The Disney animation team has shown us wonderful worlds filled with fun and unlikely friendships between seemingly different characters. With great ensembles in movies like Cars, the Toy Story franchise, and Wall-E, Disney can make us empathize with characters we’d usually be unlikely to follow. In 2016 Zootopia is releasing yet another ensemble movie about the world of Zootopia, where animals do the same jobs humans would in a futuristic world. From the trailer alone we can tell this film is going to be one of the best of the year.

DISNEY'S ZOOTOPIA

The Animals are Back in Disney Zootopia

The first trailer for Zootopia was released in June of this year, and reveals that Zootopia takes place in a world without humans, although the animals dress and behave the way humans would. This alternate universe that Disney presents is bound to be one of their most entertaining yet. Zootopia is the story of a fox and a rabbit (an unlikely pair in our world), working together to solve crime in Zootopia with the help of their friends: a rhino, a sloth, otter, cheetah, and many more. This animated film is going to be one of the most exciting films of 2016, and it’s highly likely you’re favorite animal will make an appearance at some point.

Lets Talk Zootopia

In an interview with Zootopia’s Producer Clark Spencer and Directors Rich Moore & Byron Howard we talk all things #Zootopia. Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore both have Oscar®-nominated films: Howard directed Disney’s 2008 feature “Bolt,” and Moore directed 2012’s arcade-game-hopping adventure “Wreck-It Ralph,” which was produced by “Zootopia” producer Clark Spencer.

You mentioned you wanted to go back into the Animal World, but how exactly did this type of story come about?

Byron Howard After intense study of animals and visiting with John Lassiter we were going to do a talking animal movie, it should be all, be animals for animals not just people in animal costumes, kind of acting like humans. It should really come from how animals relate to one another, and especially Predator and Prey.

Zootopia Mr Big
MR. BIG — The most fearsome crime boss in Tundratown, Mr. Big commands respect—and when he feels disrespected, bad things happen. A small mammal with a big personality, Mr. Big is voiced by Maurice La Marche. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia” opens in U.S. theaters on March 4, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

In the newest trailer, the scene with the Godfather, Mr. Big, has Francis Ford Coppola seen it?

Byron HowardYes, he’s seen it. It is a parody from that standpoint, but we’re always hopeful that when people watch that and know that we’re having fun.

Is there big theme that you guys are touching on this film and what kind of take aways do you have that you want families to get from this movie?

Byron Howard – Well I would say the big one or one for me that I really take from it is the theme, that we define ourselves. You know the world may have an opinion of us but it is up to you to define who you are. Because both of the lead characters Nick and Judy lived their whole lives with people and animals telling them who they should be. And struggling against those limits. It’s all threaded throughout the whole film.

You’ll see, as great as the City is, it has a lot of barriers that Judy runs into because of her size, because of where she comes from, because of what people believe she knows or believe she’s capable of and to see her overcome that is really the journey of the movie. And it’s like will that idealism and that determination to survive, and I think as we’ve shown the film around the world, I think that’s what people really seem to key in on with Judy and that’s why that’s why Jennifer did such a great job in bringing that to life.

NATURAL ENEMIES — Zootopia's first bunny officer Judy Hopps finds herself face to face with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox in Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Zootopia." Featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy and Jason Bateman as Nick, "Zootopia" opens in theaters on March 4, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
NATURAL ENEMIES — Zootopia’s first bunny officer Judy Hopps finds herself face to face with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia.” Featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy and Jason Bateman as Nick, “Zootopia” opens in theaters on March 4, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Rich Moore – Sometimes films are very clear, there’s just this one message and it’s very clear what that is. With this idea of don’t let the world define you, it can be interpreted in so many ways and I think that’s been the amazing thing for us to watch with the Audiences, is that people talk about is it about Stereotype or Bias? Is it about letting yourself be defined? Is it about being determined? Judy’s a very determined character? Is it about a woman trying to show that she can do something? Is about somebody who’s small and saying I can do something even though you see me as a small character, I can big too.

All these things come from your own personal point of view as to what you yourself may have experience and I think that is kind of a surprise for us to see how people are interpreting all this one idea in different ways depending upon what their, um, own experience is and it’s been really fantastic to hear back from Audiences all over.

These three guys are extrodnary when it come to creating and make movies. I have hopes for Zootopia when it hits theaters March of this year.

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