Zootopia's directors paid homage to The Shining in a thrilling sequence that sent chills down fans' spines.
The plot of Zootopia 2 was tailor-made for the duo to flesh out their idea, which drew inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's classic horror film. In one pivotal scene, the Lynxley family patriarch, Milton, tries to keep the truth about the city's history under wraps, all while hiding in a maze within his grand manor.
The Shining concept came early on in the script's development, with Bush and Howard initially envisioning Nick and Judy navigating the labyrinthine maze. However, as they delved deeper into the project, they realized that bringing this idea to life would be an enormous undertaking.
"We had this idea of these lynxes that were obviously the villains, and it made sense to have this grand manor, and then this giant maze in the back of it," Bush explains. The animators faced a daunting task: creating a snow-covered maze with millions of leaves that could withstand destruction via a giant Snowcat.
The visual effects team's challenge was immense, requiring them to rig the animation to be "destroyed" seamlessly. As a nod to Jack Nicholson's iconic character, Pawbert limps through the maze in a scene reminiscent of The Shining.
Disney animator Louaye Moulayess was an ardent fan of The Shining and wore a t-shirt from the film on the day his shot was assigned out. He successfully petitioned for the role, bringing "unhinged" Pawbert to life in a memorable sequence that left Bush in stitches during the lighting review.
Michael Giacchino's score added an extra layer of tension to the scene, perfectly capturing the ominous atmosphere reminiscent of The Shining's famous theme.
While some may miss the original four-minute-long scene from The Silence of the Lambs, Bush and Howard wisely scaled back their homage to avoid overwhelming their core audience. They opted for a more concise nod to Jonathan Demme's classic horror film instead.
By drawing inspiration from these iconic horror films, Zootopia 2's directors created a thrilling sequence that showcases their creativity and attention to detail.
The plot of Zootopia 2 was tailor-made for the duo to flesh out their idea, which drew inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's classic horror film. In one pivotal scene, the Lynxley family patriarch, Milton, tries to keep the truth about the city's history under wraps, all while hiding in a maze within his grand manor.
The Shining concept came early on in the script's development, with Bush and Howard initially envisioning Nick and Judy navigating the labyrinthine maze. However, as they delved deeper into the project, they realized that bringing this idea to life would be an enormous undertaking.
"We had this idea of these lynxes that were obviously the villains, and it made sense to have this grand manor, and then this giant maze in the back of it," Bush explains. The animators faced a daunting task: creating a snow-covered maze with millions of leaves that could withstand destruction via a giant Snowcat.
The visual effects team's challenge was immense, requiring them to rig the animation to be "destroyed" seamlessly. As a nod to Jack Nicholson's iconic character, Pawbert limps through the maze in a scene reminiscent of The Shining.
Disney animator Louaye Moulayess was an ardent fan of The Shining and wore a t-shirt from the film on the day his shot was assigned out. He successfully petitioned for the role, bringing "unhinged" Pawbert to life in a memorable sequence that left Bush in stitches during the lighting review.
Michael Giacchino's score added an extra layer of tension to the scene, perfectly capturing the ominous atmosphere reminiscent of The Shining's famous theme.
While some may miss the original four-minute-long scene from The Silence of the Lambs, Bush and Howard wisely scaled back their homage to avoid overwhelming their core audience. They opted for a more concise nod to Jonathan Demme's classic horror film instead.
By drawing inspiration from these iconic horror films, Zootopia 2's directors created a thrilling sequence that showcases their creativity and attention to detail.
it's like they took all the best parts of The Shining and mashed them into zootopia 2, but you know what? it kinda works 
i mean, the idea of a creepy grand manor with secrets hidden in every nook was always gonna be cool. and that animation team is insane 
their work on that snow-covered maze was seriously impressive. i'm so here for this 
they took the shining and made it into this epic maze scene with pawbert limping around like nick from the shining lol imagine that 
️. can we get a sequels now though? 
it's such a clever move by Bush and Howard to draw inspiration from Kubrick's classic horror film, especially with the maze scene 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to see Nick and Judy navigating through that crazy labyrinth? 
Michael Giacchino's score added so much tension to the scene too! 
it's awesome how they scaled back the homage to avoid overwhelming their core audience, but still managed to pay a sweet nod to The Shining 
. can't wait for the movie to come out!! 
The attention to detail is insane, especially with the animation and visual effects team's work on the snow-covered maze. It's clear that Bush and Howard really put their heart into this project! 
, and I love how Bush & Howard scaled it back for the big screen - still gives me chills 
! And can we talk about Pawbert's limping scene? 
. What's your fave part of this epic homage? 
. And what about the timeline of the script development? How do we know they weren't working on other ideas first? 
The article mentions the team was "daunted" by bringing the maze to life, but that could be code for "we didn't know how to make it happen". 
i think the directors did a great job of scaling back the homage to avoid overwhelming the audience, but still getting their creative juices out there 
I'm a huge fan of both Zootopia & The Shining, and to see Disney pay homage to Kubrick's classic in such an epic way is just WOW 
. They did an amazing job scaling back the homage tho, cuz if they went full-on Silence of the Lambs it would've been a lot for the main audience 
. And can we talk about how cool it is to see those animators' skills put to the test trying to make that Snowcat destruction look realistic? 
. It's amazing how they took this classic horror film and made it work with a cartoon like Zootopia 2. Definitely one of those cool Easter eggs that makes me appreciate the filmmakers' creativity even more 
michael giacchino's score added this extra layer of tension that just brought it all together. i think it's awesome how bush and howard stayed true to the original while still making it their own. 
And can we talk about Michael Giacchino's score? 
It's giving me goosebumps every time I listen to it.
and it was like my heart was literally racing during those scenes where Jack Nicholson's character is going crazy... fast forward to Zootopia 2 and they managed to capture that same vibe with the grand manor maze scene, it gave me chills 
and I gotta say, that Pawbert limping scene was pure gold 
I don't think they missed the original 4-minute-long scene from The Silence of the Lambs either, because let's be real, who needs all that drama when you have a Snowcat 
and a majestic manor with a maze? 
. Like, I get it, The Shining is a classic horror film and all, but do we really need a maze in Zootopia 2?! It's just distracting from the actual plot and making everything feel like a shallow attempt to appeal to old-timers. And can we please just have some new ideas for once? 