The two stars of Zootopia have been portrayed as human beings in new artwork and they look shockingly good. The original film was released in 2016 and followed rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) in a classic detective adventure. It was incredibly popular, earning over $1 billion on a budget of just $150 million. Zootopia it also received rave reviews, which praised its characters, its world, and its excellent sense of humor. A sequel is currently in development.
Although Judy and Nick are supposed to be animals, a new artwork depicts the two as humans. In the art created by ilanast on Instagram, both characters are completely transformed to a surprisingly realistic degree. Check it out below:
In the art, the characters are drawn in classic Disney style. Judy has flushed cheeks and an officer’s uniform, while Nick is a young redhead in a shirt and tie. Both are apparently wearing their on-screen ears as headbandswhich are hidden by the hair. The art is colorful and Nick appears to be portrayed as a more realistic version of the character than Judy.
Would a human zootopia work?
The objective of the franchise lies in its anthropomorphic animals
Zootopia is best known for featuring non-human characters in human situations. Both main characters act as police officers in a typical city, which only has aesthetic differences to cater to the more animal-like citizens. The city is so human that it has a mayor, employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles and even traffic police. It’s easy to imagine redirecting the narrative of films to star humans, and it wouldn’t require much change. Unfortunately, it would be just another cop movie.
Zootopia 2 It will likely be released on November 26, 2025.
There are some major differences from reality, however, and reversing them would create a much darker tone. Characters are judged by their status as predator or prey. Prey are expected to serve as farmers or secretaries, while predators take on roles such as officials and construction workers. These are links to reality, as discrimination is a metaphor for racism. The metaphor should be explored further, as the first film was successful enough to Zootopia 2 is currently under development. It is likely to create other differences that are more easily addressed through the animal metaphor.
Our opinion on the representation of human zootopia
The art updates the franchise
Without animals, the franchise would simply be another procedure. This would eliminate the most appealing elements of the franchise, as the anthropomorphic characters are more than enough to make younger viewers more interested in the films. If the original was about humans, it would take away some of the magic. Just as Disney’s upcoming live-action remakes risk losing audiences by changing the core animation, the same could be true here. Zootopia It works because it’s about animals. It would be a mistake to change that.
Source: ilanast / Instagram