*A week ago, I had the pleasure of attending the screening of Disney’s new film “Zootopia,” which will be in local theaters March 4th. Prior to seeing the movie, I assumed that it was going to be a darling film for kids ages 10 and under.
But sure enough when the movie ended, I became sad because I wanted more. This movie is not your typical Disney Movie. Each scene had a special touch to it and kept me engaged the whole time.
Over the years, Walt Disney’s Animation Studios has produced many household classics such as “The Jungle Book,” “Dumbo,” “The Lion King,” “Robin Hood” and many more. They decided that after 92 years of developing classics, they would create a movie that still addresses common issues people face with a mammal approach.
In “Zootopia” we are first introduced to the main character Judy Hopps, voiced by actress Ginnifer Goodwin, who has hopes and dreams of becoming a police officer in the city. Judy often encounters doubt from her peers but doesn’t let that get in her way. She remains optimistic, persistent, and resilient against all odds through out the movie. Goodwin admits that she sees herself embodied in Judy and feels that Disney portrayed her well.
“Personality, I thought I was the type cast which I’m honored. Physically it is wild because I normally can’t watch myself more than once, if at all. But, I’ve watched this movie several times and I can get completely swept in it and forget I’m apart of it.” said Goodwin
Of course Judy couldn’t tackle her challenge alone, she sought after a partner in crime. Nick Wilde, voiced by actor Jason Bateman, plays the fox and is the complete opposite of Judy. Nick is a con-artist who is very charming, clever, and pessimistic. Nick doesn’t dream a lot because he believes we are what we are and that’s all it will ever be. Bateman had lots to say about his character in the movie and is also pleased with Disney’s portrayal as well.
“I’d do this for the rest of my life.” said Bateman
Beside the point of Judy and Nick possessing opposite personalities in the movie, If you know a thing or two about foxes and rabbits in real life, you would know that this situation is very predator and prey. The team thought it was very important to break stereo types subliminally by flipping expectations and preconceived notions from each mammal character.
“Early on one the big questions when we actually featured more of the predators were, could these predators overcome their based instincts. said co-writer and producer Jared Bush. The story’s really about overcoming based instincts.”
In “Zootopia” alone there are 64 species of mammals roaming the streets. From each animal group they were able to generate male, female, and child variants. The mammals also had their own unique shape, styled clothing, and colored fur. The team spent 18 months researching animals. They met with animal experts from all over the world including Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
“We traveled 9,000 miles to Kenya, Africa, for a two-week deep dive into animal personality and behavior. We wanted each species of animal to be real, to feel authentic and to be based on their real-world behavior.” said producer Clark Spencer.
Each building seen in the movie was hand built by Disney’s team and later brought to life with a special lighting software that created a realistic ambiance. The animators wanted to make sure that every small detail such as the fur on the mammals, the movement of the hands, and special characteristics in each character were defined to its entirety. Another amazing fact about the movie is that they had animators from all over the world contribute to the development of the movie. When you go see the movie for the first time, pay attention to as much detail as possible, especially to the train station scene. It is derived from a popular train station located in Madrid.
“I think its critical and I think one of the amazing things about our studios is that people come from around the world. I always used the example if you only came from Southern California and the United States, all of our reference points would become that. said Spencer. But Because people are coming from all around the world, they’re bringing not just story ideas but actual physical elements.”
Hopefully by now you’ve made up your mind to go see the movie. It was full of laughter and rich lessons kids and adult could learn from. The directors, writers, and actors stressed how amazed they were once they saw the finished product for the first time, as well as the message and lasting impact it left behind. So far, everyone’s hoping for a “Zootopia 2” but it can’t happen without you showing up for first “Zootopia.”
https://youtu.be/bFi57DWkLp4
Get tickets and showtimes for “Zootopia,” HERE.
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