Six years ago, the Disney film Zootopia introduced the world to an ecosystem where a major metropolis became the home of various animals and the biomes they require to exist. Now bringing fans back to that world of excitement, and putting this franchise on the 2022 TV schedule, is the recent Disney+ series Zootopia+.
As cast members like Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake have reprised their roles of Stu and Bonnie Hopps, the new Disney+ series hasn’t missed a beat with returning to adventures that take place during the events of Zootopia. Just like any good comedy team that’s been in action as long as they have, both Hunt and Lake knew they had the improv juice to make things exciting. However, they got so into the moment that they don’t really remember too much of which ad-libs made it into the show.
During my interview with both Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake during the Zootopia+ press day, I asked if the new format had changed anything about a time honored tradition in comedy and animation: improv. This was an especially interesting question, because in the Zootopia+ trailer, there’s a joke that Stu Hopps gets which sounded like it was an improved gem of a gag.
When posing the question of whether or not either Don or Bonnie had a favorite joke that came from their improv process, the answers were pretty similar, and in the best way possible. Here’s what Don Lake told CinemaBlend about the improv process in Zootopia+:
Honestly, I don’t remember it. When we improvise, we’re so totally in the moment. It’s not a cop out to say that, you just are, and you’re always thinking of the next creative beat and where you’re going. So you just kind of do it, and then you see that you’ve enjoyed it. Bonnie and I have been laughing, and they’re laughing, so you know ‘Ok, that’s good.’ But then you always have to keep your mind free. So what happens when you’ve done the whole thing it’s like [you think] ‘It went well today. It really went well today.’ So you know they’ve got a lot to work with. I don’t remember saying that line that I know that you’re thinking of right now. I just remember when I heard it, I sat up again and said, ‘Yeah, that’s funny. Wow.’ I’m looking at it as an audience member at that point.
In the adventure, entitled “Hopp On Board,” the parents of soon-to-be Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) are chasing one of their many children, as they’ve hitched a ride on the train bringing Judy to Zootopia’s titular setting. Acting in the Zootopia+ model of stories that take place during the larger context of the 2016 movie, we get a high speed adventure that takes Stu and Bonnie Hopps through various environmental pitfalls, all in the name of a little runaway bunny.
It’s a simple enough concept that you can very easily throw so many jokes into the pickup, and see what keeps the engine going. One of the best lines that shows how that approach worked comes from the moment when Zootopia+’s rabbit adventure takes Stu and Bonnie through a sheep yoga class.
Seeing “the one place on a sheep where there isn’t any wool,” Stu’s stunned observation became one of the moments that really sold the concept of these short adventures with very familiar characters. As you’ll read in Bonnie Hunt’s answer to the improv question, the results never deviated from the reality of the characters, and that was thanks to a healthy system of trust:
Definitely when we’re improvising, we’re improvising with such respect for their characters and storyline that we want to stay true to it, explore and heighten it, and hopefully impress them so they want to use it. And that it’s relatable, accessible, funny. I can’t think of any specific lines, because when we get into it, Don and I, the script is there and we’re doing it,. But we also are adding out stuff, and they’re allowing us to. It’s hard to separate it, because we’re such a team. It’s such a collaboration.
It’s starting to feel like Disney projects in general are a haven for improv. Sometimes, like in the case of Isla Fisher’s adult ad-libs for Godmothered, those results aren’t meant for the target audience. Thankfully, with Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake’s dedication to their characters, and the world of Zootopia at large, the established comedy team landed some surprises for both children and adults to enjoy.
Though some fans may argue whether or not Zootopia+ fits the bill, there’s no denying that everyone involved came back to play. With Stu and Bonnie Hopps standing as a case of where the formula works at its strongest, perhaps there’s a case for some characters to get their own continuations in the future of the Zootopia story.
While it’s not the Zootopia 2 that the original cast dreamed of, you can still return to the magic of this animal world through all of Zootopia+'s episodes. The entire run is currently available, provided, of course, you have a current DIsney+ subscription. If not, then maybe you should “try everything” and sign up, with this bunny bonanza as your test drive.
