Disney Goes Wild With ‘Zootopia’

It is rare when Disney fails to produce a box office smash. While they hit it out of the park with last summer’s “Inside Out,” they were less successful when the holidays rolled around with “The Good Dinosaur.” Disney is hoping to turn everything around with “Zootopia.”

Set in a world void of humans, animals run things from the police force to the DMV. It’s another imaginative realm from the Disney team. While the creatures are cute and the puns may be lost on kids but create big laughs for adults, the drama is what drives this tale. The story really gets going when some of the animals start returning to a more “natural” state. The police are on the case but it’s one bunny in particular named Officer Judy Hopps who thinks she can solve this mystery. Voiced by “Once Upon A Time” star Ginnifer Goodwin, she teams up with Jason Bateman‘s foxy Nick Wilde to piece things together.

Whether he’s playing an animated fox or the older brother of a family in financial distress, Bateman’s nonchalant, sometimes sarcastic tone adds a layer the older people in the crowd will enjoy. Joining Bateman and Goodwin in the cast of furry characters are latin singing sensation Shakira (she isn’t doing much of a stretch as she voices a pop star gazelle), the big SAG Award winner of 2016 Idris Elba as the head of the police Chief Bogo, Oscar winners J.K. Simmons and Octavia Spencer, as well as comedy legend Tommy Chong, “Frozen’s” Kristen Bell and Jenny Slate.

With the trailers already getting more positive buzz than “The Good Dinosaur” did when it hit theaters, it’s a safe bet that audiences are going to fill up more seats for this Disney feature than the last. Plus, it’s the first time in over a decade that Walt Disney Animation Studios will release two features. The other being “Moana” out later in 2016.

“Zootopia” opens everywhere March 4.