Zooptopia Home Video Release (Jason’s 1st Impressions)
Zootopia arrives on home video Tuesday June 7. There are several format options available including Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD (Disney Movies Anywhere). If you missed Zootopia in theaters here is a quick overview. The film is set in the city of Zootopia which was created for animals by animals so both predators and prey can live in harmony. The plot revolves around the first bunny police officer, Judy Hopps, who teams up with a con-artist fox named Nick Wilde to solve a missing person case. Along the way several issues ranging from bullying to stereotyping and bias are brought up. The film “works” on many levels from social commentary to a simple crime drama to a comedy animal film and everything in between. I enjoyed the film in theaters and seeing it again at home great. For more on the film and my first impressions here is my original Zootopia review. If you would like to dive a little deeper into the world of Zootopia and how the film was created here is a preview series of posts from before the theatrical release :
- Zootopia Preview – Animals – Research & Considerations
- Zootopia Preview – Where – Districts of Zootopia
- Zootopia Preivew – Voice Cast Announced
- Zootopia Preview – Tujunga Campus & Event Pictures
The sticker on the front cover of the Blu-ray says “Tons of Bonus” and it holds true. There is over an hour of bonus features. I found the offerings on this release to be substantial and interesting. There are several longer pieces that delve more in depth on what went into this film as well as a more conventional set of shorter featurettes.
I found the Zootopia Roundtables the most interesting. This was a nearly 20 minute piece that featured three groups of contributors to the film discussing Characters, Environment and Animation. It was a fairly free flowing discussion and I would have liked to have seen more to really let the creative teams go more in depth and share their experiences and thoughts.
There are two approx. 10 minute pieces looking at the research that went into the film and the story evolution/creation. These are your fairly typical bonus material but slightly longer than most. I thought they did a good job of showing the evolution of the story as well as some of the research work that goes into creating these films.
There is an interesting 5 minute featurette on the score highlighting some of the abnormal instruments used to create the music of the film. I was surprised not to find a feature on the song “Try Everything”. Only the music video. I thought they missed an opportunity.
There is a fun piece called the ZPD Forensic Files that highlights some of the Easter Eggs within the film. I thought this was an interesting piece to learn about some details you may have missed and great to see included on the release. Here is a teaser clip for this section:
There are also seven deleted/alternate scenes. These are in various stages of completion.. Some nearly final animation and others in storyboard form. They all feature an introduction from the directors. In total this section runs nearly half an hour.
Another different featurette included in this offering is one on deleted characters.. it highlights a half dozen characters that did not make it into the final film as originally intended for various reasons. Some did make the cut in an alternative way thought. My only complaint with this featurette is it is was too short, clocking in at about 3 minutes only it was very quick and I would have liked to have seen a little more on each.
If you enjoyed Zootopia in theaters and want to learn a little more about the film in addition to enjoying it at home this is a solid initial home video release for the film. The bonus material is substantial and there is a good amount compared to most releases.
