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The Art of Zootropolis
Disney's newest animated feature, Zootropolis, is a comedy-adventure starring Officer Judy Hopps, a rookie bunny cop who has to team up with fast-talking scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to crack her first case in the all-animal city of Zootropolis. This lushly illustrated book offers a behind-the-scenes view of the elaborate artistry involved in creating the film.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
July 6, 2024
چقدر برای طراحی فیشال اکسپرشنا زحمت میکشند و چقدر خوب رو حیوونا درش آورده بودند.
یه قسمتی بود داشت تصویر برداری و نورپردازی روی بافت ها و پوست های مختلف رو برای تکسچر سازی نشون میداد که برام خیلی جالب بود.
از چند صفحه از طراحیهاش به عنوان رفرنس برای تمرین استفاده خواهم کرد.
یه قسمتی بود داشت تصویر برداری و نورپردازی روی بافت ها و پوست های مختلف رو برای تکسچر سازی نشون میداد که برام خیلی جالب بود.
از چند صفحه از طراحیهاش به عنوان رفرنس برای تمرین استفاده خواهم کرد.
October 1, 2024
Una de las mejores películas de su era; fue maravilloso el arte de la ciudad de los furrys.
April 7, 2016
I wish this book had 500 pages and more info MOREEEEEE!
Are always a big artist working on these films and making a ton of stuff that finally never gets to to light and it´s always fantastic to see it and to see how we arrive to this final film.
We know is probably pretty impossible to get the work perfectly at the first attempt and the WAY is important to see and know.
Lovely! I really hope after reading and seeing all this work and sketches, they could work on other works in the city exploring all these other zones and characters.
Are always a big artist working on these films and making a ton of stuff that finally never gets to to light and it´s always fantastic to see it and to see how we arrive to this final film.
We know is probably pretty impossible to get the work perfectly at the first attempt and the WAY is important to see and know.
Lovely! I really hope after reading and seeing all this work and sketches, they could work on other works in the city exploring all these other zones and characters.
October 4, 2016
I don't know if I've gotten pickier about movies over the years, or if movies have been getting worse. It's becoming increasingly rare for me to leave a movie theater loving the experience enough to want to dash home and immediately add the DVD to my wishlist. It's even rarer for me to look up something like an "Art of" book so I can dive more deeply into the world - but I've done this twice in the last couple of months. I ordered The Art of Zootopia first, back in March, but some odd delay (perhaps it was in such high demand it had to be reprinted? I don't know) meant I didn't receive my copy until mid-May. It's a shame, because I might have liked it more if I hadn't received (and read, and loved) The Little Prince: The Art of the Movie first.
The Little Prince was exquisitely told, both on film and in the lovingly compiled behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process. Zootopia was an equally wonderful movie, but the book leaves much to be desired. Don't get me wrong: the art itself makes it worth keeping, although I'd recommend shopping around for a deal, because the $40 cover price is rather steep. It's a lush collection of sketches, concept art, and character design. The artists' talent is extraordinary, in that way that always makes me shrink into myself a bit, feeling like a massive underachiever in my life. Disney knows how to make high-quality movies, and how to hire the best people in the business. All of that is visible from even a quick skim of the pages.
That's the issue, though: this book wasn't made to be read - not from cover to cover, or by someone who wanted to actually learn more about the process of the character design or the behind-the-scenes decisions or anything that would put this book on the same level as The Little Prince's.
I recently attended a panel discussion at a book festival, where a successful screenwriter spoke about his experience working in Hollywood. "The film execs told me that viewers don't have more than a 15 minute attention span," he explained (paraphrased). "As long as there's continuity in that 15 minutes, we're told they won't notice if it contradicts or conflicts with something earlier in the film." He objected to that notion. So do I - but it explains a lot about the industry and about my frustration with movies of late. Zootopia itself doesn't suffer from this disheartening flaw; there's careful attention played to the characters, and to the arcs of their stories. But this flaw is visible in the book Jessica Julius, senior creative executive at Walt Disney Animation Studios, put together. I don't fault the artists, or the directors, or the other wonderfully creative folks who built the groundwork for the film. I'm also sure that Julius is exceptional at her regular job. But she was absolutely the wrong person to "write" this book. If you can call it that.
