Zootopia

"Try Everything"
Zootopia: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Michael Giacchino
Released	March 4, 2016
Recorded	November 16–20, 2015
Studio	Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros., Los Angeles
Genre	Film score
Length	62:34
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Michael Giacchino (score producer); Chris Montan (executive music); Tom MacDougall (music supervisor)
Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology
Michael Giacchino chronology
Singles from Zootopia
	"Try Everything"; Released: February 15, 2016;

Zootopia
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Byron Howard; Rich Moore;
Produced by	Clark Spencer
Screenplay by	Jared Bush; Phil Johnston[1];
Story by	Byron Howard; Rich Moore; Jared Bush; Jim Reardon; Josie Trinidad; Phil Johnston; Jennifer Lee;
Starring	Ginnifer Goodwin; Jason Bateman; Idris Elba; Jenny Slate; Nate Torrence; Bonnie Hunt; Don Lake; Tommy Chong; J. K. Simmons; Octavia Spencer; Alan Tudyk; Shakira;
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Cinematography	Nathan Warner (layout); Brian Leach (lighting);
Edited by	Fabienne Rawley; Jeremy Milton;
Production; company	Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Animation Studios;
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios; Motion Pictures
Release date	February 13, 2016 (Belgium); March 4, 2016 (United States);
Running time	108 minutes[2][3]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million[4]
Box office	$1.024 billion[5]

Zootopia (released as Zootropolis in the UK) is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated buddy cop comedy film[6][7] produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 55th Disney animated feature film, directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, co-directed by Jared Bush, and stars the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira. Taking place in the titular city where anthropomorphic mammals coexist, it tells a story of an unlikely partnership between a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist, as they uncover a criminal conspiracy involving the disappearance of predators.

Zootopia premiered at the Brussels Animation Film Festival in Belgium on February 13, 2016,[8] and went into general theatrical release in Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX formats in the United States on March 4.[9][10] Zootopia received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its screenplay, animation, voice acting, subject matter, and Michael Giacchino's musical score.[11][12][13] It opened to record-breaking box offices in several countries, and earned a worldwide gross of over $1 billion, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2016. The film earned numerous accolades; it was named one of the top ten best films of 2016 by the American Film Institute, and received an Academy Award, Golden Globes,[14] Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Film, it also received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, but lost to Kubo and the Two Strings.[15][16]

Plot

In a world of anthropomorphic mammals, rabbit Judy Hopps from rural Bunnyburrow fulfills her childhood dream of becoming a police officer in urban Zootopia. Despite being the academy valedictorian, Judy is delegated to parking duty by Chief Bogo, who doubts her potential because she is a rabbit. On her first day, she is hustled by a con artist fox duo, Nick Wilde and Finnick.

Judy abandons parking duty to arrest Duke Weaselton, a weasel who stole a bag of crocus bulbs known as Midnicampum holicithias. Bogo reprimands her, but an otter, Mrs. Otterton, enters Bogo's office pleading for someone to find her husband Emmitt, one of fourteen predators who are missing. When Judy volunteers and Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether praises the assignment, Bogo has no choice but to give Judy the case, stipulating she has 48 hours to find Emmitt Otterton and that she must resign if she fails.

Judy blackmails Nick into assisting her by covertly recording his confession to tax evasion, having ascertained from photo evidence that Nick was the last to see Emmitt. They track Emmitt to a limousine owned by crime boss Mr. Big, who reveals Emmitt went "savage"—reverted to a feral state—and attacked his chauffeur Manchas. At his home, Manchas mentions Emmitt yelled about "Night Howlers" before the attack. Then Manchas himself turns savage and chases the pair. Judy saves Nick by trapping Manchas, and calls the ZPD for help. When help arrives, Manchas has vanished. Bogo demands Judy turn in her badge, but Nick reminds Bogo that Judy still has 10 hours to solve the case.

At City Hall, Bellwether offers Judy and Nick access to the city's traffic cameras. They discover Manchas was captured by wolves, whom Judy surmises are the "Night Howlers". They locate the missing predators—all gone savage—imprisoned at Cliffside Asylum, where Mayor Leodore Lionheart hides them from the public while trying to determine the cause of their behavior. Lionheart and the asylum staff are arrested for false imprisonment and Bellwether becomes the new mayor.

