Disney doesn’t have a single shared universe for its animated films like it does for its Star Wars or Marvel films. They do, however, frequently make sly tiny Easter eggs reference each other. Despite taking place in a planet where humans don’t actually exist, even their most recent film, Zootopia, joins in the fun. Before Zootopia ever touched cinemas, we told you about one of the movie’s many Easter eggs, and now that it has really been released, more have been found. See some of the Zootopia Easter eggs that you might have missed down below.
Frozen Fun
If you look in the bottom left corner of the image above, you may see two young elephant children dressed like Anna and Elsa. This Frozen Easter egg was revealed to us in February. As it turns out, there are more Disney films with Zootopia equivalents besides Frozen.
Is Zootopia’s Zootopia about humans?
The dishonest Duke Weaselton is depicted in the movie at one point peddling counterfeit DVDs on a street corner. Which of the titles? Pig Hero 6, Wreck-It Rhino, and Wrangled. Moreover, Giraffic, Floatzen 2, and Meowana. Yes, that’s right: while we in the real world are still waiting for Moana, Giant, and Frozen 2, their respective movies in Zootopia have been in theatres for so long that counterfeit copies are available.
(Incidentally, the fact that most of our movies appear to have been Zootop-ified in Zootopia presents the unsettling possibility that such a Zootop-ified Zootopia actually does exist, which in turn begs the question of whether Zootopia’s Zootopia is indeed about humans. And if so, does that imply that the Zootopia we currently inhabit is the Zootopia version of Zootopia? But that’s a problem with existence for another time.)
The fact that Duke Weaselton is portrayed by Alan Tudyk, who also provided the voice for the Duke of Weselton in the animated film Frozen, adds yet another depth to this specific Easter egg. You already knew that his Frozen co-star and well-known sloth fan Kristen Bell made a brief appearance in Zootopia.
A Pig Hero 6 Fan
Moving on, it seems that Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) enjoys at least one of these Zootop-ified Disney films because he keeps a calendar in his workspace featuring the San Francisco cityscape from Big Hero 6—or rather, Pig Hero 6, as it is known in his world.
Hidden Mickeys
Disney’s most well-known animal invention of all, Mickey Mouse, was of course mentioned in at least one scene in Zootopia. Here he is in the stroller of a random bystander, looking like a doll. Mickey is difficult to see in the bigger image, but he is highly visible in the zoomed-in version below:
Additionally, he can be seen on Officer Clawhauser’s right cheek as a spot. Below, we’ve provided a few other views so you can get a better look.
Bare Necessities
According to co-directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore, some of the Zootopia parallels are more subtly placed. For instance, the staging of Zootopia’s naturalist colony scene pays homage to The Jungle Book from 1967. According to Moore, there are a few scenes in the colony that are strikingly similar to Baloo’s scratching scene in “Bear Necessities.”
Naturally, the filmmakers had to make a nod to Star Wars, another adored Disney-owned franchise. When Judy is attempting to move the train car, there is a Star Wars reference, according to Moore. The automobile dies when she switches on the power, but after she gives it a thump in the style of the Millennium Falcon, it comes to life in the style of The Empire Strikes Back.
Breaking Baaaaad and more
Not to mention Zootopia’s more overt allusions to non-Disney works like The Godfather and Breaking Bad. Clearly based on Marlon Brando in The Godfather, crime leader Mr. Big is in the trailer, and Disney never even tried to hide that fact.
However, going into the movie, you definitely didn’t expect to see aBreaking Badnod (at the top of this section). In the third act, Nick and Judy break into a lab and discover Woolter and Jesse, two sheep dressed in yellow jumpsuits, preparing a batch of vivid blue pharmaceuticals.
Office McHorn, portrayed by Mark Smith, is another another non-Disney Zootopia Easter egg. The actor that plays the rhino in the 1990s British television series Gladiators is known as Rhino.
Don’t forget to catch @MarkRhinoSmith in @Disney_UK‘s #Zootropolis playing the voice of what else but a rhino! pic.twitter.com/sCgpXcd1Uw
Gladiators (@GladiatorsTV) March 26, 2016
Finally, while not really an Easter egg, this information concerning Zootopia’s global release is nevertheless noteworthy. Depending on the country you’re in, the newsreader in the movie may be a different species, according to Design Taxi. It’s similar to how Captain America’s to-do list in The Winter Soldier varied depending on the market, or how Riley’s dad’s favourite sport (hockey in the U.S. version) and Riley’s least favourite cuisine (broccoli in the U.S. edition) were adjusted.
The newscaster in ‘Zootopia’ looks different depending on the country you are in https://t.co/22Q1tAoLrH pic.twitter.com/Uf2AEed58K
TAXI (@designtaxi) March 18, 2016
Found the #Zootopia Brazil/jaguar newscaster! Voiced by journalist Ricardo Boechat. Now to just find the UK/corgi. pic.twitter.com/f1OwB4BshH
Ryshat’s Corner (@RyshatsCorner) March 6, 2016
Disney is notorious for hiding Easter eggs, so there are undoubtedly still more that we haven’t discovered. Have you gotten any that weren’t on this list?
[Sources: Chin Ferno, Oh My Disney, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly]
