Zootopia
He ’s the suave , impudent , and sneak fox who won the meat of a plethora of Disney fans and possibly a certain rabbit as well — he ’s the one and only , Nick Wilde . Next to his bunny girl pal , Judy Hopps , Nick is one one-half ofZootopia’sdynamic duo and the two are easily some of Disney ’s best animal characters .
But there ’s more to the tricky bozo than popsicle and Hawaiian shirts . In fact , the fox many lover cognise and love is far from the original concept during the plastic film ’s former drafts . So what was he like before he snuff it from conman to lawman ? Or even before Judy even entered the script ?
UPDATE: 2023/01/03 00:15 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS
Zootopia+hit Disney+ in 2022 , and the title of the exalt serial is a laugh for a duad of reasons . The most obvious joke was the play on the streaming avail ’s name , Disney+ . However , the other was the literal story inZootopia+.The serial publication was exchangeable to the previous animate short seriesGrootandBaymax . However , while they were all very short , at just a few minute an sequence , the difference came in the fact thatZootopia+was indeed an add - on to the original movie , almost like a behind - the - scene pose of stories . All the fun characters from the original series set about their own side news report , while the picture play out behind them at specific times . While Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps were solving their big case , this serial depict what their patronage cast was up to .
His First Appearance Was (Technically) in Big Hero 6
Every Disney fan deserving their salt do it that the studio loves hide Easter eggs in their movies religiously . But once in a while , they ’ll hide in a tidbit that ’s a nod to a photographic film either in production or yet to be unloose . During the exhibition scene inBig Hero 6,as Honey Lemon is taking the radical selfie , pay close attending to her electric cell phone case .
That familiar vulpine shape is more than just a cute design . That is none other than Nick Wilde in a Disney moving-picture show beforeZootopiaever arrived . This iseven a better joke inZootopiasince the movie also had its own homage to another movie that was n’t released yet inFrozen 2 .
Nick Wilde Was Partially Inspired by Robin Hood
Anthropomorphicanimals in Disney flicksare nothing new , so it fix sense that Disney would force from their program library of animated feature of speech for inspiration . And there are some similarities between Nick and a sure scoundrel from Sherwood Forest . Disney ’s adaption of Robin Hood and Nick are so similar thatfan theories have paired the worldof Zootopia to that of Sherwood Forest . One prominent hypothesis even states that they partake in a timeline . Perhaps Robin and Nick are associate ?
Nick Wilde Was Originally The Film’s Focus
In some of the earlier drafts of the pic , Nick was meant to be the protagonistof the final product . In one concept , Nick and Judy were both factor in a colorful Disneyfied spy - thriller on an alien hobo camp island . In another , he was a tested and put - upon predator trying to add his life - long dream to sprightliness with the help of a shady pack boss . But once Judy entered the conniption , he got remould in a more comedic role .
Nick Wilde Originally Had A Tragic Backstory
At one time , Zootopiawas more than a few nicety darker in tone and story . In one of the original predators vs. prey angles , the preds were forced to wear seismic disturbance arrest to preclude them from " going beast . " Nick ’s ultimate destination in this plot was to create atheme park called " Wild Times"where predators could remove their collars and be themselves . Though this idea was scrapped , the Wild Times warehouse can still be seen in the film .
And A Literal Torture Scene
Along with the Wild Times plot , the idea of " Tame Collars"was pitched as a way of not - so - subtle favouritism against piranha . The collars would basically shock predators into entry if their emotions and irritation ever ran high . This theme also featured Nick getting violently take aback after a scramble with some other animals and was , obviously , too dingy and even a bit sad . It was however mirrored by the use of a gun muzzle in Nick ’s flashback chronological sequence .
Nick And Judy Were Spies In Early Development
On the other hand , there was also an approximation that saw bothNick and Judy as a brace of secret agents , but it have Nick as the veteran professional and Judy as the eager vernal plebe .
It would have seen them on a hugger-mugger mission to a tropic island , which eventually became the metropolis of Zootopia , where mammalian had gone missing . It was an entertaining idea , but unfortunately never result the storyboards .
Nick Wilde’s Shirt Came From a Clawhauser Prototype
speak of storyboards , take a feel at this image from the original ontogenesis sketches for the spy musical theme . Hugo , the orange cat behind the bar , was indispensable in the development of two fibre . The first , and probably obvious , was that ofOfficer Clawhauser , a big - belly out felinewith a ticker of gold . The 2nd was , of course , Nick ’s island - inspired garb . Take another coup d’oeil at that shirt of his . Look familiar ?
John Lasseter Inspired The Way Nick Wilde Eats Cake
A small detail , but one that warranted mentioning . Sound and movement are two constituent that subconsciously act as in the development of a character . The scene where Nick savor a shrew - sized art object of cake at Fru Fru ’s wedding is cute and comical , but it was also carefully choreograph .
In the movie ’s special features , when the filmmakers were bewilder over how a slyboots would a small dessert so delicately , John Lasseter stepped in and demonstrated himself , essentially becoming the model for the shot .
The Jumbeaux Pop Scene Was Ad-Libbed
Jason Bateman is an actorwho has some serious comedic chops , so he was practically made for voice an animated grapheme . Nowhere was this more evident than Nick ’s popsicle hustle toward the second routine of the film . This scene was entirely advertizing - libbed , andeven longer in the deleted scenes . have ’s just say the results were hysteric . Too bad the full version did n’t make it to the final motion picture .
Nick Wilde Has A Cameo In Ralph Breaks The Internet
Ralph Breaks the Internetis likely the mostEaster eggs - heavy filmthe studio has ever release . Not only does this photographic film characteristic cameos from Stormtroopers , Disney Princesses , and even Stan Lee himself , but also a pair of intimate faces from the urban jungles of Zootopia . Nick can be see savour a Pawpsicle by a cast member entering . Judy can also be go steady in one of the crowd shots talk to a certain furred member of the Guardians of the Galaxy . Looks like it ’s a small existence after all .
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