Heartwarming / Zootopia

"You bunnies, so emotional."

WARNING: Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies to Heartwarming Moments pages. All spoilers are unmarked.

• The prologue shows Judy as a little bunny wearing a police hat. It's completely adorable.
  • For all that her parents might look shocked, it's charming that some of Judy's younger siblings, sitting alongside them, enthusiastically applaud her declared intention to be a cop.
• During the movie's prologue, we see young Judy coming to the defense of her friends whose tickets were stolen by bully Gideon Grey. Judy is clearly outmatched, since the fox is taller and bulkier than her, yet she courageously comes to their defense because it's the right thing to do. Gideon gives her a beating and even scratches her cheek (all the while mocking her dreams of becoming a police officer), but Judy still manages to retrieve the tickets from him and returns the tickets to her friends. This event only inspires her more to fulfill her dreams of becoming an officer of the law so that she can defend the weak and defenseless from animals like Gideon.
  • The way her friends rush over to make sure she's alright and their gratitude for her efforts is a treat as well.
• The Drill Sergeant Nasty polar bear smiles when Judy starts doing better in the training, showing she actually cares for her recruits. Bonus points since she's a predator, fully averting the Fantastic Racism seen thus far.
• The scene where Judy leaves for Zootopia. She hops off the train to hug and kiss her parents goodbye saying "I love you guys", her father starts crying, and a number of her siblings are standing by and waving goodbye until she's out of sight.
  • Even more so, as revealed in Zootopia+, where Judy's youngest sister Molly tagged along on the train to reach Judy, and when she fell over a larger passenger inside the train, he and the others didn't get upset at her but instead smiled kindly at the baby bunny.
• When she first arrives at the station and meets Clawhauser, Judy clearly feels that's he's being obliviously condescending, and indicates that she finds the word "cute" inappropriate. He immediately issues a flustered apology and makes his remorse clear. It's a heartwarming first impression of the ZPD, and grows more so when Judy realizes the rest of the force isn't nearly as understanding.
  • That said, while her fellow officers seated by her looked at her with a mix of curiosity and "why us" for having her there, Officer Rhinowitz DID take up her offered "Bro-fist" about wanting to make the word a better place. He could have easily ignored her, or made it hard enough to knock her out of her seat. It also should be noted the Wolf and Tiger's looks were more "Look at the naive rookie" than judging her for being a rabbit. Fridge Brilliance when you realize that both being predators means they probably had to deal with prejudice most of their lives for what species they are, despite, you know, not having a choice to be born into them. It also should be noted those same three officers are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Judy later at Gazelle's peace rally.
• While Chief Bogo is introduced as a Mean Boss to Judy, he is shown to have a caring side that shows up from time to time. He wishes Francine, an elephant officer, a sincere "happy birthday". Especially significant since he uses Last-Name Basis with all his employees as a matter of course, but calls her by her first name in this context. And during Judy's Darkest Hour, when she fears that she has broken the city, he states: "Don't give yourself so much credit, Hopps. The world has always been broken. That's why we need good cops... like you."
  • Also, assumingly, there's never been a cop Judy's size before at ZPD. But Precinct One conveniently had a meter maid cart right for Judy's small size. Bogo probably got it the moment he heard he was getting a new recruit who's about fifteen times smaller than everyone else.
• Francine, the elephant in the room is pretty chummy with her fellow officers. A tiger officer starts punching Francine in good spirits before being held in a similarly affectionate headlock.
• During a protest during the panic, ZPD officers that are both predator and prey work together to keep the peace. Showing that no matter what rumors go around, they stand together to protect and serve.
• A subtle overarching one: Bogo is no doubt a tough boss to please, but he gives Clawhauser significant autonomy and patience, and treats him with relative courtesy the entire time, a far cry from how Lionheart treats Bellwether. Also the fact that he hired and kept Clawhauser in the first place is an indication that he isn't as blindly prejudiced as he first appears. Clawhauser likewise does not find Bogo intimidating in any way whatsoever, and instead sees him as completely approachable. Although they only have a few scenes of onscreen interaction, it's clear that they are willing to accept each other as they are, potentially off-putting behaviors and all.
• The Jumbo Pop scene. Nick and Finnick's interaction as father and son was adorable, Judy herself was quite touched by their interaction.
