

John Lasseter instructed Giacchino that he wanted the score to have a "world music" vibe. Giacchino explained: "Basically, the idea for this film was to bring a bunch of weird sounds together. John kind of challenged me to go out and find exotic things." Bernie Dressel, the drummer for the score, created a custom drum kit with a kick drum and toms made from old washtubs.

## Release

*Zootopia* was released in theaters on March 4, 2016, in the United States, March 25, 2016, in the United Kingdom, and on February 10, 2016, in Belgium.

### Home media

*Main article: Zootopia (video)*
*Zootopia* was released on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and Digital HD on June 7, 2016. It includes some bonus material such as "Scoretopia" and the music video of "Try Everything".

For undisclosed reasons, *Zootopia*’s theatrical debut varied widely across multiple countries and regions. Despite being an American film, in the United States *Zootopia* opened in theaters on March 4, 2016, three weeks before Denmark where the film made its worldwide debut under its European title *Zootropolis*, and gradually opening in many other countries before the United States.

### Marketing

On June 11, 2015, the first official teaser trailer was released theatrically alongside Pixar's *Inside Out* and online at  Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page.

On November 23, 2015, the second teaser trailer was released, this time featuring a large sequence from the film where the main characters encounter a Department of Mammal Vehicles (based on the Department of Motor Vehicles) run entirely by sloths, online once again at the Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page and theatrically alongside Pixar's *The Good Dinosaur*.

Disney released the official trailer for the film on New Years Eve 2015, online at Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page.

### Home Media

*Zootopia* was released on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD on June 7, 2016. Bonus features include the Try Everything music video, Scoretopia featurette, and extras exclusive to the Blu-ray release.

### Video Games

Judy and Nick are playable characters in *Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition*, retaining their police and meter maid outfits, respectively.

Judy and Nick are also featured in *Disney Crossy Road* and *Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ*, the latter of which has since been renamed *Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross]*.

A mobile game, *Zootopia: Crime Files*, was released. It takes place after the events of the film.

Another mobile game, *Zootopia Dash*, a game sponsored by Target, was released. Judy, Nick, and Yax are playable.

Online games were released at Disney's website.

## Reception

### Box office

As of July 5, 2016, *Zootopia* has grossed $341.3 million in North America and $682.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.023 billion on a production budget of $150 million, making it a massive box office success. As of now, it is the third highest-grossing film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, (behind *Frozen II* and *Frozen*). It marks it the fourth animated film (after *Toy Story 3*, *Frozen*, and *Minions*), eleventh Disney film (after *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest*, *Alice in Wonderland*, *Toy Story 3*, *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides*, *The Avengers*, *Iron Man 3*, *Frozen*, *Avengers: Age of Ultron*, *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*, and *Captain America: Civil War*), and twenty-sixth film to cross the $1 billion dollar mark. It is the fourth highest-grossing film of 2016 (behind *Civil War*, *Rogue One*, and *Finding Dory*), the second highest-grossing animated film of 2016 (behind *Finding Dory*), the 44th highest-grossing film of all time, and the ninth highest-grossing animated film of all time (behind *Frozen II*, *Frozen*, *Incredibles 2*, *Minions*, *Toy Story 4*, *Toy Story 3*, *Despicable Me 3*, and *Finding Dory*).

### Critical response

*Zootopia* has received universal critical acclaim from critics, becoming the most well-reviewed movie of 2016. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film is "Certified Fresh" with a rating of 98%, based on 282 reviews, with an average rating of 8.08/10. The consensus statement reads, "The brilliantly well-rounded *Zootopia* offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation – all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

*Zootopia* was also selected by American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2016, an extremely rare feat for animation, and won numerous awards for Best Animated Feature, including the Academy Award, the Critics' Choice Movie Award, and the Golden Globe. *Zootopia*, along with *Moana*, were both nominated for "Favorite Animated Movie" at the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards, but they both lost to Pixar's *Finding Dory*.

## Trivia

* *Zootopia* was first announced on August 9th at the 2013 D23 Expo.
* There is a poster for *Zootopia* in Disney's *Big Hero 6* (2014) when Baymax and Hiro fly under the train tracks.
* With a running time of 108 minutes, *Zootopia* is the third longest Disney animated film behind *Ralph Breaks The Internet* (2018) at 112 minutes and *Fantasia* (1940) at 126 minutes.
* This is the third film in the Disney Animated Features canon to have anthropomorphic animals with no humans or non-anthropomorphic animals. The other two being *Robin Hood* (1973) and *Chicken Little* (2005).
* *Zootopia* became the 26th film (and the 24th to do so in its initial release) and the 11th Disney film to reach $1 billion worldwide.
	+ *Zootopia* is also the fourth animated film to gross over $1 billion worldwide. The three that reached the $1 billion mark before it were *Toy Story 3* (2010), *Frozen* (2013), and *Minions* (2015).
		- The film grossed $1.023 billion worldwide, which made it at the time of its release the 24th highest-grossing film of all time and the fourth highest-grossing animated film of all time (behind *Frozen*, *Minions* and *Toy Story 3*). It is currently the 44th highest-grossing film of all time and the ninth highest-grossing animated film of all time (behind *Frozen II*, *Frozen*, *Incredibles 2*, *Minions*, *Toy Story 4*, *Toy Story 3*, *Despicable Me 3*, and *Finding Dory*).
* "Zootopia" is a play on the word "Utopia", which refers to an imagined place or state of things being perfect. Likewise, "Zootropolis" is also a play on the word "metropolis", which refers to the capital or chief city of a country or region. In essence, the word "Zootropolis" can also be interpreted to mean a capital city of animals.

## Videos

### Trailers and Clips

Imagining ZootopiaZootopia US Teaser TrailerZootopia (Trailer 2)Zootopia Official US Trailer 2Zootopia is the World'z 1 Movie! - In Theatres NOW!ZOOTOPIA Movie Clip - Chase Scene (2016) Animated Comedy Movie HDZootopia Meet ClawhauserZootopia - Trailer 5Zootopia Movie CLIP - Insubordination (2016) - Idris Elba, Ginnifer Goodwin Animated Movie HDZootopia Movie CLIP - Assistant Mayor Bellwether (2016) - Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman Movie HDZootopia Movie CLIP - Fur of a Skunk (2016) - Disney Animated Movie HDZootopia - Extra Short - Texting - HDZOOTOPIA Promo Clip - I'm Watching You (2016) Disney Animated Movie HD-0Zootopia US Teaser TrailerZootopia Official US Sloth TrailerZootopia (2016) - Spot "Zelfie !"Countdown to Zoo Years Begins on 12 3!『ズートピア』特別映像「はじめまして、ジュディ・ホップスです！」Zootopia Official US Trailer 2Zootropolis - Shakira "Try Everything" Music Video Tease - OFFICIAL Disney HD"Elephant in the Room" Clip - Zootopia"Fur Of A Skunk" clip - ZootopiaZootropolis UK Trailer 3"Arriving" Clip - Zootopia"Meet Clawhauser" Clip - Zootopia"Come to Papa" Clip - Zootopia"Assistant Mayor Bellwether" Clip - Zootopia
### Interviews

Zootopia Zootropolis Directors Behind The Scenes Interview - Byron Howard & Rich MooreZootopia Zootropolis Producer Behind The Scenes Interview - Clark SpencerZootopia Zootropolis "Judy Hopps" Behind The Scenes Interview - Ginnifer GoodwinZootopia Zootropolis "Nick Wilde" Behind The Scenes Interview - Jason BatemanZootopia Zootropolis "Chief Bogo" Behind The Scenes Interview - Idris ElbaZootopia Zootropolis "Bellwether" Behind The Scenes Interview - Jenny SlateZootopia Zootropolis "Mayor Lionheart" Behind The Scenes Interview - J.K. SimmonsZootopia Zootropolis "Clawhauser" Behind The Scenes Interview - Nate TorrenceShakira Zootopia Zootropolis "Gazelle" Behind The Scenes Interview
## 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.
* 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**, **the Burrows**, **the Canals**, and **Happytown**. 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 iPhones. 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 - Casio, 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*.
* 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:
	+ *Wrangled* - *Tangled*
	+ *Wreck-It Rhino* - *Wreck-It Ralph*
	+ *Pig Hero 6* - *Big Hero 6*
	+ *Meowana* - *Moana*
	+ *Giraffic* - *Gigantic* (now cancelled)
	+ *Floatzen 2* - *Frozen II*
* 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.

## References

1. ↑ *Stitch Kingdom*: Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ Concept Art, Synopsis
2. ↑ Rich Moore (2016-05-07). "From press conference to making up it was about 2.5-3 months.". Retrieved on 2016-07-25.
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/734996464573652992
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/ByronPHoward/status/739905294013071360
5. ↑ Disney's 'Zootopia' Announces Final Voice Cast Including Idris Elba, JK Simmons And Shakira
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/\_rich\_moore/status/736687672819752961
7. ↑ Rich Moore (2016-06-14). "The Frantic Pig is at the flower shop & the Gazelle rally. The pig at the press conference is voiced by @TheJohnDiMaggio 🐷". Retrieved on 2016-06-14.
8. ↑ Rich Moore (2016-05-10). "It is Josie, and the land lady's name is Mrs. Armadillo (pronounced arma-dee-yo)". Retrieved on 2016-05-10.
9. ↑ Jump up to:9.0 9.1 Zootopia casting via Stitch Kingdom
10. ↑ Jared Bush via Twitter
11. ↑ https://twitter.com/thejaredbush/status/728476541420634112
12. ↑ https://youtu.be/BktURKkTBeU?t=1m23s
13. ↑ Byron Howard via Twitter
14. ↑ Zootopia cast and characters via Katie Lowes Twitter
15. ↑ Howard, Byron, et al. *Zootopia*. Film script. 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.<http://www.waltdisneystudiosawards.com/screenplay/zootopia.pdf>
16. ↑ Walt Disney Animation Studios. "Zach King in Zootopia!" on Youtube
17. ↑ https://twitter.com/ByronPHoward/status/709631989293264896
18. ↑ Jackson's sister's tweet confirming both roles
19. ↑ Jackson thanking Rich Moore and Byron Howard for the voice role
20. ↑ Melissa's website
21. ↑ Screenshot backup
22. ↑ Rich Moore via Twitter
23. ↑ [1]
24. ↑ Madeleine Curry. "Madeleine Curry's Instagram page".
25. ↑ http://imgur.com/YGU1Fdp
26. ↑ http://imgur.com/er7fmFf
27. ↑ Some 'Zootopia' Tidbits: Story Origins, Rich Moore's Next Project?
28. ↑ Annecy: Disney Gives Toon Fans a Taste of 'Zootopia'
29. ↑ VIDEO: Zootopia - Ginnifer Goodwin and Filmmakers Interview - D23 Expo 2015
30. ↑ Jump up to:30.0 30.1 30.2 Inside the Magic: With next year's "Zootopia", Walt Disney Animation Studios promises a different kind of talking animal movie
31. ↑ Jump up to:31.0 31.1 *Imagining Zootopia*. Documentary, 2016
32. ↑ *The Art of Zootopia*. Hardcover book, 2016
33. ↑ Byron Howard and Rich Moore on the *Zootopia* universe, shifting focus to a female protagonist and some very punny world building
34. ↑ Byron Howard via Twitter
35. ↑ *Comingsoon.net*: "Walt Disney Animation Studios Reveals New Zootopia Concept Art".
36. ↑ Rich Moore via Twitter
37. ↑ Michael Giacchino Scoring Disney's 'Zootopia'
38. ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/movies/zootopia-home-edition-out-june-7-reveals-160039321.html
39. ↑ http://movies.disney.com/zootopia
40. ↑ "Zootopia". *Rotten Tomatoes*.
41. ↑ "Zootopia reviews". *Metacritic*.
42. ↑ Three Amazing Zootopia Locations That Didn't Make It Into The Movie by Eric Eisenberg
43. ↑ Zootopia Districts
44. ↑ Lechner, Matthias. "ZOOTOPIA" (Blog).
45. ↑ Zootopia Creators Talk Hidden Disney Gems

## External links

* Zootopia on Wikipedia
* Zootopia on IMDb
* *Zootopia* at the Big Cartoon DataBase
* Official Site
* Zootopia Crime Files App