Disney’s most beloved conurbation of Zootropolis, where “Anyone can be anything”, and its diverse array of mammalian inhabitants are coming back next year! Disney has recently announced that its characters from our favourite megacity will début on a brand-new upcoming TV show, titled “Zootropolis +” on their streaming platform, Disney+ in 2022!
The original film ‘Zootropolis’ (known as ‘Zootopia’ outside of the UK & Ireland) released in 2016, was one of Disney’s biggest hits earning a revenue grossing over $1 billion (£730 million) worldwide at the Box Office as well as winning a host of awards such as the Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars and a plethora of other accolades.
Confirmed by Disney’s Chief Creative Officer, Jennifer Lee, Zootropolis is one of the 4 popular movies (‘Baymax! from Big Hero 6’, ‘Moana’ & ‘Tiana’) which are receiving Disney+ TV series and content offshoots, revealed on Walt Disney’s Investor Day last December according to The Wrap. It is set to premiere in the Spring of 2022 along with ‘Baymax!’ and ‘Tiana’, as well as ‘Moana’ in 2023 on Disney’s streaming service, DisneyPlus.
The brand-new series is based upon the original Zootropolis, and offers to delve deeper, into the lives of the movie’s fascinating minor characters inclusive of everyone’s favourite sloth employee from the DMV (Department of Mammal Vehicles), Flash (Raymond S. Persi), the newly-wed lovable arctic shrew, Fru Fru, and Gazelle’s talented tiger dancers as well as the driven bunny, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), and the erstwhile comedic con-artist - but ultimately altruistic red-fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). It will be directed by Animator Trent Correy and Writer Josie Trinidad respectively, promising viewers the endless possibilities and all-new perspectives when returning to the bustling modern metropolis and its distinct districts of ecosystems.
Co-director Byron Howard stated that “The fan response is a huge help for that kind of thing [...] And it’s nice that there’s this potential for it to get bigger,”, and some fan / viewer responses interviewed recently clearly reflect this :
Ben Luca Atassi Quinton from London conveyed that; “It [Zootropolis] was a great movie! I think a spin-off series would most certainly be welcomed and I am definitely excited!”.
Another London citizen, Sayanen Sawmynaden passionately expressed, “It [Zootropolis] has an amazing concept and I especially enjoyed the humour. I believe that this has the potential to be a hit. My favourite character is definitely Flash the Sloth!”
And indeed the spin-off show will be exploring the mammalian metropolis through new eyes; including the likes of Flash the Sloth, not to mention together with Little Rodentia resident, Fru Fru and Gazelle’s tiger choreography accompanists!
In fact, the movie was such a success that Disneyland Shanghai in China, announced plans and are currently in construction of a Zootropolis-themed attraction. It will be the first of its kind in any resort, where "Anyone can be anything!", allowing visitors to immerse themselves amongst “story-telling & state-of-the art technologies in order to bring its characters to life” (Blog Mickey) in a place where Shakira's “Try Everything!” has a whole new meaning! Images of realistic digital visualisations confirm the iconic Zootropolis skyline present, with people enjoying "pawpsicles" and children mingling with life-size movie mascots!
Despite Zootropolis currently being Disney’s 2016’s highest grossing film and 7th largest up to date, in addition with ranking as the 3rd highest grossing film worldwide that same year, Zootropolis currently remains a stand-alone franchise. Voice Actor of the endearing but tough Fennec Fox, Finnick (Tommy Lister Jr.), confirmed during a publicity fan greet & meet event via Blog Mickey, that it may not be the case for long, and that audiences could even have to make double the room:
“I can tell you for sure I’m doing another Zootopia with Disney. We’re doing 3 of them [...] There were 3 Madagascars. We’re gonna’ replace that [...] We’re the biggest film that Disney is producing. The last one was $240 million. This one, I’m hearing will be $300 million. That’s what they spent on the budget, not the advertising; but the movie made $2.6 billion with merchandising and the Box Office,”
It is crucial to note that this information is not directly stated from Walt Disney Animation Studios, and the video of him claiming this was almost immediately taken down from social media - presumably due to the fact that this was not allowed to be disclosed or it is not even true at all. However, directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore had also previously said they would be open to the idea of additional films and a spin-off series (which we know we are getting). Furthermore, fans don’t share dissimilar views either and are rather optimistic, with fans elaborating:
“I think a sequel would be spectacular! I would definitely watch it!” & “A sequel would be fantastic only if it lives up to first!” further assert Sayanen Sawmynaden and Ben Luca Atassi Quinton, respectively; so just perhaps an even greater stampede could be heading our way.
With the possibility of 2 sequels, the coming of a full-fledged Zootropolis Theme Park, and the official 'Wilde' Disney+ series arriving next year which is equally bound to be just as ‘Hot’ as Sahara Square and ‘Cool’ as Tundratown, Judy Hopps must better 'hop' to it!
