Is Zootopia next in line for a low-budget, live-action horror remake?
With several Disney characters having officially entered the public domain in recent years, it’s hardly surprising that Hollywood wasted no time snatching them up for horror remakes.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023), Mickey’s Mouse Trap (2024), Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (2025), Bambi: The Reckoning (2025), and Screamboat (2025) probably already sound at least vaguely familiar to anyone who frequents the Internet.
There’s even a shared cinematic universe in the works (yes, you read that right).
Not even video games are safe from these cheap-and-nasty remakes — there’s Nightmare Forge Games’ upcoming co-op survival horror game “Infestation 88” (TBA), which, like Screamboat, also features the classic Steamboat Willie (1928) version of Mickey Mouse.
Related: ‘Monsters, Inc.’ Could Be Getting a Live-Action Reboot!
But what’s next? Could the beloved Zootopia (AKA Zootropolis) go under the knife?
Zootopia centers on rabbit police detective Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and crooked fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) in a buddy cop-style adventure set in Zootopia, a a bustling metropolis teeming with anthropomorphic animals of all shapes, sizes, and species.
“Walt Disney Animation Studios presents a heart-warming comedy-adventure set in the modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia,” the official Disney+ synopsis for the film reads. “With 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 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 fast-talking, scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery.”
Unfortunately, Zootopia suddenly sounds less like an urbanized utopia and more like a smorgasbord of potential horror movie characters ripe for plucking. After all, the recent live-action “Disney” slasher remakes seem obsessed with Disney’s anthropomorphized animals.
Fortunately, the film is not part of the public domain like Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Peter Pan, and Mickey Mouse. Still, that might not stop other content creators — those of the online variety — from turning this beloved Disney film into something straight out of your worst nightmare. Or, perhaps the “mockbuster” genre might eventually get its hands on it.
Related: ‘Toy Story’ Theory Suggests Woody Was Destined to be Evil
Zootopia stars Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (Nick Wilde), Idris Elba (Chief Bogo), Jenny Slate (Dawn Bellwether), Nate Torrence (Benjamin Clawhauser), Bonnie Hunt (Bonnie Hopps), Don Lake (Stu Hopps), Tommy Chong (Yax), JK Simmons (Mayor Lionheart), Octavia Spencer (Mrs. Otterton), Alan Tudyk (Duke Weaselton), and Shakira (Gazelle).
Zootopia and Zootopia+ are now streaming. There’s no release date for Zootopia 2.
Do you think a Zootopia horror movie is inevitable? Let us know in the comments down below!
The post Is ‘Zootopia’ Next in Line for a Live-Action Horror Reboot? appeared first on Inside the Magic.
