Having just hit the $1 billion mark at the box office, Disney’s Zootopia is by far the most successful animated movie of 2016. While it may face competition on that front once Pixar’s Finding Dory hits theaters soon, it’s still a major hit for the studio. Not only that, Zootopia was also very well-received critically along with being loved by audiences. It featured stellar animation, a wonderful voice cast and an original concept that has potential for sequels.
Byron Howard and Rich Moore, the directors of Zootopia, recently spoke to Collider about what is like to make an animated film on this big of a scale. The directors also discussed their shock at the overwhelmingly strong reception the film received. Because it is an entirely original piece, its level of success after hitting theaters can always be risky.
MOORE: I don’t know. Not this. This is a boon. This is just, ‘Oh, my god!’ To me, I just take it as people loved the characters and the world. As an artist, it feels good that we’ve created something that is connecting with the audience, which is what we always strive to do. The box office numbers just helps for down the line for our studio, or if there’s other adventures in this world. I’m just blown away by it. I’m still trying to process it.
The directors would also get praise from fans on social media. Moore said that “people will send a photo of all of their ticket stubs.” So, there’s no denying moviegoers truly fell in love with the animated tale. This being said, it may help nudge Disney in the right direction. Just in the various sections in the city of Zootopia that we saw are interesting enough for exploration. There was a plethora of different species and personalities, all of which were deeply designed and thought out.
HOWARD: There are so many ways you could go. It’s interesting to see, especially with Disney, once you finish one of these films, if it does land in a big way, it becomes so much bigger than us. It takes on a life of its own. A nice thing about being at Disney is that these movies can develop into a presence in theme parks and become something real, or maybe get a sequel, or tell other stories. The film is only 90 minutes long, and we only could fit so much in the film. There were so many environments we talked about, and animals we talked about. The fact that there are no reptiles or birds in the film was something we talked about.
Because of its massive success, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that Disney may want to try and make a sequel work. And judging by the comments just made by Howard and Moore, they are very well-versed in the material. There’s a lot of room for expansion in the delightful animal world that they have created. Now, the only unfortunate part of this situation is the waiting. Hopefully more information about what’s going to happen next for the film will be unveiled soon.
Zootopia is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere
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