Judy, praised for solving the case, has become friends with Nick and asks him to join the ZPD as her partner. However, she upsets him at a press conference by blaming predatory biology for the recent savage behavior, who angrily rejects her offer and abandons her; her comments also incite hateful speech and discrimination against predators throughout Zootopia. Feeling guilty, Judy quits her job and returns to Bunnyburrow.

Back home, Judy learns the Night Howlers are actually the crocus bulbs Weaselton stole, and they contain a neurotoxin that has severe psychotropic effects on mammals. After returning to Zootopia and tearfully reconciling with Nick, the duo confront Weaselton, who (with persuasion from Mr. Big) tells them the bulbs he stole were for a ram named Doug. They find Doug in a laboratory hidden in the city subway, developing a drug made from Night Howlers, which he has been shooting at predators with a dart gun.

Judy and Nick obtain the serum as evidence, but before they can reach the ZPD, Bellwether confronts them in the Natural History Museum and takes the evidence, revealing herself as the mastermind behind a prey-supremacist conspiracy to frame predators as dangerous and savage. Bellwether traps Judy and Nick in an exhibition after Nick refuses to abandon an injured Judy. She shoots a serum pellet at Nick to make him attack Judy, and summons the ZPD for help. But Judy and Nick have replaced the serum pellets in Bellwether's gun with blueberries. Enraged, Bellwether threatens to frame the pair for the attacks before discovering that Judy baited her into openly declaring her role in the attacks and recorded the confession. Bellwether attempts to run, only to find herself surrounded by Chief Bogo and the rest of the ZPD.

Lionheart publicly denies knowledge of Bellwether's plot and states that his imprisonment of the savage predators was a "wrong thing for the right reason". With the cause of the epidemic identified, the savage animals are cured and Judy rejoins the ZPD. Nick graduates from the Zootopia Police Academy as the city's first fox police officer and becomes Judy's partner.

