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During Disney's Animation D23 Expo panel, John Lasseter announced a new project their animation team is working on called Zootopia. If you couldn't guess from the title the movie completely revolves around animals, and these animals live in a world where humans don't exist and have never existed.
The movie is being directed by Byron Howard (Tangled ) from a script by Jared Bush. To give you an idea of what this movie will entail, these guys were inspired by the classic Disney animated film Robin Hood. Howard wanted to make a movie with animals in clothing and he wanted to continue the legacy of Disney animal-based movies. Lasseter loved the idea so much he gave Howard a big ol' hug and told him he would support the film.
They've been working on the film now for about a year and a half, and it's described as a “buddy action comedy set in a world where humans never existed.” Over that time, they had a team of people build an incredible world built by animals, and inspired by natural real world habitats. When developing Zootopia they asked themselves, "what would animals do differently than humans would?" To capture that world the filmmakers talked to animal experts, from anthropologists, safari guides, and imagineers.
They showed some great concept art and character designs for the film which looks great! There's no doubt this film is going to be very unique and different from anything done before.
The two main characters in the film are Nick Wilde, who is a fox, and Lt. Judy Hopps, a rabbit. They begin as natural enemies, but eventually become friends, and possibly more by the end of the story. The conflict can be simplified down to “flat teeth vs sharp teeth.”
This looks like a really fun concept that should end up being another fantastically entertaining animated Disney film.
