I think someone that doesn’t like Zootopia may actually like the Art of Zootopia.  It is so great. It gives you such a clear image of the attention to detail that went into the film that it is so fascinating. Details like vending machines and buildings that are briefly seen are incredible in addition to all the major set pieces getting fleshed out. It’s my favorite movie of the year and one of my favorite art books.

It starts with an introduction from John Lasseter where he shares his excitement for the all-animal world “I challenged the filmmakers to imagine Zootopia as a world that is truly and uniquely animal, where there are no people and mammals have evolved to human levels of intelligence.  For inspiration I encouraged them to dive deeply into research on animals and their habitats”. His happiness with the finished product is evident “I believe the cleverness and fun add up to make Zootopia one of the most entertaining films we’ve ever made.  At its heart, it’s pure Disney.  But it’s also unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in animation”

Next you have a foreward from Byron Howard and Rich Moore.  They talk about how they changed their vision from a futuristic tone to more natural in feeling. “But through our research we came to understand that cities are a reflection of their inhabitants’ history and lifestyles, and that Zootopia had to evolve as a human city does. It had to haave layers built up over time to make it feel like a place that truly exists”

Then we take a world building approach to the rest of the book. We get to see the thought that went into each of the burrows and learn about little details we might have missed. What I loved is seeing details like this page on Koslov’s Palace a place I don’t think even made it in the movie, or if did it’s brief. They even have the borscht served designed!

You also get layouts on the lead characters and see their evolution.

And I loved learning more about side characters like all the planning behind the 2 polar bear guards of the shrew.

There are great design details that didn’t make it into the film like an amusement park of sorts.

It’s details like these that make The Art of Zootopia a great find and one you should put in your collection. It’s got enough reading to be informative and the artwork to dazzle.

If any of you pick up the Art of Zootopia let me know what you think.