Voice cast

Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, an young optimistic rabbit from Bunnyburrow who is a newly appointed member of the Zootopia Police Department assigned to the 1st Precinct.[17]
- Della Saba voices a younger Judy Hopps.
Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde, a sly red fox who is a small-time con artist.[17][18]
- Kath Soucie voices a younger Nick Wilde.
Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, an African buffalo who is the police chief of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.[19]
Jenny Slate as Bellwether, a diminutive sheep who is the assistant mayor of Zootopia.[19]
Nate Torrence as Officer Clawhauser, an obese cheetah who works as a dispatcher and desk sergeant for the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.[19]
Bonnie Hunt as Bonnie Hopps, a European rabbit from Bunnyburrow who is the mother of Judy Hopps.[19]
Don Lake as Stu Hopps, a European rabbit from Bunnyburrow who is the father of Judy Hopps and a known carrot farmer.[19]
Tommy Chong as Yax, a laid-back domestic yak who is the owner of the naturist club Mystic Springs Oasis in Sahara Square.[19]
J. K. Simmons as Mayor Lionheart, a lion who is the noble, but pompous Mayor of Zootopia.[19]
Octavia Spencer as Mrs. Otterton, a concerned North American river otter whose husband Emmitt Otterton has gone missing.[19]
Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton, a small-time least weasel crook who is also known for selling bootleg DVDs.[19] The name is a reference to the Duke of Weselton from Frozen, whom Tudyk also voices.[20]
Shakira as Gazelle, a Thomson's gazelle who is a famous pop star.[21] Shakira also voices Gazelle in the Spain and Latin America Spanish dubs.
Raymond S. Persi as Flash, the "fastest" three-toed sloth in the DMV (short for Department of Mammal Vehicles).[19]
- Persi also voices Officer Higgins, a hippopotamus who is an elite member of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.[22]
Maurice LaMarche as Mr. Big, an Arctic shrew who is the most fearsome crime boss in Tundratown and is served by a group of polar bears.[23]
Phil Johnston as Gideon Grey, a red fox from Bunnyburrow who used to bully the young rabbits and sheep when he was young. As an adult, he has made amends with those he picked on and became a much-respected baker.[24]
- Johnston also voices an angry offscreen character who states that his taxes pay Judy's salary upon being given a parking ticket by her.[25]
Fuschia! as Major Friedkin,[26][27] a polar bear who works at the Zootopia Police Academy as a drill instructor.[24]
John DiMaggio as Jerry Jumbeaux Jr., an ill-tempered African elephant who owns an ice cream parlor called Jumbeaux's Café which is frequented by elephants and other larger mammals.[19]
- DiMaggio also voices Woolter and Jesse (a pun on the show Breaking Bad's main protagonists), two tough rams who are Doug's assistants;[28] a moose that gets a parking ticket from Judy; and a pig reporter.[29]
Katie Lowes as Dr. Madge Honey Badger, a honey badger who helps Mayor Lionheart look for the cause of the animals going savage.[19]
Gita Reddy as Nangi, an Indian elephant who works as a yoga instructor at Mystic Springs Oasis.[24]
Jesse Corti as Manchas, a black jaguar from Zootopia's Rainforest District who is a chauffeur for Zootopia's biggest limo company and is the personal chauffeur to Mr. Big.[19]
Tom Lister Jr. as Finnick, a fennec fox who is Nick's partner in crime.[19]
Josh Dallas as an unnamed frantic domestic pig who is the owner of the "Flora and Fauna" flower shop that is robbed by Duke Weaselton and frantically asks Judy for help.[30] He later appears as a protestor at Gazelle's peace rally arguing with a female leopard.[31]
Leah Latham as Fru Fru, the daughter of Mr. Big who disapproves of her father doing his criminal business during her wedding. She befriends Judy after Judy saves her from a runaway doughnut shop sign in Little Rodentia and later names her unborn child after her.[30]
Rich Moore as Doug, an emotionless ram chemist and sniper with puffy wool who works for Assistant Mayor Bellwether.[30]
- Moore also voices Larry, a gray wolf that is a security guard at Cliffside Asylum.[32]
Fabienne Rawley and Peter Mansbridge as Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge, the snow leopard and moose anchors of the ZNN News.[33]
- The moose co-anchor is used in the standard version of the film, released in the United States, Italy, France, Canada, Russia, and Mexico. In the UK version, the moose is named as Moosos Alexander, voiced by radio journalist Vassos Alexander (though the UK home release used his US name and voice).[34] In other countries, the anchor is a different animal voiced by a different person.[35] David Campbell voices a koala newscaster named David Koalabell in the Australian and New Zealand versions.[36] The Brazilian version uses a jaguar named Onçardo Boi Chá who is voiced by Ricardo Boechat.[37] The Japanese version uses a tanuki named Michael Tanuyama who is voiced by Kazumasa Kōra. The Chinese version uses an unnamed giant panda.[35][38]
Byron Howard as Bucky Oryx-Antlerson, a greater kudu who is the neighbor of Judy Hopps and Pronk's husband.[30]
- Howard also voices Travis, Gideon Grey's black-footed ferret friend.[39]
Jared Bush as Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, a gemsbok who is the neighbor of Judy Hopps and Bucky's husband.[30]
Mark "Rhino" Smith as Officer McHorn, a black rhinoceros police officer who is part of the Zootopia Police Department's 1st Precinct.[40]
Josie Trinidad as Mrs. Dharma Armadillo,[41] a nine-banded armadillo who is the landlady of the Grand Pangolin Apartments that Judy Hopps moves into.
John Lavelle as the unnamed construction mouse foreman of Little Rodentia's construction crew who receives the Pawpsicle sticks from Nick and Finnick.[24]
Kristen Bell as Priscilla, a three-toed sloth who is Flash's co-worker at the DMV.[30]
Zach King as a muzzled wolf, who is captured by the ZPD and magically escapes.[42]

Production

Writing

Development of the film that would come to be called Zootopia began when Byron Howard pitched six story ideas to Disney Animation chief creative officer and executive producer John Lasseter, of which three involved animal characters: an all-animal adaptation of The Three Musketeers, a 1960s-themed story about a "mad doctor cat...who turned children into animals", and a "bounty-hunter pug in space".[43] The common thread running through these ideas was that Howard wanted to do a film similar to Disney's Robin Hood, which also featured animals in anthropomorphic roles.[44] 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".[45] Lasseter suggested that Howard should try combining the 1960s theme with the animal characters, especially the space pug.[43] This led Howard to develop and pitch Savage Seas, an international spy film centered on an arctic hare named "Jack Savage" who was somewhat like James Bond.[43][46] It was around this time that screenwriter Jared Bush was hired to work on the film; he was excited to work on a spy film because his own father and grandfather had worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.[43]

