Movie and Film Profile: Zootopia (2016)

Zootopia premiered on February 13, 2016, at the Brussels Animation Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium. Generally released theatrically on March 4, 2016. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. A sequel, Zootopia 2, was released theatrically on November 26, 2025.

DMFE Rating: ★★★★½ (4.50 out of 5 stars)

Caution: Possible Spoilers Ahead!

In the modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia, where predators and prey coexist, Judy Hopps fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming the first rabbit police officer on the Zootopia Police Department. Despite graduating at the top of her class, she is assigned to parking duty by Chief Bogo, who doubts her abilities.

Determined to prove herself, Judy volunteers to solve the mysterious disappearance of several predator citizens. She enlists the reluctant help of sly fox con artist Nick Wilde. Their investigation leads them through various districts of the city and uncovers that the missing predators have been reverting to savage behavior due to exposure to a toxic plant known as night howlers.

The true culprit is Assistant Mayor Bellwether, who orchestrated the attacks to create fear and divide predators and prey for political gain. After exposing Bellwether’s scheme, harmony is restored to the city. Nick joins the police force as its first fox officer, becoming Judy’s official partner as they continue protecting Zootopia.

The soundtrack for Zootopia was released on March 4, 2016, digitally and on March 25, 2016, on compact disc. The film's score was composed by Michael Giacchino. In addition to the original score, the film soundtrack features an original song titled “Try Everything” performed by Shakira, written by Sia and Stargate. Additional songs from the movie include “One More Time,” written by Barrie Gledden, Peter Shand;  “Everybody Hurts,” written by Bill Berry, Michale Stipe, Peter Buck, Michael Mills and performed by R.E.M; “All By Myself,” written by Eric Carmen, Serge Rachmaninoff and performed by Eric Carmen; “Parez-vous Rap,” vocals by Daveed Diggs, Music by BloodPop, lyrics by Tom MacDougall; “Can’t Do Nuthin’ Right,” written by Tom MacDougall and performed by Madisen Ward; “Carrot Days,” “Give Me A Try” & “A Wonderful Show,” music and lyrics by Andrea Datzman; “I, Loser,” written and performed by Winston Marshall. 

At the 89th Academy Awards on February 26, 2017, Zootopia won Best Animated Feature Film - Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Clark Spencer. 

First released on home video (DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and Digital HD) on June 7, 2016. Released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and Digital Code on November 5, 2019, as an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. Re-released on Blu-ray on November 14, 2023, as part of the Disney Legacy Animated Collection. Zootopia is available on Disney+.

Starting in 2000, the American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, has recognized the top ten films and television programs of the year. In 2016, Zootopia was named one of their top ten films of the year. 

CAST & CREW

• Director(s): Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush (Co-Director)
• Producer(s): Clark Spencer, P.G.A., Monica Lago-Kaytis (Associate Producer), John Lasseter (Executive Producer), Bradford S. Simonsen (Associate Producer)
• Screenplay: Jared Bush, Phil Johnston
• Story: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee
• Cinematography: Nathan Warner
• Editor(s): Jeremy Milton, Fabienne Rawley
• Composer: Michael Giacchino
• Head of Animation: Renato dos Anjos, Tony Smeed (Co-Head)
• Animation Supervisor(s): Nathan Engelhardt, Jennifer Hager, Robert Huth, Kira Lehtomaki, Chad Sellers
• Art Director: Matthias Lechner
• Production Designer: David Goetz
• Voice Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin (voice of Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (voice of Nick Wilde), Idris Elba (voice of Chief Bogo), Jenny Slate (voice of Assistant Mayor Bellwether), Nate Torrence (voice of Clawhauser), Bonnie Hunt (voice of Bonnie Hopps), Don Lake (voice of Stu Hopps), Tommy Chong (voice of Yax), J.K. Simmons (voice of Mayor Lionheart), Octavia Spencer (voice of Mrs. Otterton), Alan Tudyk (voice of Duke Weaselton), Shakira (voice of Gazelle), Raymond S. Persi (voice of Flash), Della Saba (voice of Young Hopps), Maurice LaMarche (voice of Mr. Big), Phil Johnston (voice of Gideon Gray), Fuschia! (voice of Drill Sergeant), John DiMaggio (voice of Jerry Jumbeaux Jr.), Katie Lowes (voice of Badger Doctor), Gita Reddy (voice of Nangi), Jesse Corti (voice of Mr. Manchas), Tom Lister Jr. (voice of Finnick), Josh Dallas (voice of Frantic Pig), Leah Latham (voice of Fru Fru), Rich Moore (voice of Doug), Kath Soucie (voice of Young Nick), Peter Mansbridge (voice of Peter Moosebridge), Byron Howard (voice of Bucky Oryx-Antlerson), Jared Bush (voice of Pronk Oryx-Antkerson), Mark Rhino Smith (voice of Officer McHorn), Josie Trinidad (voice of Landlady), John Lavelle (voice of Mouse Foreman), Kristen Bell (voice of Priscilla), Evelyn Wilson Bresee (additional voices), Hewitt Bush (additional voices), Jill Cordes (additional voices), Madeleine Curry (additional voices), Terri Douglas (additional voices), Melissa Goodwin Shepherd (additional voices), Zach King (additional voices), Dave Kohut (additional voices), Jeremy Milton (additional voices), Pace Paulson (additional voices), Fabienne Rawley (additional voices), Bradford S. Simonsen (additional voices), Claire K. Smith (additional voices), Jackson Stein. (additional voices), David A. Thibodeau (additional voices), John Wheeler (additional voices), Hannah G. Williams (additional voices)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 

• MPAA Rating: PG
• Runtime: 108 minutes
• Sound: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Surround 7.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Format: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Genre(s): Adventure, Animation, Comedy (from movies.disney.com)

BOX OFFICE (from IMDb.com)

• Budget: $150,000,000 (estimated)
• Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $75,063,401
• Gross (U.S. & Canada): $341,268,248
• Gross (Worldwide): $1,025,521,689

RATINGS

• My Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (Tomatometer) | 92% (Popcornmeter)
• Metacritic: 78 (Metascore) | 8.6 (Popcornmeter)
• IMDb: 8.0 (out of 10)
• The Movie DB: 78% (User Score)
• Letterboxd: 3.8 (out of 5)
• Combined Rating: 84.75

MY THOUGHTS

Zootopia works on multiple levels. For kids, it’s a colorful buddy-cop adventure filled with humor, action, and memorable animal characters. For adults, it offers social commentary about bias and stereotypes wrapped inside an engaging mystery. It may not be the most emotionally powerful Disney film, its world-building, humor, and strong central duo make it one of Disney’s most rewatch able modern animated features. A smart, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful Disney hit that holds up well beyond its initial release.

Have you seen Zootopia? Share your thoughts in the comment section. 

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