'Zootopia' features such a large and diverse range of characters - one of our biggest casts ever for a Disney Animation film. We needed talented actors who could help bring these animals to life.

Byron Howard

Categorized in : Help Animals Life Animation

When I first heard that they were going to make 'Beauty and the Beast' at Disney, I was like, 'Oh, God, there's no way I'm going to see that movie,' because I knew what that movie was, was just two people sitting down to dinner over and over and over again. But then when I went to see it, it was like, 'Oh, they made it work.'

god work beauty people

Oh, I like Roger Moore - he's cheeky.

oh he like cheeky

The people around us are at the top of their craft, and we benefit from that.

craft us top people

A nice thing about being at Disney is that these movies can develop into a presence in theme parks and become something real, or maybe get a sequel or tell other stories.

movies something nice real

As animation directors, you're the first one on the film; you're the last one off, and you get to learn from and touch every department throughout the whole journey. I don't know any other job in the world that's like that. I don't think live-action is like that. It's a very different sort of experience.

you experience journey world

One of the magical things about these anthropomorphic animal movies is that we can take things that are so common in our own world that we deal with, like the DMV, or moving to a new city, or our family, and show you a mirror image of those things, reflected in a whole new way. That's why animals are great.

mirror great you family

When I was up in Washington state, I always thought, 'I'm going to go to Los Angeles where films are made and stories are told, and they're going to love me and welcome me with open arms.' But, there was no welcoming committee.

love-me me welcome love

We thought a human city is kind of like that watering hole. It's where different groups come together and have to find ways to live and survive and cohabit and cooperate, but they may not always see eye-to-eye.

live city thought together

You hope, when you're working on these things, that people love them whether it makes a lot of money or not.

you money hope love

We want these movies to be timeless, and we want people to really engage with the characters and find something that they can really relate to and emotionally connect with.

find movies want people

Ariel got me into animation. She was the first Disney heroine that really felt alive. She felt like a real young woman.

woman me alive real

Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook, it's so amazing because years ago, when I was growing up and watching movies, there was no way for us to interact with filmmakers at all. You could send a letter, and you'd never know if you were going to hear back or not.

movies amazing you way

People were very nice to me. They knew I didn't have the money to do figure-drawing classes, so they let me annex the figure-drawing classes that the animators had.

me nice money people

The era of 'The Jungle Book' was when the animators were at the top of their game and their sense of character was great.

game great character book

It's tough sometimes for groups of people and animals to let go of that fear that can so easily bubble back up to the surface.

tough fear sometimes people

If we can be the best people we are as individuals, then that's the way to change the world.

best change people world

When you work on these films for so long and so intensely, when you get to the end of them, suddenly there's nothing to do.

end you work long

Once you're done with the film, it's almost like empty nest syndrome: your kid has moved out of the house.

your you done house