  • Likewise, Judy standing up to the owner of the ice cream shop, who refused to give Nick service on account of him being a fox was likewise quite heroic on her part, especially considering how displeased she was with her initial work as a meter maid. Her paying for the Jumbo Pop when Nick didn't have any money because he forgot his wallet was likewise quite generous.
  • Judy leaving the store while holding Finnick's hand. She even tells him to pursue his dream of being an elephant while giving him a sticker, saying that anything is possible in Zootopia. Likewise, when she talks with Nick, he admits that nobody ever stood up for him like that.
    • The fact that Finnick kept the sticker, showing that he was genuinely touched by her kindness.
  • That last statement becomes even more heartwarming after we learn Nick's backstory. It's possible that while the rest of his behavior was an act, he was actually being genuinely sincere and honest when he said that.
  • Another thing to note is that when she first saw Nick, Judy assumed he was up to no good, but when she thought he was just a father buying his kid some ice cream, she looked disappointed in herself and even muttered "I'm such a..." It's worth knowing that even though Judy does have some prejudices against foxes, she knows better than to make assumptions about all of them and was always trying to keep her own bigotry in check.
• Judy decides to compliment elements of Fru Fru's fashion for no other reason than to be nice on two separate occasions. Both times Fru Fru shyly responds "Thank you..." This stands out especially because in both instances Judy is occupied with an emergency situation which would fully justify skipping social pleasantries; nobody would blame her for not paying any attention to a tiny shrew's hair or her dress while she's chasing an escaping thief or about to be iced by a mob boss, but Judy takes the time to compliment Fru Fru nonetheless.
• Fru Fru prevents her father from icing Nick and Judy because Judy saved her life the previous day. Mr. Big is far too grateful to Judy to allow little things like potential criminal charges to trouble him. He goes from vengefully homicidal to firm ally in an instant. Nick is, of course, flabbergasted.
• A small but major moment: when Nick and Judy are being chased by the now-feral Mr. Manches, they try to make it to the sky tram to escape. Nick gets to the tram first, opens the door and shouts, "Get in!" Even though they hadn't known each other long at all, Nick thought to save Judy before himself.
• Nick saves Judy's job by pointing out to Da Chief that the deal was for 48 hours and she still has 10 hours left; also, that he deliberately set her up to fail with zero leads, and no access to resources, to which Bogo visibly flinches in response. Judy is sincerely grateful.
  • Adding to the moment is that it cuts to him while Bogo is demanding Judy's badge, and you can clearly see he's stunned and guilty about his own role in the scene; he wasted her time, after all, and at this point the petty jokes and delays he orchestrated aren't something he's proud of. He's probably remembering the parallels between himself as a child and Judy here: just wanting to make a difference and getting shafted, pushed aside, laughed at and hurt. And then he straightens and stomps over and gives Bogo, a mammal probably three times his size, a piece of his mind.
  • The expressions on Nick's face when he hears Bogo demand Judy's badge. He looks between the two of them in disbelief, especially when he sees that she's about to crack under the bullying and the pressure. What's best about it is that Judy had just genuinely saved his life (and twice, if you're counting: once when Manchas was about to pounce on him at the end of the walkway and twice when she grabs the vine before they both would have fallen to their deaths.) It hits him hard that he'd been acting like she wasn't a real cop and she finally proves herself to him by saving his life, so he wasn't about to let Bogo bully her into quitting.
  • Plus, there's how Nick opens the door to the sky-tram for Judy and then very respectfully says, "Officer Hopps" instead of his usual nickname of "Carrots" while in front of the Chief, making no bones about the fact that she deserves being treated like an adult and like a police officer because of how hard she's worked on the case so far. It's so heartfelt that Judy is completely speechless the whole time until they're away from Bogo and she thanks Nick graciously.
• It's a small moment, and it's marred by the fact he had previously been recorded as saying he was only concerned about his career if the truth came out (because he is a predator), but as he's being arrested Mayor Lionheart is clearly deeply upset about the infected people and that no cure or explanation for their condition has been found. Then there's the fact he had them in a hospital to try and help them in the first place (and keep both them and others safe).
  Lionheart: It was a classic case of "Doing the wrong thing for the right reason".
• Even if Nick's revelation about his childhood trauma is a Tearjerker, him opening up about it to Judy shows that he has come to trust her. It's implied that he never told anybody his backstory before, and after he's done Judy shows him sympathy, which for Nick is probably the first time someone has done it in years.
