Source plot synopsis — includes the ending
In a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, Judy Hopps, a rabbit from rural Bunnyburrow, fulfills her childhood dream of becoming the first rabbit police officer in the city of Zootopia. On her first day at the Zootopia Police Department (ZPD), Judy is assigned to parking duty by Chief Bogo, who underestimates her potential. During her shift, she is hustled by red fox con artist Nick Wilde, who tells her she will never be a real cop. The next day, Judy abandons her post to arrest small-time crook Duke Weaselton for robbing a florist right in front of her. Afterwards, Mrs. Otterton visits Bogo, pleading for someone to find her husband Emmitt - he is one of several predators who have gone missing. Judy volunteers to take the case without waiting for permission, and an annoyed Bogo warns her she must solve it within 48 hours, or turn in her badge.
Having ascertained that Nick was one of the last to see Emmitt, Judy blackmails him into helping her. They follow clues to a naturist club, then to the sloth-run DMV. There, they get an address for the limousine that took Emmitt from the club, and trace it to arctic shrew mafia boss Mr. Big, who has a grudge against Nick. Mr. Big prepares to drown Judy and Nick, until his daughter Fru Fru reveals Judy saved her life while stopping Weaselton. Mr. Big then welcomes them in, and explains that Emmitt unexpectedly "went savage" in the limousine and attacked the chauffeur Renato Manchas, a black jaguar.
Judy and Nick question Manchas, who explains that Emmitt yelled about "Night Howlers" before attacking him. Before he can explain more, Manchas suddenly turns savage himself, and pursues them. Judy alerts the ZPD, but Manchas vanishes before backup arrives. Bogo demands Judy's resignation, but Nick reminds him there are still a few hours left. Nick later reveals to Judy that he was bullied as a child, and has resigned himself to always being seen as a "shifty fox".
At City Hall, Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether allows them access to Zootopia's traffic cameras, which reveal Manchas was abducted by timberwolves, whom Judy assumes are the Night Howlers. Following the wolves to an asylum, Judy and Nick locate Emmitt and the other missing predators, who are all "savage". Mayor Leodore Lionheart had imprisoned them to prevent citywide hysteria, and to protect the public, and his career. After Judy and Nick alert the ZPD, Lionheart and the asylum staff are arrested, Bellwether becomes the new mayor, and the missing animals are hospitalized. Judy, praised for solving the case, invites Nick to join the ZPD as her partner. At a press conference, Judy inadvertently suggests that the predators' physiology caused their feral behavior. Deeply hurt, Nick leaves, and Judy's comments incite fear and discrimination against predators throughout Zootopia. Wracked with guilt over causing the panic Lionheart tried to prevent, Judy resigns from the ZPD and returns to Bunnyburrow.
While managing her parents' vegetable stand, Judy learns that Night Howlers are actually flowers, which have severe, lasting psychotropic effects if ingested. Realizing that someone is using the flowers to turn predators savage, Judy returns to Zootopia and reconciles with Nick. They interrogate Weaselton, who confesses that a ram named Doug hired him to steal Night Howler bulbs. They find Doug in his laboratory, where he manufactures a serum from the Night Howlers to poison predators via a dart gun. Judy and Nick seize the gun as evidence after a pursuit, but before they can reach the ZPD, they are confronted by Bellwether in a Natural History Museum. Revealing that she masterminded the whole prey-supremacist plot to gain power due to the labor abuse that she received from Lionheart, Bellwether traps Judy and Nick in an exhibit and attempts to poison Nick and make him kill Judy. However, Judy and Nick had managed beforehand to replace the serum with blueberries, and record Bellwether's confession.
Bellwether and her accomplices are arrested, while the still-incarcerated Lionheart publicly denies involvement in her scheme. The savage predators are cured, and Judy is reinstated into the ZPD, while Nick becomes Judy's partner and the first fox police officer.
Having ascertained that Nick was one of the last to see Emmitt, Judy blackmails him into helping her. They follow clues to a naturist club, then to the sloth-run DMV. There, they get an address for the limousine that took Emmitt from the club, and trace it to arctic shrew mafia boss Mr. Big, who has a grudge against Nick. Mr. Big prepares to drown Judy and Nick, until his daughter Fru Fru reveals Judy saved her life while stopping Weaselton. Mr. Big then welcomes them in, and explains that Emmitt unexpectedly "went savage" in the limousine and attacked the chauffeur Renato Manchas, a black jaguar.
Judy and Nick question Manchas, who explains that Emmitt yelled about "Night Howlers" before attacking him. Before he can explain more, Manchas suddenly turns savage himself, and pursues them. Judy alerts the ZPD, but Manchas vanishes before backup arrives. Bogo demands Judy's resignation, but Nick reminds him there are still a few hours left. Nick later reveals to Judy that he was bullied as a child, and has resigned himself to always being seen as a "shifty fox".
At City Hall, Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether allows them access to Zootopia's traffic cameras, which reveal Manchas was abducted by timberwolves, whom Judy assumes are the Night Howlers. Following the wolves to an asylum, Judy and Nick locate Emmitt and the other missing predators, who are all "savage". Mayor Leodore Lionheart had imprisoned them to prevent citywide hysteria, and to protect the public, and his career. After Judy and Nick alert the ZPD, Lionheart and the asylum staff are arrested, Bellwether becomes the new mayor, and the missing animals are hospitalized. Judy, praised for solving the case, invites Nick to join the ZPD as her partner. At a press conference, Judy inadvertently suggests that the predators' physiology caused their feral behavior. Deeply hurt, Nick leaves, and Judy's comments incite fear and discrimination against predators throughout Zootopia. Wracked with guilt over causing the panic Lionheart tried to prevent, Judy resigns from the ZPD and returns to Bunnyburrow.
While managing her parents' vegetable stand, Judy learns that Night Howlers are actually flowers, which have severe, lasting psychotropic effects if ingested. Realizing that someone is using the flowers to turn predators savage, Judy returns to Zootopia and reconciles with Nick. They interrogate Weaselton, who confesses that a ram named Doug hired him to steal Night Howler bulbs. They find Doug in his laboratory, where he manufactures a serum from the Night Howlers to poison predators via a dart gun. Judy and Nick seize the gun as evidence after a pursuit, but before they can reach the ZPD, they are confronted by Bellwether in a Natural History Museum. Revealing that she masterminded the whole prey-supremacist plot to gain power due to the labor abuse that she received from Lionheart, Bellwether traps Judy and Nick in an exhibit and attempts to poison Nick and make him kill Judy. However, Judy and Nick had managed beforehand to replace the serum with blueberries, and record Bellwether's confession.
Bellwether and her accomplices are arrested, while the still-incarcerated Lionheart publicly denies involvement in her scheme. The savage predators are cured, and Judy is reinstated into the ZPD, while Nick becomes Judy's partner and the first fox police officer.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Zootopia. Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license