Howard and Bush continued to develop the film with the assistance of the Disney Story Trust, the studio's top creative personnel who meet regularly to review and discuss all projects in development.[46] The most delightful part of the spy film turned out to be its first act, set in a city created by and for animals.[43] To focus on the all-animal city, Howard eventually dropped the 1960s setting, along with the espionage and international aspects, and changed the film into a contemporary police procedural in which Nick Wilde was the lead role and Judy Hopps was essentially his sidekick.[43][46][47] For a while, "the filmmakers were very committed" to that version of the story,[46] but then in November 2014, the filmmakers realized the film's plot would be more engaging if they reversed the roles to instead focus on Hopps as opposed to Wilde.[47] The change in perspective involved dropping several characters, including two characters known as "The Gerbil Jerks" who were described as "trust-fund gerbils that had nothing better to do than harass Nick."[48]

Pre-production

Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore presented footage from the film at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival[49]

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.[18] Zootopia was first officially announced on August 10, 2013 at the D23 Expo, with a March 2016 release date.[44][50]

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.[51][52] Eight hundred thousand forms of mammals were created for and featured in the film.[52] To make the characters' fur even more realistic, they also went to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to closely observe the appearance of fur with a microscope under a variety of lighting.[53][52] 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.[54] 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.[55] 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.[56] During the development process, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn suggested that Nick should expressly state his disappointment ("Just when I thought someone actually believed in me...") after discovering that Judy still fears him as a predator.[57] In March 2015, it was revealed that Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) had been added as a director of the film, in addition to Jared Bush (Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero) as co-director.[58]

Animation

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. The software was also able to control an unseen "imaginary" under-layer that gave fur a degree of plushness not seen before. This feature was used to create characters like Officer Clawhauser, who has a big head that is entirely made of spotted fur. Characters with noteworthy numbers of strands of hair or fur included both of the two lead characters, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who each had around 2.5 million hairs; a giraffe with nine million strands of fur; a gerbil with 480,000 strands; and a rodent with more strands of hair than the 400,000 that were on Elsa's head in Frozen.[52]

Zootopia was the second time Disney used the Hyperion renderer, which they had first used on Big Hero 6. A new fur paradigm was added to the renderer to facilitate the creation of realistic images of the animals' dense fur. Nitro, a real-time display application developed since the making of Wreck-It Ralph, was used to make the fur more consistent, intact and subtle much more quickly, as opposed to the previous practice of having to predict how the fur would work while making and looking at silhouettes or poses for the character. The tree-and-plant generator Bonsai, first used in Frozen, was used to make numerous variations of trees with very detailed foliage.[52]

Zootopia was produced in makeshift quarters in a giant warehouse in North Hollywood (together with Moana) while Disney Animation's headquarters in Burbank was being renovated.[59]

Casting

On May 6, 2015, Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin were announced as having been cast, respectively in the roles of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.[17] The filmmakers chose Bateman because they wanted an actor who could bring "a funny yet heartfelt side" with "a wily, dry-witted sort of voice". Bateman described his character as "a crafty, sarcastic schemer", remarking on the role's similarity to many other roles he had done since he was 12. He explained that he had said to the directors: "'What kind of voice do you guys want me to do?' And they just looked at me like I was an idiot and said, 'Just do what you do. Just talk.'"[60]

Commenting on the casting of Goodwin, Moore said that she brought "very centered sweetness, tremendous heart and a great sense of humor"; he described Judy as "a little Pollyanna mixed with Furiosa". Goodwin stated about her character: "People mistake kindness for naivete or stupidity, and she is a good girl through and through. But she's not a dumb bunny."[60]