It's fair for something marketed as an art book to have little text, although I think it's a missed opportunity for fans to get to know the film crew, and to fully appreciate the individual touches their work brought to the final product. By the end of The Little Prince: The Art of the Movie, I felt like I had a strong grasp of the main contributors to each aspect of the movie. Maybe it had a smaller set of people working on it. Disney is a behemoth. The number of names scattered through the pages makes it hard to keep track of who, exactly, did what. The credits for a Disney movie are overwhelming. (I'm the kind of person who likes to sit through credits until the end, even when there's no special scene embedded. I'm also the kind of person who meticulously reads the acknowledgements sections in books, because I find it fascinating to see where creative people get their inspiration and support.) Maybe Disney doesn't want individual artists to seem too responsible for the film's success, since that takes away from the powerful entity of Disney Itself.
It makes me think of the old days of Disney, when the artists' names were intentionally withheld from works. If you've followed my reviews for any length of time, you'll know that I love the classic Donald Duck comics, especially the ones by Carl Barks. I've been collecting the beautiful Fantagraphics Books editions, which restore Barks's name to the covers and provide the kind of historical and cultural context that I feel adds significantly to an experience of reading a work. But this isn't something Disney has traditionally embraced. Anonymity and a focus on the idea of collaborative work allowed Disney to build its brand, and to retain its stamp of authority even when its artists and authors moved on to other venues. I think it's safe to say that most people don't focus on the directors' or animators' names when choosing whether to see a Disney (or Pixar) movie. They see Disney and flock to the theaters. In fact, Zootopia didn't even have a director. It has two! With a load of other powerful voices chiming in to sway the story one way or another.
It's a high-functioning corporation. But it is a corporation, and that comes across in this book.
The little text that is present reads more like filler language than an actual attempt to tell the story of the movie's development. There are a few interesting tidbits thrown in, like an offhand note about the artists figuring out how to make each animal's tail fit into its clothes without it simply looking like a hole had been cut in the pants. It's a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain, and it made me realize how well the movie had handled this issue, because I don't remember any awkwardness in the clothing choices in the film. Oddly, though, there aren't corresponding images in the book that show the animals from the back. No concept sketches of different ways to make the animals' tails fit into the human-style pants. No art that shows the final, successful solution. The text is almost entirely detached from the art, other than quotes from various artists smattered across the pages in little speech bubbles to visually break up the wall-to-wall images.
Julius might as well have included Lorem ipsum text and called it a day. That's how hard she seemed to have worked on telling a compelling story in this volume. (It means, as much as I loved Big Hero 6, I definitely won't be buying its art book, because Julius was the "writer" of that volume as well.) Here's an example of the laziness in the writing. A quote, from page 10: "Lasseter encouraged the team to dive deeply into research before they began thinking about story, plot, or characters." Interesting, right? Disney prioritizes research, making sure there are months dedicated to laying the groundwork before putting pen to paper (or stylus to screen). That level of detail shows in the final products. I'm a huge Disney fan. So why did I pull this sentence out? Because it appears again, word for word, on page 28. The only exception is that Lasseter's name has been replaced by a pronoun in the sentence's second appearance.
Clearly, I wasn't supposed to notice this. Because no one's going to read these books, I guess. There are also some pretty careless grammatical errors scattered in, including an improper "it's" in the Foreword. That was written "by the directors," so I suppose it's merely an example of insufficient editing. Even the John Lasseter preface and the directors' foreword were oddly repetitive, with exact phrases repeated, as though they were both pulling from sales pitches they'd memorized and could recite by heart.
The movie is worth seeing and owning. The art is beautiful. The book is, sadly, much less than it could have been.
The Little Prince was exquisitely told, both on film and in the lovingly compiled behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process. Zootopia was an equally wonderful movie, but the book leaves much to be desired. Don't get me wrong: the art itself makes it worth keeping, although I'd recommend shopping around for a deal, because the $40 cover price is rather steep. It's a lush collection of sketches, concept art, and character design. The artists' talent is extraordinary, in that way that always makes me shrink into myself a bit, feeling like a massive underachiever in my life. Disney knows how to make high-quality movies, and how to hire the best people in the business. All of that is visible from even a quick skim of the pages.
