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Zootopia- the Early Concepts

Zootopia (also known as Zootropolis) is an animated 3D movie from Disney Animation Studios, released in 2016. It’s a classic buddy-cop style film, focusing on the team of police bunny (Judy Hopps, voiced by  Ginnifer Goodwin) and a con-artist fox (Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman) as they attempt to uncover a conspiracy on their island that is linked to the disappearance of predators. Praised by fans and critics alike, Zootopia is held as one of the hallmarks of Disney’s modern animation. 

However, Zootopia went through numerous iterations before it settled on the final film that was released. Initially conceived as a spy film, centered on a wolf named “Jack Savage”, it was then shifted to a police procedural with Nick Wilde in the lead with Hopps as his sidekick. Close to the end of production, the team reversed the film’s role and re-drafted the screenplay, and in late 2014 Zootopia was born. In the middle iteration, many of the subtleties the final film is praised for were not present, and the predator/prey interactions were much more obvious, with predators wearing control collars.