Soundtrack

The film's score is composed by Michael Giacchino. It marks his first feature-length project for Walt Disney Animation Studios,[61] as he previously scored the Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, the two Prep & Landing specials and short film, and the short film The Ballad of Nessie, as well as multiple Pixar films. In addition to her voice role of Gazelle, pop star Shakira also contributed an original song to the film titled "Try Everything", which was written by Sia and Stargate.[21][62] The film's score was recorded by an 80-piece orchestra in November 2015, with Tim Simonec conducting.[63] The soundtrack was released on March 4, 2016 by Walt Disney Records.[64][65]

Release

Release and alternative titles

Zootopia was released in Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D, making it the first Disney animated film shown in domestic IMAX theatres since Treasure Planet (2002).[9][10] It has been shown for the first time to the public as a feature film in the international competition for a young audience during the Brussels Animation Film Festival on February 7, 2016.[66][67]

The film was retitled for theatrical release across several international territories. In the United Kingdom and other European, Middle Eastern, and North African countries, the film was renamed Zootropolis, a reference to the concept of a "metropolis" rather than to that of a "utopia".[68][69][70] This was due to Disney being unable to trademark the name "Zootopia" in these territories for various legal reasons, including Danish Givskud Zoo registering the name Zootopia in 2014.[71] In China, the state's SAPPRFT granted the film a rare two-week extension to play in theaters in addition to its limited 30-day run, which was to have ended on April 3.[72] In Germany, the film was titled Zoomania due to a children's book by German author Kay Fischer titled Zootopolis released in 2010.[73][74]

Marketing

The first teaser trailer was released online at Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page on June 11, 2015.[75] A second teaser trailer was released online again at Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page on November 23, 2015, featuring a sequence of the film where the main characters encounter a Department of Mammal Vehicles (based on the DMV) run entirely by sloths.[76] The official theatrical trailer for the film was released online at Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube page on New Year's Eve 2015.[77] Figures of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were released for Disney Infinity 3.0 on March 1, 2016.[78]

Home media

Zootopia was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and Digital HD platforms on June 7, 2016. It includes some bonus material such as "Scoretopia", an alternate opening, and the music video to Shakira's "Try Everything".[79] The film debuted at the top of the home media sales chart for the week ending on June 12, 2016.[80] In India, the satellite rights were sold to Star Movies.

Re-release

On June 22, 2020, amid the reopening of movie theaters due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Disney announced that Zootopia, along with 11 other Disney owned movies were to return to US theaters during a 4-week period. Zootopia returned to US theaters from June 26 and played through July 2, 2020 alongside The Avengers (2012), and The Greatest Showman. [81] The film grossed a total of $393,600 and was the top film in theaters during its US re-release.

Weeks later, on July 20, 2020, it was confirmed that the film would be returning to theaters in China, along with Big Hero 6 and the Chinese debut of Sonic The Hedgehog on July 31, 2020. [82]

Reception

Box office

Zootopia grossed $341.3 million in the U.S. and Canada and $682.5 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.024 billion, against a budget of $150 million.[4][5] On March 18, 2016, the film reached the $500 million mark, becoming the third consecutive Walt Disney Animation Studios film to reach the milestone after Frozen (2013) and Big Hero 6 (2014).[83][84] On April 5, it became the first film of 2016 to gross over $800 million in ticket sales,[85] and on April 24, became the first ever film of 2016 to cross $900 million.[86] On June 5, the film crossed the $1 billion mark, becoming the second film of 2016 to do so (after the studio's own Captain America: Civil War), the fourth animated film (after Toy Story 3, Frozen, and Minions), the eleventh Disney film (third Disney animated film), and the twenty-sixth film overall to reach the milestone.[87]

Worldwide, it was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2016 (behind Civil War, Rogue One, and Finding Dory),[88] the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2016,[88] the second-highest-grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios film (second-highest overall) of all time in its original release (after Frozen),[85] the second-highest-grossing original film (behind Avatar),[89] the fifth-highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the 44th-highest-grossing film of all time. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $294.9 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the fifth-most profitable release of 2016.[90]