That's the issue, though: this book wasn't made to be read - not from cover to cover, or by someone who wanted to actually learn more about the process of the character design or the behind-the-scenes decisions or anything that would put this book on the same level as The Little Prince's.
I recently attended a panel discussion at a book festival, where a successful screenwriter spoke about his experience working in Hollywood. "The film execs told me that viewers don't have more than a 15 minute attention span," he explained (paraphrased). "As long as there's continuity in that 15 minutes, we're told they won't notice if it contradicts or conflicts with something earlier in the film." He objected to that notion. So do I - but it explains a lot about the industry and about my frustration with movies of late. Zootopia itself doesn't suffer from this disheartening flaw; there's careful attention played to the characters, and to the arcs of their stories. But this flaw is visible in the book Jessica Julius, senior creative executive at Walt Disney Animation Studios, put together. I don't fault the artists, or the directors, or the other wonderfully creative folks who built the groundwork for the film. I'm also sure that Julius is exceptional at her regular job. But she was absolutely the wrong person to "write" this book. If you can call it that.
It's fair for something marketed as an art book to have little text, although I think it's a missed opportunity for fans to get to know the film crew, and to fully appreciate the individual touches their work brought to the final product. By the end of The Little Prince: The Art of the Movie, I felt like I had a strong grasp of the main contributors to each aspect of the movie. Maybe it had a smaller set of people working on it. Disney is a behemoth. The number of names scattered through the pages makes it hard to keep track of who, exactly, did what. The credits for a Disney movie are overwhelming. (I'm the kind of person who likes to sit through credits until the end, even when there's no special scene embedded. I'm also the kind of person who meticulously reads the acknowledgements sections in books, because I find it fascinating to see where creative people get their inspiration and support.) Maybe Disney doesn't want individual artists to seem too responsible for the film's success, since that takes away from the powerful entity of Disney Itself.
It makes me think of the old days of Disney, when the artists' names were intentionally withheld from works. If you've followed my reviews for any length of time, you'll know that I love the classic Donald Duck comics, especially the ones by Carl Barks. I've been collecting the beautiful Fantagraphics Books editions, which restore Barks's name to the covers and provide the kind of historical and cultural context that I feel adds significantly to an experience of reading a work. But this isn't something Disney has traditionally embraced. Anonymity and a focus on the idea of collaborative work allowed Disney to build its brand, and to retain its stamp of authority even when its artists and authors moved on to other venues. I think it's safe to say that most people don't focus on the directors' or animators' names when choosing whether to see a Disney (or Pixar) movie. They see Disney and flock to the theaters. In fact, Zootopia didn't even have a director. It has two! With a load of other powerful voices chiming in to sway the story one way or another.
It's a high-functioning corporation. But it is a corporation, and that comes across in this book.
The little text that is present reads more like filler language than an actual attempt to tell the story of the movie's development. There are a few interesting tidbits thrown in, like an offhand note about the artists figuring out how to make each animal's tail fit into its clothes without it simply looking like a hole had been cut in the pants. It's a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain, and it made me realize how well the movie had handled this issue, because I don't remember any awkwardness in the clothing choices in the film. Oddly, though, there aren't corresponding images in the book that show the animals from the back. No concept sketches of different ways to make the animals' tails fit into the human-style pants. No art that shows the final, successful solution. The text is almost entirely detached from the art, other than quotes from various artists smattered across the pages in little speech bubbles to visually break up the wall-to-wall images.
Julius might as well have included Lorem ipsum text and called it a day. That's how hard she seemed to have worked on telling a compelling story in this volume. (It means, as much as I loved Big Hero 6, I definitely won't be buying its art book, because Julius was the "writer" of that volume as well.) Here's an example of the laziness in the writing. A quote, from page 10: "Lasseter encouraged the team to dive deeply into research before they began thinking about story, plot, or characters." Interesting, right? Disney prioritizes research, making sure there are months dedicated to laying the groundwork before putting pen to paper (or stylus to screen). That level of detail shows in the final products. I'm a huge Disney fan. So why did I pull this sentence out? Because it appears again, word for word, on page 28. The only exception is that Lasseter's name has been replaced by a pronoun in the sentence's second appearance.
Clearly, I wasn't supposed to notice this. Because no one's going to read these books, I guess. There are also some pretty careless grammatical errors scattered in, including an improper "it's" in the Foreword. That was written "by the directors," so I suppose it's merely an example of insufficient editing. Even the John Lasseter preface and the directors' foreword were oddly repetitive, with exact phrases repeated, as though they were both pulling from sales pitches they'd memorized and could recite by heart.
The movie is worth seeing and owning. The art is beautiful. The book is, sadly, much less than it could have been.
April 30, 2021
Această carte a fost interesantă
November 4, 2020
650 - 2020
March 9, 2025
4.5 - love seeing the creative behind the scenes of an animated feature!
September 30, 2016
Taken a break from novels, I switched to some art production. I enjoyed this book and the movie it accumulated into. The world of these animals is diverse and feels alive. Yet it also tackles the idea of prejudices shifting in the underbelly of this vibrant city. Altogether it makes for a great, buddy detective story that touches a bit on crime noir as well. I always love looking at the concept design and storyboards as I feel partial to that pre-production work. I only wish there was even more shown of earlier character development work for secondary characters, too. I loved seeing pieces that were cut, but could have been in the movie as well. Those examples being Koslov and Morris, the Meadowlands (Biker and trucker sheep galore!), Honey Badger's bigger role, and Nick's Wild Times Club. So much that can be explored in this city. Yet it's condensed down well to suit the film, and not give away too much. Despite streamlining it, it's still a worthy read and art viewing book that displays the dedication the artists put into such a detailed work.
July 17, 2016
I'm a character design kind of person, not an environment design kind of person. I also have a bad habit of skimming large paragraphs in books that are supposed to be the ART of something. Seeing the inspiration behind the different areas of Zootopia was cool but I wish there was more information on the creation of the characters, particularly Nick since it was said that he evolved quite a bit over the development of the film.
August 26, 2016
Yep it's a book about art but it's pretty wordy and I'm counting it because I'm stressing I won't finish my challenge in time also it's my reading challenge, bog off! ;) For real though this was such an interesting read, I love the behind the scenes of how they designed the characters and locations it's beautiful and my dream career.
July 28, 2021
Unfortunately I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. I had high expectations after reading The Art Of Tangled and The Art Of Finding Nemo and this one just fell a little short. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about it just disappointed me.
January 5, 2017
i really liked how this artbook went into the description of all the different locales featured in the movie :)
March 21, 2017
Loved spending more time in the vast world of Zootopia. Great art. Repetitive blurbs though -- either needed better/more writing or to remove the writing except for necessary captions.
July 10, 2017
I love this movie but this book didn't add much to it.
February 16, 2019
This book was very different from what I expected. To some degree, I thought it would be a retelling of the movie, with perhaps some behind-the-scenes bits and maybe a director interview. It would still have been worth getting if that was the case; instead, you get a much more complicated look at Zootopia, which makes you appreciate what an amazing amount of work was done on this movie before the animation even begun. The amount of effort far exceeds what most people know about animation ( in my case just character sheets and a storyboard is all I know about), and makes you more appreciative of the complexity of this highly creative team effort that is Zootopia. It is also very educational to look at all the diverse material that needs to be generated to explore this new world, and the different directions that the worldbuilding could have taken. I read in a book on writing about some of these techniques, and you can really see signs of all the effort this story has required; for instance, you can clearly notice "iterative outlining", which requires the author(s) to outline a storyline multiple times, each time changing an aspect of the world they are building and then analyzing the result to see which version works best. It appears that in animation this may be a standard operating procedure, and you can see glimpses of how Zootopia would have been, in a more dyspepsia setting. Another storytelling technique you can notice, this time from a Donald Maas books on writing says you should ask what the characters are doing where they are not "on stage", or what they did before your story even begun. I never thought I would have a chance to see both of those in use, which really puts in perspective how hard and demanding crafting Zootopia must have been.
