Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Zootopia. As an avid lover of animated movies, and holding a degree in animation, I thought it was about time I talked about an animated movie. Enjoy!
Zootopia
Zootopia (titled Zootropolis in some markets, and Zoomania in Germany) is a 2016 American buddy cop comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore and written by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, it is the first film in the Zootopia franchise. It features the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira. The film follows the rabbit Judy Hopps, a rookie police officer and the fox Nick Wilde, a con artist, as they work together to uncover a conspiracy involving the disappearance of predators.
Zootopia premiered at the Brussels Animation Film Festival on February 13, 2016, and was released in the United States on March 4. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its screenplay, animation, and subject matter. Zootopia opened to record-breaking box office returns in several countries, and grossed over $1 billion, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2016. Among other accolades, Zootopia was named one of the top-ten films of 2016 by the American Film Institute and won Best Animated Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. A television spin-off series, Zootopia+, premiered in 2022, and a sequel, Zootopia 2 followed in 2025.
Plot: From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
Acting: The Zootopia franchise is my favorite for all of these actors unless otherwise stated.
Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, a young, optimistic rabbit from Bunnyburrow and a newly appointed member of the Zootopia Police Department, assigned to the 1st Precinct. Her four most notable titles currently are He's Just Not That Into You, Zootopia 2 and the television series Big Love and Once Upon a Time. I like the Once Upon a Time series.
Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde, a sly red fox and a small-time con artist who later joins the Zootopia Police Department as a police officer. His four most notable titles currently include Game Night, Bad Words, Zootopia and the Arrested Development television series.
Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, the African buffalo chief of police of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct. His four most notable titles currently are Beasts of No Nation, The Losers, Thor: Ragnarok and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Nate Torrence as Benjamin Clawhauser, an overweight cheetah who works as a dispatcher and desk sergeant for the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct. His four most notable titles currently include Get Smart, My Best Friend's Girl, She's Out of My League and Zootopia.
J. K. Simmons as Leodore Lionheart, the noble but pompous lion mayor of Zootopia. I've said it before, and I'll continue saying it, I love J. K. Simmons. His face and voice are both so recognizable. He's just the best. His four most notable titles currently are Whiplash, Juno, La La Land and Spider-Man. I like Klaus and Juno.
Jenny Slate as Dawn Bellwether, the diminutive ewe assistant mayor of Zootopia. She kind of annoys me in everything else, but her voice is good for animated films. Her four most notable titles currently include Obvious Child, The Secret Life of Pets, Zootopia and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.
Shakira as Gazelle, a famous Thomson's gazelle pop star. Shakira also voices Gazelle in the Spain and Latin America Spanish dubs. Her four most notable titles currently are Zootopia, Zootopia 2, Sound of Freedom (soundtrack) and her various music videos. Though she's most known for her singing career.
Minor roles were voiced by Raymond S. Persi, Maurice LaMarche, Octavia Spencer, Tommy Chong, Alan Tudyk, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Phil Johnston, Fuschia!, John DiMaggio, Katie Lowes, Gita Reddy, Jesse Corti, Tom Lister Jr., Josh Dallas (Ginnifer Goddwin's husband), Leah Latham, Rich Moore, Fabienne Rawley, Peter Mansbridge, Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Mark Rhino Smith, Josie Trinidad, John Lavelle and Kristen Bell (I LOVE her).
Technical Aspects: Development of the film that became Zootopia began when Byron Howard had pitched six story ideas to Disney Animation chief creative officer and executive producer John Lasseter, of which three involved animal characters. According to Howard, Zootopia emerged from his desire to create something different from other animal anthropomorphic films, where animals either live in the natural world or in the human world. His concept, in which animals live in a modern world designed by animals for animals, was well received by Lasseter, who responded by embracing and lifting Howard "in the air like a baby Simba".
In May 2013, The Hollywood Reporter initially reported that Howard was directing the film and that Jason Bateman had been cast, but little else about the film was known at the time. Zootopia was first officially announced on August 10, 2013 at the D23 Expo, with a March 2016 release date.
Research for the film took place in Disney's Animal Kingdom, as well as in Kenya and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where animators spent eight months studying various animals; walk cycles as well as fur color. Eight hundred thousand forms of mammals were created for and featured in the film.
The filmmakers drew inspiration for Zootopia's urban design from major cities including New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Brasília. To develop a city that could actually be inhabited by talking mammals ranging in size from two inches (5.1 cm) to 27 feet (8.2 m) and from drastically different climates, the filmmakers consulted Americans with Disabilities Act specialists and HVAC system designers. For assistance with designing motor vehicles appropriate for so many different types and sizes of mammals, the filmmakers consulted with J Mays, former chief creative officer of the Ford Motor Company.
Disney's most recent work on animating fur was for the titular character of the 2008 film Bolt, but the software they had used at the time was not ready for creating the realistic fur of the animals of Zootopia. Therefore, the studio's IT engineers developed the fur-controlling software "iGroom", which gave character designers precise control over the brushing, shaping, and shading of fur and made it possible to create a variety of eccentric character styles for each animal.
Final Thoughts: Zootopia is one of my favorite Disney animated movies, up there with The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, to name a few. I enjoy watching movies with anthropomorphic animals (humanized animals). It's also a great way to tell stories about society without (directly) offending any person or group of people. The story is something everyone can relate to, finding your place, working your dream, and proving yourself. Zootopia is a great movie to watch with the family or by yourself.
My favorite scene was where Nick introduces Judy to Flash the sloth at the DMV.
My favorite quote is "Life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your insipid dreams magically come true. So, let it go." —Chief Bogo.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, Zootopia is currently available on the streaming services: Disney+. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy, if you choose.