United States and Canada

In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would open to $60–70 million from 3,827 theaters in its opening weekend.[91][92] It played in 3,100 3D theaters, 365 IMAX theaters, and 325 premium large format screens.[91] It earned $1.7 million from Thursday previews, a record for a non-Pixar Disney animated film,[93] for an animated film opening outside of summer,[94] and seventh-biggest all time for an animated film.[95] Buoyed by good word of mouth, it earned $19.5 million on its opening day, also a record for a non-Pixar Disney animated film (breaking Frozen's record),[93] and the second-biggest for a March animated film (behind Ice Age: The Meltdown).[96] In its opening weekend, it scored a better than expected $75.1 million, which was the biggest non-Pixar Disney animated opening (breaking Big Hero 6's record), the biggest opening weekend among Walt Disney Animation Studios films (breaking Frozen's record), the biggest March animated opening (breaking The Lorax's record), the seventh-biggest March opening, and the tenth-biggest animated opening of all time.[97][98][99] Furthermore, its opening weekend is also the fourth-biggest for an original film, behind The Secret Life of Pets, Inside Out, and Avatar.[100][101] It also performed exceptionally well in IMAX, where the film brought in $5.2 million from 366 screens, the second-best animated IMAX opening behind only Toy Story 3 ($8.4 million).[98]

In its second weekend, it fell gradually by 31% to $51.3 million and recorded one of the best holds for an animated film, more or less on par with Wreck-It Ralph's second weekend drop of 32%, but a bigger drop than The Lego Movie's 27%.[102] It continued to top the box office for the third weekend, earning $37.2 million, falling by 28% from its previous weekend while passing the $200 million mark.[103] This made it the second-biggest third weekend for a film that did not open at over $100 million, behind Avatar ($68 million) and ahead of Skyfall ($35 million).[104] The film was overtaken by the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in its fourth weekend, despite only a marginal decline.[105] It spent a total of 13 consecutive weeks in the top ten, more than any other film except for Avatar (14 weeks) and Frozen (16 weeks) over the last decade.[89]

It ended its theatrical run on August 4, 2016, after playing in theaters for a total of 154 days.[5] It became the second-highest-grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios film (behind Frozen),[106] the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2016,[107] and the tenth-highest-grossing animated film of all time.[108] In June 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing most theaters worldwide and limiting what films played, Zootopia returned to 280 theaters (mostly drive-ins) and grossed $393,600.[109]

Other countries

Zootopia received a scattered release as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures took advantage of school holidays in various markets. The film opened in a limited number of international markets in the weekend ending February 14, earning $4.5 million in three markets.[110] It expanded to 22 markets in its second weekend, into 36% of its total international markets, and added $31.2 million.[111] It added another $33 million in its third weekend with no new markets.[112] In its fourth weekend, it expanded to 45 countries and grossed $64.7 million, coming in second place at the international box office, behind the Chinese film Ip Man 3.[113] $3.3 million came from IMAX showings.[113] It finally topped the box office in its fifth weekend after a strong second-weekend gross in China. It added $89.3 million from 45 countries, an increase of 25% from its previous weekend.[114] It remained in first place for the second time in its sixth weekend,[115] before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took the top spot.[116] It passed the $500 million mark in its eighth weekend.[117]

In its opening weekend—which varied between markets—the film grossed $3.1 million in Spain and an additional $1.7 million in Belgium and Denmark. In Belgium, it had the biggest ever animated opening for a Disney or Pixar film.[110] It broke opening records for a non-Pixar Disney animated film in China ($23.6 million), France ($8.1 million), Russia ($7.8 million), Germany ($6.6 million), Hong Kong ($1.5 million), Poland ($1.2 million), and India.[111][113][116][118] It opened in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $7.5 million, Mexico with $4.6 million, Australia with $3.2 million, Brazil with $2.6 million, and in Italy, on a non-holiday weekend with $3.1 million.[111][115][116] The film had number-one openings in Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, and South Africa.[113] In the UK and Ireland, with significant competition from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the animated family film Kung Fu Panda 3, the film had a £5.31 million ($7.6 million) opening weekend from 579 theaters, including £1.74 million ($2.5 million) worth of previews, debuting in second place behind Dawn of Justice and falling just short of Walt Disney Animation Studios' best opening in the UK.[119][120] It fell just 24% in its second weekend.[121]

