Whether or not you’re a fan of funny animals doing funny animal things, there’s no denying that Zootopia is one of Disney’s best 3D animated movies in recent memory. Now Disney is eager to cash in on the 2016 film’s success. Earlier today, the streaming giant finally announced a release window for Zootopia’s upcoming TV series, and fans are eating the idea right up on Twitter.
Zootopia+ is the name of a “short-form series” set for Disney Plus in 2022. Originally announced in late 2020, today’s Disney Plus Day saw an official promo image from the Zootopia Twitter account teasing some of the upcoming TV show’s storylines. Check it out above.
Shortly after the news dropped, fans began deciphering which characters will receive their own episodes in the new show. One eagle-eyed Twitter user realized that we may be getting a backstory to Mr. Big, the Arctic shrew who leads his own gang of polar bear mafiosos.
Others are beginning to come up with their preferred ships. Chief Bogo and Officer Clawhauser, Zootopia’s buffalo and cheetah police officers, are apparently getting their own story, and fans think the two are all but confirmed as a couple.
Many are just hoping Gazelle, the celebrated pop star voiced by Shakira, makes it into the series.
Zootopia has traditionally been ignored by Disney despite its wide success. The original movie follows Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, an unlikely rabbit-fox police duo as they work together to solve a mystery simmering underneath the titular mammalian city’s surface.
With Zootopia+ on the way, fans are hoping this means that Disney animated franchises beyond Frozen will receive plenty of love and care from the Mouse House.
In the meantime, fans are still eager for a second film in the Zootopia series, although the upcoming TV show may have to do for now. Zootopia+ launches in spring 2022.