  • His Junior Ranger oath. "I - Nicholas Wilde - promise to be brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy!" He gets to be all of that to Judy, many years after he made that oath.
• After Judy and Nick fall down the waterfall, Nick comes out first and worryingly calls for Judy to the point that he says her name for the only time in the whole film.
  Nick: Carrots? Hopps!? (growing desperate) Judy!
• Clawhauser's reaction to catching Bogo using the Gazelle app. He stops in his tracks to ask, "Wait, is that Gazelle!? You have the app too?" Then he beams affectionately while exclaiming "Oh, Chief!" in the form of a long, drawn-out delighted squeal. He stands out as exceptionally elated to learn about a common interest with his boss. Made more heartwarming by the fact that Clawhauser reacts with earnest admiration to something about Bogo that clearly makes him feel self-conscious. This manages to change Bogo's mood from mortified at being caught to simply annoyed at being interrupted.
• Right before a press conference after Judy solved the case, she gives Nick an application to enroll in Police Academy because she really wants him to be her partner. Nick follows through with it at the end of the movie.
  • In a Freeze-Frame Bonus, the application is already filled out. He'd already decided to be her partner.
• Gazelle's Rousing Speech, an attempt to reunite the city as strife between predator and prey species increases. Also a Tear Jerker.
  The Zootopia I know is better than this. We don't just blindly assign blame. We don't know why these attacks keep happening, but it is irresponsible to label all predators as savages. We cannot let fear divide us. Please... give me back the Zootopia I love.
  • Made even more heartwarming is that she says this during a peace rally where the activists include both prey and predator species (some are even holding each other hand in hand). While much of the prey population is gripped with fear and paranoia, there are many who still stand up for their predator friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.
  • Made even more poignant by the Dance Party Ending: Gazelle's backup dancers are tigers. What she said wasn't just for the sake of the city, she said it because the situation was downright personal. The looks they give her during the concert speaks volumes about how much it meant to them.
    • Someone captioned that moment from the concert, in a combination of funny and heartwarming◊.
    • If you look at Gazelle during the reporters talking about the protest, you see she is holding hands with one of her tiger dancers.
• A small one, but Finnick helping Judy finding Nick. Not only does it show that he didn't cut ties with Nick, but it is implied that he did it out of selflessness since there was nothing he could gain from helping her. It is also implied that he sees Judy as a Morality Chain as he seemed ready to beat her up with a bat for knocking on his van, but immediately calms down upon recognizing her. The fact that he kept the sticker she gave him, even if he gave it to Nick in mockery shows that he at least was touched by her kindness back at the ice cream shop.
• Pictured above, Judy's reconciliation with Nick, with her tearfully admitting her mistake of accidentally generalizing all predators to have revert back to their savage ways during her speech and accidentally hurts Nick's feelings. Nick just plays her recorded voice ("I really am just a dumb bunny!") on her carrot-shaped pen/recorder that she gave him earlier, before turning to her with a smile and letting her cry into his chest, while quipping a few friendly remarks to reassure her that he gladly forgives her.
  • Adding onto that: Considering the horrendous damage Judy had accidentally done to innocent predators with her conference, and the fact that she felt so ashamed and helpless that she simply gave up and left the whole mess to be cleaned up by others, she did no favors to Nick, essentially abandoning him to the prejudices of the rest of the city, which were now far worse, and more intense. Yet instead of ranting angrily at Judy for her mistakes and actions, or completely dismissing her and walking away, Nick not only completely forgives her and chooses to continue to assist her, but he openly wants her to cry on him. This shows a complete change from Nick's earlier need to emotionally defend/distance himself and his personal space from others, and demonstrates that he desires her closeness. The hug also shows that Nick values both Judy as a person (bunny?), and his relationship with her, far above his own need to be right. It's really more of a moment to show Nick's significant character development, than it is a moment to show that he was right, and that Judy was wrong.
  • Furthermore, Nick already had the pen recording. It's possible he did want to forgive Judy, but he just wanted her to realize her mistake and apologize for it before he could fully do so.
    • Considering he'd hung onto that pen for three months after the press conference, the only reason he held out as long as he did was his promise to never let anyone see they get to him.
  • While hugging her, he asks if she's just trying to steal the pen back. Still half sobbing and half laughing, she makes a few playful little grabs for it, and it's all just unbearably cute.
  • Also adorable is the moment when he realizes she's standing on his tail and she apologizes and steps off. It's a small moment, but it's an adorably awkward way to end the scene and makes their relationship seem much more real.
    • And it's doubly sweet when you realize that in order for her to step on his tail, he'd have had to wrap it around her first.
    • Note, too, that he doesn't actually tell her to get off his tail (which must have been quite painful) until she's calmed down and cheered up.
• Judy's bravery against Gideon, and her work in the city, could clearly be felt back home.
  • Judy's parents overcoming their fear of foxes and starting to work with Gideon Grey because their daughter's actions made them more open-minded. Unlike Nick, he's fairly bigger and bulkier than them, and yet they don't seem to be even remotely afraid of him, even if before they considered foxes scary enough to have a taser just to deal with them. This is made all the sweeter since it happens after Fantastic Racism towards predators skyrocketed and Judy considered herself responsible for it.
  • Gideon in his youth was a vicious bully, and in the beginning of the movie he was shown threatening Judy and scratching her. When he sees her, he immediately recognizes her and apologizes, admitting he had issues and was wrong in tormenting others to feel better, and Judy gladly accepts his apologies. Natural instincts aren't the only bad habits one can overcome!
  • And when Judy is informed about how her former bully has changed, she's delighted; surprised yes but she's incredibly pleased. Few would blame her for holding a grudge but the most she does is gently rib him for old time's sake and she's clearly thrilled he's turned over a new leaf.
  • She also commends her parents for working with him. Even if Judy was happy that Gideon wasn't a jerk anymore, it'd be understandable if she felt hurt about her parents working with someone who was cruel to her... but she isn't. She thinks it's cool.
  • Another heartwarming aspect of this is just how likable adult Gideon is (it's no wonder he's an Ensemble Dark Horse for so many) compared to what he was like as a child. It really does inspire hope, showing how people can change for the better. As another example of this, note that one of the things he was angry about as a child (having his lack of intelligence/education revealed by his cohort correcting him on DNA) is something he is readily and easily willing to joke about himself as an adult—just teasingly calling the Latin name Stu uses for the Night Howler a "four-dollar word", and then after Judy has her "Eureka!" Moment and drives off, openly admitting he didn't understand a word she'd said ("I thought for a moment there she was talkin' in tongues!") and was grateful to have Stu and Bonny confirm that it really was incomprehensible. Quite the change.
  • In addition, the way he explains his behavior indicates that he didn't have his come-to-Jesus moment apropos of nothing; his issues ran deeper than just being racist towards rabbits, and he actually received and accepted professional help to overcome them. His explanation is probably how his therapist characterized it to him.
• Mr. Big helping out Judy once again because she's the godmother of his future granddaughter. Cop or not, she is officially part of the family. On top of that, Mr. Big's daughter Fru Fru decided to name the child after Judy. She's clearly touched by this.
  • Mr. Big describes Otterton as like a member of his family, and part of the reason he's so eager to get back at Nick is because he treated Nick like family (he mentions they shared meals and his grandmother even made them dessert), only for Nick to cheat him.
• When Nick and Judy are trying to escape Bellwether and her minions, Judy's leg becomes injured: she can't run. Judy tells Nick to go on without her and bring the evidence to the ZPD. Nick absolutely refuses and uses his handkerchief to bandage up her leg.
  Nick: I'm not leaving you. That's not happening!
  • It's even more touching when you remember that Bellwether's conspiracy was targeting predators. It's never outright said, but Judy was trying to get Nick to run because she didn't want him to lose his mind to the Night Howler serum. Nick knows about that very likely scenario and he doesn't care, since he knows that as a critical witness, Bellwether will kill a defenseless Judy if she gets left behind in the museum. Their loyalty to one another and their awareness at what Bellwether has in store for them if she gets them is what makes them come up with their Batman Gambit to take her down.
  • After they get knocked into the pit, in a blink and you'll miss it moment right before Bellwether confronts them, Nick reaches out toward Judy almost as if he's asking her, "Are you okay?"
  • Before taking the blueberries out of the kerchief, Nick offered one of them to Judy. While she declines because she's in a lot of pain, it's still a sweet gesture.
• When Emmitt Otterton recovers from the Hate Plague, Mrs. Otterton climbs into his hospital bed and practically wraps herself around him. She then looks over her shoulder and thanks Judy, who's standing at the foot of the bed in her police uniform, with a healed leg and a smile.