Zootopia's largest markets overseas are China ($235.6 million), followed by Japan ($70.1 million), Russia and the CIS ($39.2 million), Germany ($34.2 million), the UK ($34.2 million), France ($31.9 million), and South Korea ($31.6 million).[122][123][124] In China, it is the highest-grossing Disney film in local currency (¥1.530 billion), surpassing Avengers: Age of Ultron (¥1.464 billion), as well as the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time.[125][126] In Russia, it is the second-highest-grossing film of all time in local currency (₽2.3 billion), behind only Avatar (₽3.6 billion).[127] It topped the Russian and German box office for three weekends,[128][129] and the Chinese and Korean box office for two weekends.[130][131]

In China, where it was locally known as Crazy Animal City (疯狂动物城),[70] the film exceeded expectations[132] and was considered Hollywood's biggest breakout success in China since 2015's Jurassic World made $229 million.[133] It had an opening day of $3.4 million on its way to $23.6 million for its three-day opening weekend, debuting in second place and scoring the biggest non-sequel animated opening, as well as the second-biggest three-day opening and IMAX opening for an animated film, behind Kung Fu Panda 3.[113] In its ninth day of release (a Saturday), it recorded the biggest single-day gross ever for an animated film, with $25 million (compared to $10.6 million on its first Saturday), and passed the lifetime total of Big Hero 6 to become the highest-grossing Disney animated film in China.[134][135] In its second weekend, it grossed $60 million,[136] an enormous increase of 139% from its previous weekend, and crossed the $100 million mark to become the third animated film in China to do so, after Kung Fu Panda 3 and Monkey King: Hero Is Back. This also marked the single best weekend for an animated film.[114] In mid-March, the combined total of Kung Fu Panda 3 and Zootopia alone broke 2014's record of $286 million in box office grosses for American animated features in China.[137] In its third weekend, it grossed $40 million for a total of $175 million, making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China.[138] On March 27, its seventeenth day of release, it passed the $200 million mark, becoming the first animated film, the second Disney film, and the sixth Hollywood film overall to pass that milestone.[116] It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film of 2016, behind only The Mermaid.[139]

It opened in Japan on April 23[140] and earned $4 million in its opening weekend, debuting at second place in the box office, behind Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare,[141][142] and had the third-biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios debut in that market, behind Frozen and Big Hero 6.[86] Deadline.com pointed out that the average opening number might have been due to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which could have affected moviegoers.[86] In a rare achievement, it topped the box office in its third weekend after two weeks at No. 2.[143] In the following two weekends, it continued to increase its ticket sales,[144] and topped the box office there for four consecutive weekends.[145][146] After four straight wins, it was finally overtaken by the R-rated superhero film Deadpool.[147] It was the No. 1 western/Hollywood film for eight consecutive weekends.[148] The Hollywood Reporter cited that strong word of mouth, audiences watching both the English and Japanese versions, and 3D and 4DX screenings, as well as a popular Japanese version of the "Try Everything" song by Dream Ami, all helped boost Zootopia's performance.[145] Its strong run in the market aided the film to propel past the $1 billion mark worldwide.[149] It remained in top three for 11 consecutive weekends and has grossed a total of $70.1 million there.[150][151][152]

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 290 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 8.08/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "The brilliantly well-rounded Zootopia offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation—all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained."[11] It was the site's second-highest-rated film of 2016 behind Moonlight.[153] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[154] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[155][93]

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times considered the movie "funny, smart, [and] thought-provoking".[156] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that Zootopia "may be the most subversive movie of" 2016, giving the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and praising its timely message about the harm of prejudice in the face of the prevailing xenophobic political rhetoric at the time of the film's release, and the film's humor.[12] Peter Debruge at Variety opined that Zootopia "plays directly to the studio's strength".[157] IGN reviewer Eric Goldman gave the film a 9.0 out of 10 'Amazing' score, saying "Zootopia is a wonderful example of how Disney, at its best, can mix its past and present together in a very cool, compelling way. It takes the classic animation trope of animals walking, talking and acting like humans, but gives it a modern spin both in terms of its humor and animation style ... and also in its themes, which are meaningful and fascinatingly topical."[158]

Writing in British Sunday newspaper The Observer, reviewer Mark Kermode:

