Why Were Reptiles Banned from Zootopia? What It Means for the Threequel

Zootopia is divided into several districts, such as the Sahara Square, Tundratown, Rodentia, the Rainforest District, etc. But have we ever really seen reptiles and birds? What's up with that?

Well, here's a little recap and how Zootopia 2 actually answered those missing links.

Why Were Reptiles and Birds Not in Zootopia? Were They Banned or Forgotten?

Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios | Fair use for news and promotional purposes

Zootopia is one of the best Walt Disney Animation movies that came out in the past decade, but of all the animal residents living their lives on the big screens, where have the reptiles and birds gone?

The first movie barely focused on the other districts as Officer Judy Hopps and her partner in crime, Nick Wilde, explored and investigated the mystery behind predators going wild out of the blue. While it's understandable for Zootopia not to shed light on other missing species, it still doesn't uncover the mystery behind their lack of appearance. Luckily, film co-director Byron Howard previously addressed this:

"Because the world is so huge, and we had to kind of hold back on how many animal species we included in the first film, we were very anxious [to explore more]," Howard told CinemaBlend, "We always knew reptiles and other animal species are out there, we just hadn't been able to talk about them."

Howard added that they were saving the reptiles for potential sequels, "We actually did discuss reptiles at length in the first film. It's all about predator and prey, but reptiles are kind of both. And so that didn't really work for that. But there's early versions of the first Zootopia. I remember, we had like a map and Turtletopia was on it, and we're like 'One day!'"

WARNING: This part of the article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Zootopia 2, so proceed with caution.

Were There Really No Reptiles from the First Zootopia Movie?

Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios | Fair use for news and promotional purposes

The first movie may have openly discussed the complicated barrier between predators and prey, but it focused on mammals in Zootopia. There were no mentioned reptiles or birds, not because of a lack of fear towards them, but rather, as Zootopia 2 revealed, they were banned and left to be forgotten by the city.

As told in the sequel, snakes and reptiles alike were banned due to prejudice and harmful stereotypes, specifically to snakes like Gary De'Snake and his family. In the end, it all boiled down to the Lynxley family aggressively seizing the land and title of Zootopia to make it theirs, casting aside all reptile life in the snow and forcing them into hiding.

However, despite the sequel, there are plenty more districts Zootopia has yet to show to its audiences. From where the bird species went to what other districts are all about, in due time, we'll be able to put the pieces together.

For now, fans can watch Zootopia 2 on the big screens in cinemas near you.

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