January 19, 2018
If you love Zootopia and are debating about getting this book, just go ahead and do it, you won’t regret it.
The book is great about walking you through the thought process of the studio. You learn about the multiple itertations the story went through, and how they eventually settled on the plot that made it to the screen. In addition to scrapped plotlines, it also includes architecture, regions, and characters that also didn’t make it into the film.
It also lets you appreciate the little design aspects that are only visible for a few seconds in the movie; like how the city is not just human sized but is intentionally built to accomodate mice and elephants in the same public spaces.
As far as art books go, it’s also designed in accordance with the film. You don’t just get an assorted set of images slapped onto a white piece of paper, no, you get colorful titles and backdrops, fun typography, and awesome endpapers with a pattern of advertisements from familiar brands using animal puns.
All in all, this art book is an excellent example of intelligent design, where the goal is to search for the solution that makes sense, rather than defaulting to the version we already know and don’t even have to think about.
The book is great about walking you through the thought process of the studio. You learn about the multiple itertations the story went through, and how they eventually settled on the plot that made it to the screen. In addition to scrapped plotlines, it also includes architecture, regions, and characters that also didn’t make it into the film.
It also lets you appreciate the little design aspects that are only visible for a few seconds in the movie; like how the city is not just human sized but is intentionally built to accomodate mice and elephants in the same public spaces.
As far as art books go, it’s also designed in accordance with the film. You don’t just get an assorted set of images slapped onto a white piece of paper, no, you get colorful titles and backdrops, fun typography, and awesome endpapers with a pattern of advertisements from familiar brands using animal puns.
All in all, this art book is an excellent example of intelligent design, where the goal is to search for the solution that makes sense, rather than defaulting to the version we already know and don’t even have to think about.
May 13, 2017
This was a fantastic book for all lovers of the movie Zootopia and the world created for it. As someone who truly felt the depth and potential of story that the world the movie was set in, this was a great read. There are tidbits of insight into the creation and thought process behind each location and subject.
One of the regrettable things I would say is that this book didn't have enough. Some of the sections I would have loved to see more of and in depth, larger images, more long and detailed descriptions.
Overall, this book is a great addition to my shelf and I'll be sure to use it as a reference to any world-building.
One of the regrettable things I would say is that this book didn't have enough. Some of the sections I would have loved to see more of and in depth, larger images, more long and detailed descriptions.
Overall, this book is a great addition to my shelf and I'll be sure to use it as a reference to any world-building.
September 19, 2017
Ever wanted to know more details about the Disney movies you love? The Art of series is doing just that, along with glorious full-color shots, sketches and notes on those very movies. It's a movie lover's dream.
The Art of Zootopia cleverly covers the film's storyline, possible additional storylines and gives readers a better idea of the story's evolution. It's a gorgeous book, and one that I've had on my wishlist for quite a while. I snagged this at the Last Bookstore in LA--it was a signed hardcover copy with a library clear film dustjacket cover. All in all, I think it is a great souvenir AND a great addition to my library.
The Art of Zootopia cleverly covers the film's storyline, possible additional storylines and gives readers a better idea of the story's evolution. It's a gorgeous book, and one that I've had on my wishlist for quite a while. I snagged this at the Last Bookstore in LA--it was a signed hardcover copy with a library clear film dustjacket cover. All in all, I think it is a great souvenir AND a great addition to my library.
August 1, 2018
A fantastic companion piece to the movie. This book tells the story of how the world of Zootopia came about and, more importantly, is filled with tons of development images and ideas that didn't make it into the final film. It's an insider's peek at how decisions get made and story plots develop as research and development get under way.
My one gripe is that the texts are rather repetitive. It's like there were points the author/studio really wanted to get out there and they made sure of it by repeating every pertinent point several times in different chapters. A bit annoying, but a minor thing compared to how great the visual aspect is.
My one gripe is that the texts are rather repetitive. It's like there were points the author/studio really wanted to get out there and they made sure of it by repeating every pertinent point several times in different chapters. A bit annoying, but a minor thing compared to how great the visual aspect is.
August 27, 2017
El arte esta hermoso. Me divertí como niña al ver los distintos dibujos de los personajes y de los lugares en los que se desarrollo la película.
Como siempre, la investigación que hacen en los estudios Disney me impresiona. Revisan de todo, desde el comportamiento de los animales hasta como se refleja la luz en el pelo.
Lo que me intrigo más del libro, fue de que trataba la historia al principio y como fue cambiando. De eso no tengo mucha información. Y me gustaría saber como los personajes contaron su propia historia.
En fin, si lo ven, echenle un ojo.
Como siempre, la investigación que hacen en los estudios Disney me impresiona. Revisan de todo, desde el comportamiento de los animales hasta como se refleja la luz en el pelo.
Lo que me intrigo más del libro, fue de que trataba la historia al principio y como fue cambiando. De eso no tengo mucha información. Y me gustaría saber como los personajes contaron su propia historia.
En fin, si lo ven, echenle un ojo.
January 2, 2026
I love this book so much. I've read this book so many times in my life ever since I bought it in 2016 when the first movie came out. This book is full of beautiful insight on what it takes to make an animated movie. It also shows off the amazing and stunning art that all the hard working artist who worked on the film made. This was fun to revisit after reading the art book for the second film because I was able to look at concept art that actually made it into the second film. Overall, everyone who loves Zootopia should check this book out because it is worth your time.
March 24, 2020
Le doy un 4,5. Es un libro muy completo, contiene imágenes preciosas y descripciones en profundidad de todos los escenarios de la película, muchas escenas eliminadas, personajes que no llegaron a la película ¡e incluso easter eggs! Me hubiese gustado que se centrarán más en los personajes (especialmente en Nick) y no tanto en los escenarios. Aún así es muy interesante y aporta información nueva a la trama.
February 9, 2023
this book was a wonderful insight to the process of creating an, in my opinion, incredibly underrated film. being able to learn more about characters, story lines and locations that never made it to the big screen and all of the detailed research that went into creating them was super interesting. i'd highly recommend that any disney fans pick up "the art of" their favourite films if there is one!
March 20, 2024
This book is better than the movie, and I wonder if there’s anything wrong with it.
In my opinion, the movie is nothing special, compared to other Disney’s masterpieces. But when it comes to this book: oh boy! What they created for Zootropolis is insane: there are untold stories everywhere, and honestly it’s a bit sad that I couldn’t perceive it while watching it.
And I have to say: color story boarding is probably one of my favourite thing ever.
In my opinion, the movie is nothing special, compared to other Disney’s masterpieces. But when it comes to this book: oh boy! What they created for Zootropolis is insane: there are untold stories everywhere, and honestly it’s a bit sad that I couldn’t perceive it while watching it.
And I have to say: color story boarding is probably one of my favourite thing ever.
June 25, 2018
I loved looking at the stages of art throughout movie, looking at the different stages and hearing about the different ideas and how it evolved to the beloved movie we have seen now. It was interesting and it gave me a chance to truely appreicate the artwork that went into this movie. I think I may just buy it
February 26, 2017
What an awesome collection of visual development pieces for one of my favorite movies! Really well presented--you even get to see some locations and characters that were cut from the film! For fellow artists and storytellers, there are some nuggets of wisdom and skill hidden in here as well.
November 23, 2020
I love this art book if the best Disney Computer Animated movie ever! Nothing is better than a world of Anthropomorphic Animals. I love it how the book beings you further and deeper into the story of the movie. This book is so colorful, wild, savage, and beautiful. I love this book so very much!
May 14, 2017
Great world building, fascinating art.
August 10, 2017
Solid work. Just solid.
My favorite pieces in this were definitely the environment work. Tundra Town is a beast even conceptually.
My favorite pieces in this were definitely the environment work. Tundra Town is a beast even conceptually.
August 14, 2017
Wonderful resource for inspiration and insight into making a feature animated film.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews