A Look Back at the 2016 Animated Family Favorite “Zootopia”

One of the most anticipated Disney sequels, “Zootopia 2,” is now showing on the big screen and at the Dietrich Theater! So, to get hyped up for the new animated sequel (and since I haven’t seen it since initially reviewing it for the Examiner), I wanted to revisit the 2016 smash animated hit “Zootopia”!

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 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, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.

Like I said before, this was the first time I have seen this 2016 Disney animated favorite since I checked it out for the paper nearly nine years ago! After checking it out for the first time in quite a while, it’s still just as entertaining and is something that the whole family can watch again and again!

The animated 2016 movie delivers quite a few moments that are really humorous that will have you laughing even after the movie ends. This movie also features some relevant themes, some detailed world-building and a broad appeal to both children and adults.

“Zootopia” (2016) deals with relevant issues through animal-based metaphors for real-world social problems, including prejudice and stereotyping. This movie actually does a decent job exploring how societal biases can affect individuals and communities and shows that even well-intentioned individuals can have ingrained biases. This movie uses the story of a predator and prey partnership to argue that stereotypes can be overcome and that individuals can defy their assigned roles.

“Zootopia” also features several moments scattered throughout the movie that are incredibly hilarious. One of the most hilarious scenes is the DMV scene with Flash the Sloth. 

During this scene Judy is in a desperate hurry to run a license plate number and the whole DMV is staffed by sloths. The scenes humor comes from the very slow pace at which Flash and his colleague process the information and exchange a joke. There’s also a scene that parodies “The Godfather” that features the Mr. Big character that’s really funny and quick and you miss it “Breaking Bad” reference.

The 2016 movie “Zootopia” received an overwhelming positive response from both critics and audiences, who praised its witty script and poignant themes. It grossed over

$1 billion worldwide against a production budget of $150 million, becoming a landmark movie for Walt Disney Animation. “Zootopia” also won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature!

Trivia: Originally, the movie revolved around Nick Wilde. Test audiences said that they had a hard time connecting with him emotionally, and found themselves drawn to Judy Hopps, so the story was changed. This is the second movie by Walt Disney Animation Studios to gross over $1 billion worldwide, after the 2013 smash hit “Frozen.”

MPA: Rated PG for some thematic elements, rude humor and action   (runtime 108 minutes)

You can currently stream “Zootopia” on Disney Plus or rent it through various PVOD services. 

• Animators decided upon Judy's purple eye color because they thought the rest of her gray fur markings were too dull, particularly for a main character. Purple was chosen to represent her energetic and optimistic personality.

• Originally, the film revolved around Nick Wilde. Test audiences said that they had a hard time connecting with him emotionally, and found themselves drawn to Judy Hopps, so the story was changed.

• Chief Bogo's name is taken from the Swahili word "mbogo," meaning buffalo.

• Nick Wilde's design is heavily based on the title character of Disney's Robin Hood (1973) (who is also a fox).

• On her train ride to Zootopia, before Judy selects Gazelle, some of the other artists on her music player include: The Beagles, Black Sable, Catty Perry, Destiny's Cub, Ewe 2, Fleetwood Yak, Fur Fighters, Gun N' Rodents, Hyena Gomez, Kanine West and Mick Jaguar. These are references to the bands and singers, Destiny's Child, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Katy Perry, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N' Roses, Selena Gomez, Ye, U2, Mick Jagger, and Foo Fighters.

• It was November 2014 when the production team decided to change the story to emphasize Judy Hopps as the main character rather than Nick Wilde. To help with the difficulties of the late sudden change, Jared Bush was hired as a co-director alongside directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore.

• The sloths' role in the movie was originally limited to a small gag early in the movie where, after Judy exits the train in Zootopia, a sloth leaving the train would be too slow to make it out before the doors close. Once their roles were expanded to the DMV scene later in development, the artists had to redesign their faces to accommodate more varied facial expressions and deliver an actual performance.

• This is the second film by Walt Disney Animation Studios to gross over $1 billion worldwide, after Frozen (2013).