There are plenty of different ways to get extra mileage out of a successful property, from sequels and prequels to spinoffs of supporting characters. A bit less common is the “side-quel”— a story that takes place within the timeline of the existing story, but away from the main action. So the question for that approach becomes, “What can you find around the margins worth turning into its own narrative?”
That’s the angle taken by directors Trent Correy and Josie Trinidad for Zootopia+ (now streaming on Disney+), a series of animated shorts set within the world of the 2016 Zootopia feature. And considering some of the obvious approaches they could have taken, the results are generally inventive, satisfying and funny. Even if you never thought to yourself, “I wonder what the deal is with the big-haired shrew that Judy Hopps saves from the bouncing donut,” the answer could be wonderfully surprising.
Each of the six 7-minute shorts takes its own detour to show us characters like that aforementioned big-haired shrew living their own unique lives. In that particular case, it’s as a cast member of a Real Housewives-style reality show set in Little Rodentia. Judy’s parents (Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake) get an action-packed adventure as Judy’s baby sibling slips away onto the same express train to Zootopia. Even leopard police officer Clawhauser (Nate Torrence) explores a side passion by auditioning to be a backup dancer for Gazelle (Shakira).
The concept proves to be a perfect fit for a series of shorts, since each one gets just enough time to make the point of its individual premise without overstaying its welcome. Turning the backstory of the Don Corleone-style shrew Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche) into a riff on the flashback sections of The Godfather Part II—set as he arrives from “the old country” in the year “19[mumblemumble]”—might have gotten tiresome at anything longer than 7 minutes, but works perfectly to pair its parody with lively action. Ditto for the best of the bunch, the tale of small-time criminal Duke Weaselton (Alan Tudyk), whose desire to go straight emerges in the terrifically catchy show tune-style ballad “Big Time” by Michael Giacchino and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure songwriters Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson.
Following on the heels of Baymax! and Cars on the Road, Disney+ finally seems to be leaning into the animated-short form that built the company as an ideal fit for the streaming service. The time commitment for even watching the entire series of Zootopia+ is under an hour, and the joke payoff per minute is fairly high. It doesn’t even demand that you have watched or particularly enjoyed Zootopia the movie, since the shorts themselves provide all the context you need for where they fit in the bigger picture. It’s simply a chance to have fun with that pre-existing world in bite-size chunks—and generally speaking, those bites are fairly tasty.
All episodes of Zootopia+ are now streaming on Disney+.
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Let’s Hear From You
Are you on board with Disney’s push for short-form content on Disney+? Do you have a character from Zootopia you hope is featured in one of the episodes? What are the odds there will be some Zootopia+ tie-ins in the upcoming Zootopia land in Shanghai Disneyland next year? Share your thoughts in the comments!