Zootropolis
The documentary, Imagining Zootopia, goes behind-the-scenes of Disney animation Zootropolis Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Animation is a length process and Disney are notorious in their perfectionism when it comes to feature-length films and shorts. The studio's latest non-Pixar film, Zootropolis, is no exception, taking almost five years to complete, using a whopping 500-strong team for the majority of that time.

All the hard work seems to have paid off, as the movie received nothing but critical acclaim since it was released back in March and has made almost $800 million (£567m) worldwide in just a month. Media network Fusion has released a documentary that allows fans to go behind-the-scenes to look at the creative process and see how it morphed into Disney's most recent smash hit.

The in-depth video, Imagining Zootopia, follows the production team over the space of two years, capturing each and every part of getting Zootropolis to the big screen. We accompany them from Kenyan landscapes, to study animals in their natural habitat, to a close look at how the storytellers should tackle the heavyweight subjects of prejudice and bias in what is essentially, a children's movie.

Making Of Zootropolis documentary
Created by Fusion, who spent two years with the production team, Imagining Zootopia captures the creative stages from character conception to animation Fusion / Walt Disney Studios / YouTube

Following interviews with directors Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Rich Moore, Disney and Pixar's Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter as well as Head of Story Josie Trinidad and production designer Dave Goetz, viewers can learn how much Zootropolis changed, from conception to conclusion. Who would have guessed the movie was inspired by Disney's 1973 cartoon classic Robin Hood? It turns out Howard and Lasseter are big lovers of Disney movies that had animals walking upright and wearing clothes like humans...

The 45-minute special also takes a look at some of the artwork that was created, sketching out not only the cute and expressive animal characters but the incredibly detailed scenery too.

Zootropolis centres on rabbit police officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) who learns, the hard way, that being the first bunny in the precinct alongside her big and tough animal colleagues is not as fun as she first imagined. Determined to prove herself, Hopps jumps at the chance to solve one particularly hard case, even if that does mean she has to partner up with 'foxy' smooth-talking scam-artist, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).

Other cast members include Idris Elba, JK Simmons, Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong fame), Alan Tudyk and Octavia Spencer. Shakira, Don Lake and Bonnie Hunt also feature.

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