Zootopia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zootopia |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by | Clark Spencer |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Michael Giacchino |
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| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 13, 2016 (Belgium) March 4, 2016 (United States) |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Money made | $1.025 billion |
Zootopia (also known as Zootropolis or Zoomania in some places) is a fun computer-animated buddy cop action comedy movie. Walt Disney Animation Studios made it, and Walt Disney Pictures released it in 2016. It's the 55th animated film from Disney and the first in the Zootopia series.
The movie was directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, with Jared Bush as co-director. It tells the story of a city called Zootopia where all kinds of talking animals live together. The main characters are a rabbit police officer named Judy Hopps and a clever red fox named Nick Wilde. They team up to solve a big mystery about missing predators.
Zootopia first showed at a film festival in Belgium on February 13, 2016. It then came out in the United States on March 4, 2016, in different 3D formats. Critics really liked the movie, praising its story, animation, voice acting, and music by Michael Giacchino.
The film was a huge success, earning over $1 billion worldwide. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 2016. Zootopia also won many awards, including Best Animated Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. A TV show called Zootopia+ came out on Disney+ in 2022, and a sequel movie is being planned.
The Story of Zootopia
Judy's Dream: Becoming a Police Officer
Judy Hopps, a brave rabbit from a small town called Bunnyburrow, has a big dream. She wants to be the first rabbit police officer in the huge city of Zootopia. Even though she's the best in her police academy class, Chief Bogo gives her a boring job: parking duty.
A Tricky Fox and a Missing Otter
On her first day, Judy meets a sly fox named Nick Wilde and his friend Finnick. They are small-time tricksters. The next day, a weasel named Duke Weaselton steals some special flower bulbs. Judy chases him and makes an arrest, but Chief Bogo is not happy she left her post.
Suddenly, Mrs. Otterton bursts in, asking for help to find her missing husband, Emmitt. He is one of fourteen predators who have disappeared. Judy volunteers to find him. The city's assistant mayor, a sheep named Dawn Bellwether, supports Judy. Chief Bogo agrees, but tells Judy she must quit if she fails in 48 hours.
Working with Nick Wilde
Judy finds out Nick was the last to see Emmitt. She cleverly records Nick admitting to tax evasion on her carrot pen, forcing him to help her. They follow clues to a powerful crime boss named Mr. Big, an arctic shrew. Nick knows Mr. Big from the past.
Mr. Big tells them that Emmitt suddenly became "savage" and attacked his driver, Manchas, a black jaguar. When they question Manchas, he says Emmitt yelled about "Night Howlers" before attacking him. Then, Manchas himself turns savage and chases Judy and Nick!
The Secret of the Savage Animals
Judy traps Manchas and calls the police, but he disappears before they arrive. Chief Bogo wants Judy to quit, but Nick reminds him she still has time. Nick then tells Judy why he became a trickster: when he was a child, he was bullied just for being a fox.
At City Hall, Bellwether helps Judy and Nick look at traffic cameras. They see that timberwolves took Manchas. Judy thinks these wolves are the "Night Howlers." They follow the wolves and find Emmitt, Manchas, and the other missing predators. All of them are "savage" and held in a secret place.
Zootopia's mayor, Leodore Lionheart, had them captured to find out why they were acting wild. Lionheart and his staff are arrested for holding the animals captive. Bellwether then becomes the new mayor.
Uncovering the Real Plan
Judy is praised for solving the case and asks Nick to be her police partner. But a reporter makes Judy say that predators are naturally savage, which makes Nick angry. He leaves her, and Judy feels so guilty that she quits her job and goes back home.
While helping her parents sell vegetables, Judy learns that "Night Howlers" are actually flowers. These flowers make animals go wild if they eat them. Judy realizes someone is using these flowers on purpose to make predators savage.
She returns to Zootopia and makes up with Nick. With help from Mr. Big, they question Weaselton again. He admits a ram named Doug hired him to steal the Night Howler flowers. They find Doug in a hidden lab where he makes a serum from the flowers. He uses a dart gun to shoot it at predators.
Judy and Nick get a serum gun as proof. But before they can reach the police, Bellwether stops them. She reveals that she planned everything! She wanted to make animals afraid of predators. Bellwether tries to shoot Nick with the serum, but Judy had secretly swapped the darts for blueberries. Judy records Bellwether's confession, and the police arrive to arrest Bellwether and her helpers.
A New Beginning for Zootopia
Bellwether and her team are arrested. Mayor Lionheart says he didn't know about Bellwether's plan, but admits he was wrong to imprison the animals. The cause of the wild behavior is found, and the predators are cured. Judy gets her police job back.
Months later, Nick finishes police academy. He becomes Judy's partner and the first fox police officer in Zootopia!
Meet the Voice Cast
Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in Zootopia:
- Ginnifer Goodwin is the voice of Judy Hopps, the optimistic rabbit police officer. Della Saba voices young Judy.
- Jason Bateman is the voice of Nick Wilde, the clever red fox con artist. Kath Soucie voices young Nick.
- Idris Elba is the voice of Chief Bogo, the strong African buffalo police chief.
- Jenny Slate is the voice of Dawn Bellwether, the small sheep who is the assistant mayor.
- Nate Torrence is the voice of Benjamin Clawhauser, the friendly cheetah dispatcher.
- Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake are the voices of Bonnie and Stu Hopps, Judy's parents.
- Tommy Chong is the voice of Yax, a relaxed yak.
- J. K. Simmons is the voice of Mayor Lionheart, the proud lion mayor.
- Octavia Spencer is the voice of Mrs. Otterton, a worried otter looking for her husband.
- Alan Tudyk is the voice of Duke Weaselton, a small-time weasel crook.
- Shakira is the voice of Gazelle, a famous pop star gazelle. Shakira also sings the movie's song "Try Everything."
- Raymond S. Persi is the voice of Flash, the "fastest" three-toed sloth at the DMV.
- Maurice LaMarche is the voice of Mr. Big, the powerful arctic shrew crime boss.
- Phil Johnston is the voice of Gideon Grey, a red fox who used to bully others but is now a kind baker.
- John DiMaggio is the voice of Jerry Jumbeaux Jr., an elephant who owns an ice cream shop.
- Jesse Corti is the voice of Manchas, the black jaguar chauffeur.
- Tom Lister Jr. is the voice of Finnick, Nick's fennec fox partner.
- Rich Moore is the voice of Doug, the ram chemist working for Bellwether.
- Kristen Bell is the voice of Priscilla, a sloth who works with Flash at the DMV.
Making the Movie: Zootopia Production
Developing the Story
The idea for Zootopia started when director Byron Howard wanted to make a movie like Disney's Robin Hood, which had talking animals. He wanted to create a modern city designed by animals for animals. This idea was loved by John Lasseter, a top creative person at Disney.
At first, the movie was going to be a spy film with an arctic hare named Jack Savage. Screenwriter Jared Bush joined the team, excited about the spy story. But the most interesting part turned out to be the animal city itself. So, they decided to focus on that.
The story then became a police mystery. Nick Wilde was originally the main character, with Judy Hopps as his helper. But in 2014, the filmmakers changed their minds. They realized the story would be better if Judy was the main character, and Nick was her partner. This change made the story much more exciting!
Research and Design
To make the movie look real, the animators spent eight months studying animals. They visited Disney's Animal Kingdom, Kenya, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They watched how different animals walked and moved. They also went to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to see how fur looked up close under different lights.
The filmmakers created 800,000 different types of mammals for the film! For the city of Zootopia, they got ideas from real cities like New York City, San Francisco, and Paris. They even talked to experts to design a city that could work for animals of all sizes, from tiny mice to huge giraffes.
