Within the next two weeks Pixar will officially debut its latest animated feature, “Inside Out,” at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It's the Disney division's first new movie since “Monster's University” which hit theaters almost two years ago. Pixar will make up for the long absence by also releasing a second picture, “The Good Dinosaur,” in November. While Pixar steps back into the spotlight its sister division, Walt Disney Animation Studios, is taking 2015 off after an incredible run of back to back animated Oscar winners, “Frozen” and “Big Hero 6.” Walt Disney Animation Studio's next film is “Zootopia” which doesn't hit theaters until March, 2016. Today, they finally revealed who will be voicing the move's main characters.
According to Disney, “Zootopia” is set in a “modern mammal Metropolis” (sounds like an animal version of “Monster's Inc.”) and will keep it in the corporate family with “Once Upon A Time's” Ginnifer Goodwin voicing bunny Judy Hopps, a new member of Zootopia's police department, and Jason Bateman who will bring Nick Wilde, a hustling fox, to life.
In a release from the studio, director Byron Howard (“Tangled”) noted, “We knew that ‘Zootopia” would only succeed if we found the perfect actors to play our main characters. This rabbit- and fox-duo are in practically every scene in the film together. After meeting Ginnifer, we knew she embodied Hopps, the ultimate pure-of-heart, idealist bunny. You fall in love with her character instantly. And for Nick Wilde, our cynical con-artist fox, we only ever had one actor in mind, the incomparable Jason Bateman. Jason has a way of saying the most hilarious sarcastic things while always staying completely charming. We feel so fortunate to be working with both of them.”
The movie is being co-directed by “Wreck-it-Ralph's” Rich More.
Goodwin, best known for her role on HBO's “Big Love,” has a ton of voice acting experience on “Robot Chicken” and she played Fawn in Disney Home Video's “Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast” last year. She is currently wrapping up her fourth season on “Once Upon.”
Bateman is also a vocal work veteran with a resume that includes movies such as “Arthur and the Invisibles” and TV appearances including “King of the Hill,” “The Fairly OddParents” and even “Justice League.” He's currently in post on his second directorial feature, “The Family Fang,” and will return to the big screen with STX's thriller “The Gift” this July.
“Zootopia” opens nationwide on March 4, 2016.