Created By: Trent Correy, Josie Trinidad
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idris Elba, Bonnie Hunt, Maurice LaMarche, Alan Tudyk
Plot Summary: “Zootopia+” heads back to the fast-paced mammal metropolis of Zootopia in a short-form series that dives deeper into the lives of some of the Oscar®-winning feature film’s most intriguing residents, including Fru Fru, the fashion-forward arctic shrew, ZPD dispatcher Clawhauser, the sweet-toothed cheetah; and Flash, the smiling sloth who’s full of surprises. The series is directed by Josie Trinidad (Co-Head of Story, “Zootopia”; Head of Story, “Ralph Breaks the Internet”) and Trent Correy (Director, “Once Upon a Snowman” and “Drop”), and produced by Nathan Curtis. “Zootopia+” makes its Disney+ premiere on November 9, 2022.
Zootopia is an incredible film with a top-tier narrative, voice acting, and animation, so you could imagine how excited I was when it was announced that a series was coming to Disney+. Sure, I was disappointed that the series is done in a short-format, but any more time spent in the Zootopia world is enough for me.
The first episode is entitled, “Hopp on Board,” and surprisingly starts with a scene from the movie (when Judy leaves her small town to go to Zootopia). However, we see that Baby Molly snuck onto the top of the train with Judy’s parents making a dash to rescue her. “Hopp on Board” is a nicely rendered, break-neck chase sequence that thankfully never becomes one-note. Not only is this very exciting to watch, but it also manages to fit in a lot of great gags not to mention some familiar Zootopia faces make cameos. One of the best jokes was instead of Siri, this world uses Deeri, and seeing creators use word and world play is very entertaining and funny. The characters of Bonnie Hopps and her husband, Stu, were always underrated in the film, so it was nice to see them pop, or rather, hop up in this first episode.
Episode two launches right into Real Housewives parody entitled, “The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia,” which stars Fru Fru (Leah Latham) and her friends as she plans her wedding. This of course intersects nicely with the events of the film. In fact, towards the end we see what Fru Fru was doing just before her rescue by Judy Hopps. Then, this near-death experience is folded nicely into the end of the episode. Since it’s Disney, we get a sappy message. Fans of trashy reality shows will truly get a kick out of this hilarious send-up.
The third episode is a musical. Yes, you read that right. After getting arrested (which happens in Zootopia the film), Duke Weasleton starts to ponder what exactly he wants to do with his life. The only way he can truly express this is through the art of song. The musical number almost acts as a meta-joke about Disney building their brand upon them. We also saw this done in Ralph Breaks the Internet. The song is, unfortunately, not catchy at all even though it’s very endearing. What saves it is the central character, Duke. Exploring this one-off baddie from the film in such a wonderfully absurd way is exciting and fun.
What may be my favorite episode is entitled, “The Godfather of the Bride,” which as the title suggests is a parody of the legendary Coppola film, The Godfather. Taking cues from The Godfather Part 2, this segment sees everyone’s favorite rodent mafia boss, Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche), recounting coming to Zootopia, his life struggles, and how family helped him thrive. This is such a spot-on parody. The show writers nail everything from the visual style of Coppola’s films with its desaturation color palate to the overall tone. Of course, there is an overall playful bend to it because it is a kid’s program. The message of family may be a cliched one, but it is delivered nicely.
The penultimate episode is entitled, “So You Think You Can Prance?” Outside of the sloths, this features probably one of the most beloved citizens of Zootopia, the loveable Clawhauser (Nate Torrence). Featuring him in this series is a no-brainer. Here we get Clawhauser auditioning for “So You Think You Can Prance?” an overt parody of So You Think You Can Dance? Fueled by glitter and yassified within an inch of its life, this is truly a highlight in a stellar series. Like the other episodes, this is a high energy and fun short, but it has a nice message thrown in. Nate Torrence reprises his role and brings the joy and charisma that made us all fall in love with Clawhauser. Idris Elba also returns as Bogo and, of course, knocks it out of the park. Can we just get a Clawhauser spinoff series, please and thank you!
The final episode, entitled, “Dinner Rush,” sees waitstaff, Sam (Charlotte Nicdao), trying to end her shift before a big concert. Only, at the last minute, the two sloths, Flash (Raymond S. Persi) and his date, walk in. The sloths are by far a fan favorite of the film, so it feels correct that they cap off this series. We have a very simple sitcom level situation occur; in this case, needing to serve two sloths with enough time to get to a concert, but the showrunners elevate this trope with some very funny visual gags, easter eggs, and a finale that is oh, so satisfying. The icing on the cake being learning something new about our favorite Zootopia pal, Flash.
Overall, Zootopia+ has so much going for it. The up-beat, minimalistic series intro harkens back to old school animation and lean storytelling. The writers only have less than 10 minutes to tell a full story that feels in line with the film, and that is exactly what fans get. During the Zootopia+ press conference, the showrunners discussed wanting to let smaller characters have their moment to shine which is a fun and interesting concept. The voice acting, writing, and worldbuilding are fantastic, and it drives excitement for a second season or, better yet, a film sequel. The only issue is six episodes doesn’t seem like enough seeing how each episode is about 7-8 minutes in length. Still, six is better than none, and what we do get is incredibly high quality. Fans of the movie will get a kick out of all the references and clever easter eggs throughout, but it’s also fine for anyone new to the Zootopia universe.
Zootopia+ is currently available to stream on Disney+.
A Fantastic Addition To The Zootopia Universe
-
GVN Rating 9
-
User Ratings (0 Votes)
0
Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.