Amazing Animation
Disney created new software called "iGroom" to make the animals' fur look incredibly real. This software let designers control every detail of the fur, making it look soft and fluffy. For example, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde each had about 2.5 million hairs! A giraffe had nine million strands of fur, and a tiny rodent had more hair than Elsa from Frozen!
The movie used a special computer program called Hyperion to create realistic images of the animals' thick fur. Another tool, Nitro, helped animators see how the fur would look much faster.
Choosing the Voices
Jason Bateman was chosen to voice Nick Wilde because he could make the character funny and caring at the same time. Bateman said Nick was a "crafty, sarcastic schemer," which was like many roles he had played before.
Ginnifer Goodwin was chosen for Judy Hopps. Director Rich Moore said she brought "sweetness, tremendous heart and a great sense of humor" to the role. Goodwin described Judy as a "good girl through and through" who is often underestimated.
The Music of Zootopia
The music for Zootopia was created by Michael Giacchino. This was his first full-length movie for Walt Disney Animation Studios. The music was recorded with an 80-piece orchestra. Pop star Shakira, who voices Gazelle in the movie, also sang an original song called "Try Everything." The song was written by Sia and Stargate. The movie's soundtrack was released on March 4, 2016.
Promoting the Movie
Disney released several trailers for Zootopia. The first one came out in June 2015. A second trailer in November 2015 showed a funny scene where Judy and Nick visit the Department of Mammal Vehicles (DMV), which is run by very slow sloths. The official movie trailer was released on New Year's Eve 2015.
Figures of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were also released for the video game Disney Infinity 3.0.
Release and Home Viewing
In Theaters
Zootopia was released in theaters on March 4, 2016, in different 3D formats. It was the first Disney animated film shown in IMAX theaters in the US since 2002. It first premiered at a film festival in Belgium on February 7, 2016.
In some countries, the movie had different titles. In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, it was called Zootropolis. This was because Disney couldn't use the name "Zootopia" there for legal reasons. In Germany, it was called Zoomania.
Watching at Home
Zootopia was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms on June 7, 2016. It included extra features like "Scoretopia" and the music video for Shakira's "Try Everything." The movie sold very well on home media, earning $89.6 million. It was one of the best-selling home video titles of 2016.
Re-releases
In June 2020, Zootopia returned to US theaters for a short time as cinemas reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic. It also returned to theaters in China in July 2020.
Zootopia Merchandise
Many products were made based on the film. A card game called Zootopia: Suspect Search was released, along with a mobile phone game called Zootopia Crime Files.
In 2018, a Zootopia graphic novel titled Disney Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue was published by Dark Horse Comics.
Theme Park Fun
On January 22, 2019, Disney Parks announced that a new area based on Zootopia would be built at Shanghai Disneyland Park. Construction began in December 2019 and is expected to open in 2023.
In September 2023, it was announced that the It's Tough to Be a Bug! attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom would be replaced by a Zootopia show.
Zootopia Television Series
In December 2020, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced a TV series called Zootopia+ for Disney+. This was one of the first TV projects from the main animation studio. It's an anthology series, meaning it tells short stories about different characters from the movie.
The series premiered on November 9, 2022, with six short episodes. These episodes include an action parody with Judy's parents, a musical with Duke Weaselton, and a dance competition with Clawhauser and Gazelle. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde also make appearances. The original voice actors from the movie returned for the series.
Future Adventures: A Zootopia Sequel
In June 2016, the directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore talked about making a Zootopia sequel. On February 8, 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger officially announced that a sequel to Zootopia was being made. Screenwriter Jared Bush confirmed he is working on the film.
Ginnifer Goodwin, who voices Judy, said she would like to see Nick have to convince Judy that the world is worth fighting for in the next movie. Jason Bateman, who voices Nick, also shared his ideas for the sequel.
Images for kids
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Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore presented footage from the film at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
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Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore presented footage from the film at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
