D23 Expo 2013: Disney Reveals Super Secret Project “Zootopia” For 2016 Release

The Disney Animation Studio panel announced that they were going to release a project called Zootopia. From Tangled director Bryan Howard and writer Jared Bush, the film will focus on a long forgotten animation trope: animals acting like humans. In Zootopia, these characters are like humans, dress like humans, but take on the characteristics of their animal roots. For instance, a wildabeast is dumb, while a fox is smart, and a rabbit is fast, and so on and so forth. The film will take on a buddy action flick with a fox like character with a rabbit. Hit the jump for more.

So far the plot of the film will involve the conflict of two kinds of animals: “flat teeth” vs s”harp teeth.” Flat teeth are herbivores, and the sharp teeth are carnivores. Nick Wilde, a fox, and Lt. Judy Hopps, a rabbit, begin as natural enemies who evolve into friends by the end of the story.

During the panel, we learn that each animals’ habit will represent a major city of some sort. This will give the animated film a realistic feel to it and give the animals more of a humanistic qualities. What seperates this film from very other animated animal film is that these animals would have built their own structures. It’s basically a modern world as if built by animals.

So bullet trains look take the shape of the body of a rabbit, icy mountains are actually massive ski resorts, and palm trees are beach-esque getaways. All of it will have to work in the realm of the animal world.

For instance, a cat would not want to be in Little Rodencha, which is an area specifically built for rodents.

It’s a bit too early to tell how audiences will react to this film, but judging by their applause to stills and production art, it may go over well with them.