Talks of a Zootopia 2 continue to emerge online and have become hotter than July now that the first movie featuring Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps will soon be available on Netflix.
What is interesting is that fans of the popular animal-themed Disney movie are debating on whether or not Zootopia 2 should clarify whether Nick and Judy became more than friends in the sequel.
Of course, that may cause quite a stir in the Zootopia sequel’s message considering how the first movie had strong underlying comments about fair chance, equality, and prejudice.
Come to think of it, if Zootopia 2 did come out with Judy and Nick as a couple, the main news-based theme may actually be about interracial relationships which remain a quiet but equally controversial issue in today’s modern times.
Zootopia 2 News-Based Theme
In the first Zootopia movie, Judy Hopps was portrayed as a resilient young mammal who only wants to make the world a better place by becoming a police officer.
Since the beginning of the film, it became apparent that Judy being a small mammal—and a girl one at that—have been subjected to prejudice and later came out as the rabbit heroine. However, Zootopia director Rich Moore revealed that they were not planning to make her a feminist hero at all.
“We didn’t set out to make this rabbit a feminist hero, but the story just evolved that way,” he began.
Speaking to MTV , Moore explained that in the beginning, they only wanted to make Judy an honest and genuine character that experiences difficulties and comes out a better person.
“Can’t Judy just be Judy and be strong on her own? That was always our intent.”
Meanwhile, Nick Wilde was created as the Cool Guy character that was embedded with a sly, witty, and charming characteristic that would go well with Judy’s serious and determined disposition.
“We knew we needed Nick to be snarky and kind of a wise-ass, but he had to have a warmth to him,” Zootopia director Byron Howard told MTV .
“And people do just fall in love with Nick. The first thing I heard when I went to China was, ‘Nick would be a perfect boyfriend.’ And it goes back to that warmth and kindness. It also helps that there’s a little bit of an edge, too.”
This led to many fans exploring the idea on matching up Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps as an interracial couple which can be as equally interesting as the prejudice theme the first movie focused on.
Zootopia Fanfiction Focuses On Shipping The Main Characters
The idea that Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps would become a couple has long been a target of Zootopia fanfiction. In fact, Zootopia 2 had been subject of quite a number of fanfiction where the two main characters are portrayed as a couple.
One fanfiction posted by Javis27 in Fanfiction.net created an interesting twist which looks better in novels than in television—but a budding Zootopia love story all the same.
In the first chapter of the story, Javis27 wrote in the point of view of each of the two characters where Nick narrated how thinking about Judy caused butterflies in his stomach.
“There was something special about her.”
Meanwhile, Judy arrives at Nick’s apartment to pick him up only to get caught in an unguarded moment where she admires how the former con artist “looked almost handsome” in his police uniform.
The duo then continues their usual witty banter with their thoughts sliding
The story does seem quite interesting in a way that Nick becomes the hero who saves Judy who is portrayed as a damsel in distress though Disney might want to add more material into it.
Zootopia Cast
Since there is little news on whether or not we will see a Zootopia 2 soon, there is also very little information on who will reprise as the voice cast in the sequel.
What we do know is that there are some characters who cannot be dispensed with including Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde, Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, Nate Torrence as Clawhauser, Bonnie Hunt as Bonnie Hopps, and Don Lake as Stu Hopps.
[Featured Image by Walt Disney Co.]