Very funny, and very likable holiday treat... The ensuing drama is nominally a tale of predators succumbing to their animal instincts while frightened prey fear their neighbours. In fact, it's a delightfully well-orchestrated parable about trust and tolerance versus panic and prejudice. An encouragingly upbeat celebration of love and diversity in times of hate and uncertainty. If that all sounds overly on-message, then fear not—the jokes are funny, the characters engaging, and the animation packed with delicious visual detail... this is proper family fun with genuine cross-generational appeal. Hooray![159]

In the UK daily newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Robbie Collin noted, "The lion doesn't just lie down with the lamb, they run for City Hall on a joint ticket. It's the diversity dream come true. Or is it? […] Think Busytown by way of Chinatown. It's almost certain to be the most existentially probing talking animal cartoon of the year." Collin added, "Like Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs., albeit considerably cuter, Judy and Nick make a hilariously strained but effective double act – not least thanks to Goodwin and Bateman's tremendous vocal work, which trips along with the effortless swing and snap of great bebop."[160]

Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com, despite generally liking the film (three out of four stars), had trouble with the film's central metaphor that conflicted with its message:

Zootopia is constantly asking its characters to look past species stereotypes, and not use species-ist language or repeat hurtful assumptions. This all seems clever and noble until you realize that all the stereotypes about various animals are to some extent true, in particular the most basic one carnivores eat herbivores because it's in their nature. if Zootopia were a bit vaguer, or perhaps dumber and less pleased with itself, it might have been a classic, albeit of a very different, less reputable sort. As-is, it's a goodhearted, handsomely executed film that doesn't add up in the way it wants to.[161]

Also in The Daily Telegraph, Rosa Prince singled out the film's lead character, Judy Hopps, as a welcome change for Disney animated feature film heroines, such as the Disney Princess franchise. She found that unlike those characters' focus on romance or family loyalty, Hopps' focus is on her dream career as a police officer and serving her city.[162]

Some were critically divided of the message about universal prejudices of all sorts interpreted as an allegory of American racism. Nico Lang of Consequence of Sound felt that Disney delivered a kids' version of Crash,[163] yet others criticized the use of prey and predator species in the "allegory"[164][165][166] while critics at The Root stated positively that the movie acknowledges culpability of systemic racism and white supremacy behind the controversial War on Drugs).[167]

Accolades

The film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2016,[168] and won the Academy Award,[169] Golden Globe, Critics Choice Movie Award and Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film (which eventually lost to the aforementioned Kubo).[170][171]

Lawsuit

On March 21, 2017, a copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Disney by Esplanade Productions, a company owned by Gary L. Goldman, the co-screenwriter of Total Recall. The lawsuit claims that Goldman (in 2000 and 2009) pitched a concept to Disney for a live-action film titled Looney, which was about a socially awkward animator who creates a self-inspired TV cartoon called Zootopia. Disney twice rejected the pitch, but Goldman accused the company of copying the name, themes, settings, and character tropes. Filed with the lawsuit was a graphic of early concept artwork of characters that are claimed to appear similar to major characters from the film, including Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Flash, and Chief Bogo. A Disney spokesperson described the lawsuit as being "ridden with patently false allegations".[172] After months of back-and-forth deliberation between the two parties, US. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald dismissed the infringement claims on November 8, 2017. As stated in the final review, "Goldman's effort to make the plots of Looney and Zootopia seem similar were strained. All the purported similarities between the two works were themes, not plot points or sequences of events, that were too general to be protected by copyright law."[173][174]

Merchandise

A card game based on the film called Zootopia: Suspect Search was released,[175] as well as a game for mobile phones titled Zootopia Crime Files.[176]

In May 2018, it was announced that a Zootopia graphic novel is set to be published by Dark Horse Comics. The graphic novel, titled Disney Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue, was written by Jimmy Gownley, with art by Leandro Ricardo da Silva. It was released on September 25, 2018.[177]

Theme park attractions

On January 22, 2019, Disney Parks announced a themed area based on Zootopia was to be coming to Shanghai Disneyland Park, with construction on the land beginning on December 9, 2019.[178] Construction halted for a brief period during the COVID-19 pandemic, but by June 2020, construction had resumed.[179]

Future

In June 2016, Howard and Moore were in talks about the possibility of a Zootopia sequel.[180][181][182]

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