Disney’s modern mammal metropolis just got a lot more crowded, now that USA Today have revealed a starry list of new recruits joining the voice cast of Zootopia, the latest animation coming out of the House of Mouse that imagines a world devoid of humans.
In our steed, the animal kingdom has constructed their own concrete jungle; a modern-day hive of activity that hosts just about every creature “from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew.” It’ll feature Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin in primary roles – the fox Nick Wilde and Officer Judy Hopps – and USA Today has confirmed a whole host of new additions to Disney’s animal kingdom.
Among them is Beasts of No Nation star Idris Elba, who is on board to voice Chief Bogo (pictured above), head of the Zootopian Police Department. There are also roles for Octavia Spencer and J.K. Simmons as Mrs. Otterson and Mayor Leodore Lionhearted, respectively, while Tommy Chong, Nate Torrence, Jenny Slate, Firefly alum Alan Tudyk, Raymond Persi, Bonny Hunt and Don Lake round out the jam-packed list.
Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, a pair who have had their hands in numerous animated projects such as Wreck-It Ralph and The Simpsons, Zootopia will swing its colossal doors open to the public on March 4, 2016.
The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery.