The Mister Big

“*The family you have, that makes you rich. The friends you choose, that makes them family. And with these things, you will never feel small.*”
―Mr. Big giving a speech at Fru Fru's wedding
**Mr. Big** is an old male Arctic shrew and a supporting character in *Zootopia*. He is the father of Fru Fru, the father-in-law of Fru Fru's husband, and the soon-to-be grandfather of Judy. He is also the leader of his mafia.Template:Animal-CharacterFile:Profile - The Mister Big.PNG

## Background

Mr. Big is the most infamous and feared crime boss in Tundratown, and evidently has the respect of numerous law-abiding citizens as well as the Zootopian underworld, such as Emmitt Otterton and Renato Manchas. He is the owner of a number of businesses and ventures, which provide necessary services to Zootopia's citizens, like the Tundratown Limousine Service.

His life prior to the events of *Zootopia* is largely a mystery, however, it is known that he became a friend or acquaintance to Nick Wilde, who was welcomed into his home. This relationship went sour after Nick was involved in selling Mr. Big a very expensive wool rug made from the fur of a skunk's butt that Mr. Big's beloved Gram-mama was buried in. This left Mr. Big quite angered at Nick who was told to never show his face around him again.

Mr. Big also had very good relations with Emmitt Otterton, describing him as "like family", even though he was simply the crime boss' florist.

## Personality

Mr. Big has a very honor-based personality, finding respect to be a central tenet. He is fairly merciless and will not hesitate in punishing those who have disrespected him or his family, but he will treat like family those who do good to him, such as Emmitt Otterton and Judy Hopps. While he is evidently engaged in organized crime and often resorts to threatening punishment on those who cross him, he errs on the morally good side of crime, seeming to prefer amicability to violence in most cases.

## Role in the Film

Mr. Big is the owner of the limousine which missing otter Emmitt Otterton was last seen in. Judy and Nick investigate the limousine in order to find him, but upon the revelation that it is owned by Mr. Big, the two are taken by Kevin and Raymond, two of Mr. Big's Polar Bear henchmen. They are taken to Mr. Big's compound, where Mr. Big is revealed to be a shrew. He chastises an apologetic Nick, before Judy steps in and states in very strong terms that she is looking for Emmitt Otterton, the evidence on the case suggests he was the culprit, and that Mr. Big will not stop them. He then tells his henchmen to "ice them," before Fru Fru enters and reminds Mr. Big that they agreed that he wouldn't ice anyone at her wedding, to which Mr. Big apologizes, but nonetheless orders his henchmen to "ice" them anyways.

She then reveals that Judy was the rabbit who saved her from a doughnut model careening down a street in Little Rodentia. Mr. Big agrees to help them both and invites them to Fru Fru's wedding. He explains that Emmitt was not attacked, but he attacked Mr. Manchas, the limousine driver, before disappearing. He told them to talk to Manchas about Emmitt in the Rainforest District.

Later on, after Judy and Nick discover that the Night howlers are what have been driving the predators crazy and suspect that Duke Weaselton has been dealing them to someone, they approach Mr. Big, who threatens to ice him in order to get information. He also designates Judy Hopps as the godmother of his future granddaughter, with whom Fru Fru is pregnant and declares she intends to name her daughter "Judy", much to Judy and her father's delight.

He is last seen during the credits of the film, dancing with his daughter at Gazelle's concert.

## Role in Zootopia+

### The Godfather of the Bride

Mr. Big watches the festivities of his daughter's wedding reception and approaches the table to speak. He tells the crowd that it warms his heart to see his daughter so happy thanks to the community of friends and family.

He points out that it wasn't always this way and recounts the tale of his voyage into Zootopia with his Gram-mama from the old country. Upon arrival they found that the city was not made for small mammals like shrews or mice and they faced unique challenges because of their size.

They struggled to setup Gram-mamma's bakery and their initial deliveries were made difficult due to the logistics of traversing a city filled with large mammals as well as a Rhino crime boss shaking down the neighborhood.

Things improved when Gram-mamma obtains a bike for young Mr. Big which enables him to navigate the challenges of the city more successfully. In addition, Mr. Big notices some polar bears in his neighborhood struggling with the heat and treats Koslov, then a young cub, to an ice cream cone. This act of generosity, leads to Koslov starting to help Mr. Big with his deliveries making them even easier and bringing about even greater success with the bakery.

Unfortunately, this success draws the attention of the Rhino crime boss and his gang who destroys Mr. Big's bike, steals the bakery's savings, and threatens Koslov when he tries to defend Mr. Big and the bakery.

At this moment, Mr. Big decides what mammal he is going to be and commands that the Rhino boss leave Koslov alone. The Rhino lashes out but Mr. Big effectively dodges his attempt to flatten him and with the combined help of others in the neighborhood, subdues the Rhino with the very first icing (by comically freezing him in a cube of ice with his eyes still moving).

From this moment on Mr. Big asserts control over the neighborhood. He rebuilds the bakery and uses its success to pay forward into the community while also taking control of the Rhino bosses' gang. He uses his new resources to create jobs that leads to the building of a community just for little mammals... Little Rodentia.

Mr. Big concludes by saying he is sharing this story for a reason and points out that "The family you have, that makes you rich. The friends you choose, that makes them family. And with these things you will never feel small."

He then turns to Fru Fru's husband to warn that if he ever hurts his little girl, he's as good as iced and then concludes with a toast to the new couple.

## Role in Literature

#### *Judy Hopps and the Missing Jumbo-Pop*

While not having an actual role in the book, Mr. Big is seen watching a hockey match with his daughter in Tundratown.

## See Also

* Mr. Big's house
* Icing
* Mr. Big's mafia

## Trivia

* Mr. Big is a very obvious inspiration and parody of Vito Corleone *(The Godfather),* right down to the clothing and facial features. He also has some similarities to Tony Montana *(Scarface).*
* He owns and operates a number of legitimate businesses alongside his less legal enterprises.
* Mr. Big's voice actor, Maurice LaMarche, has playfully suggested that Mr. Big doesn't kill animals when he "ices" them, and instead "just dunks them until they're really sorry".
* According to *The Official Zootopia Handbook*, Mr. Big is a multi-millionaire. The guide also states that Mr. Big's first business was a tuxedo rental shop.
* Mr. Big's eyes are only seen twice in the film, first here, and then here. They are blue-grey in color.
* According to a promotional video on Twitter, Mr. Big has trouble with the auto-correct feature while texting.
* According to *The Essential Guide*, Mr. Big likes cannoli pastries.
* In the mobile game "Disney Heroes: Battle Mode", there are shipping containers for 'Mr. Big's Shell Company'.
	+ Mr. Big is also a playable hero alongside Koslov.
* It's unclear if 'Mr. Big' is his real name at all or just a pseudonym.

## References

1. ↑ *The Art of Zootopia*, page 112
2. ↑ YouTube
3. ↑ Twitter

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