• The curing of all the savage predators and reuniting them with the prey animals brings tears of happiness.
• During the panic, the higher-ups of Zootopia remove Clawhauser from the front desk because they don't consider it a good idea for mammals to see a predator face when they first walk into the ZPD. While he's obviously extremely upset about it, he uses his calm tone and choice of diction to make it clear to a distraught Judy that he does not blame her or anybody else for what happened. Just as well, Judy is noticeably concerned upon seeing Clawhauser gathering up his things. Despite his accidental insensitivity during their first interaction, Judy clearly cares about her fellow officer.
  • Also, there's the fact that Chief Bogo, when given the order to do so, could have easily fired Clawhauser, but instead of doing that, he moves him to the records station. While Bogo is a Mean Boss, he ultimately cares for those underneath his command; transferring Clawhauser to Records was the best and only thing he could do to help him at that point. Also, after everything gets cleared up and the conspirators get caught, Chief Bogo wastes no time reinstating Clawhauser as the front desk officer.
  • And during the epilogue, Judy's not the only one who's happy to see the cheetah back in his rightful place; A few of the officers welcome Clawhauser back to the front desk with a box of doughnuts each. His reaction of surveying the boxes curiously, then beaming widely with his face in his hands and tail curled into a question mark pose makes it all the sweeter.
• At the very end, when Judy gives her Rousing Speech to the new recruits, she personally gives Nick his badge. The implications are pretty heartwarming, after knowing Nick's past and his first attempt at being an upstanding citizen. It's particularly endearing in that a subtle but noticeable shift occurs in Nick's face during this scene. For a brief moment when he salutes her back, his face takes on the idealistic smile he had as a youth when he first got his junior ranger scout uniform and looked forward to joining a pack.
  • Even more heartwarming, in contrast to how the Ranger scout kids treated him, the other graduating police officers look down at Nick, smiling, showing that they are more than welcome to have Nick join the force.
  • Nick winking to Judy while being given his badge.
  • While everybody is then being given their next assignment, Judy and Nick are sitting together on the same chair.
• This exchange:
  Nick: You know you love me.
  Judy (skeptically): Do I know that? (pretends to consider, then looks at Nick warmly) Yes. Yes, I do.
  • Regardless of whether you think its romantic or platonic, it is still one of the sweetest exchanges in the entire Disney canon.
  • The looks on their faces also sell it as well. When Judy is questioning if she does love Nick, obviously trolling him, Nick has a "You've got to be kidding!" look on his face. Then, when she says that she does, he has a smile on his face, as does she.
• The Gazelle concert at the end of the movie is full of them:
  • All of the characters in the movie dancing together at the Gazelle concert, including Bogo and even Nick, once Clawhauser and Judy get to them, respectively.
  • Bogo being at the concert, happily dancing openly next to Clawhauser is pretty heartwarming when we consider the last time they interacted, Bogo didn't even want to admit he liked Gazelle to Clawhauser. Before he starts dancing, he looks at Clawhauser for a couple of seconds with a huge grin on his face.
  • "Try Everything" itself is a super sweet, uplifting song about trying your best even if you fail.
  • Judy's parents, Stu and Bonnie, look so charming when they are dancing, and appear to be having the time of their lives.
  • The most heartwarming has to be Mr. Otterton dancing with his wife, twirling her into a romantic dip and then staring lovingly into her eyes. It's doubly sweet because he had just recently recovered from his feral state.
  • The dancing married couples at the end are both cute for a particular reason. The film presents so much love between a husband and a wife, even if it is just subplot matter rather than one of the main focuses of the film. Mr and Mrs Hopps' and Mr and Mrs Otterton's actions throughout the movie speak of years of unending love for each other. Fans who ship other non-married (potential) couples like Nick and Judy, as well as Flash and Priscilla, may hope that they reach that point in the future.
    • In Flash and Priscilla's case, this seems to be heading that way. Zootopia+ shows that before the concert, they're recently engaged.
  • It's quite lovely to know that the wardens of the Zootopia prison believe that even convicted criminals should have a chance to watch the Gazelle concert, and the prisoners seated on either side of Bellwether seem to really enjoy the show, even if it's just on a small-screen TV.
  • The sight of seeing Mr Big and Fru Fru dancing at the concert is pretty cute to look at. Especially the expression Fru Fru is making as she's dancing with her father. And while it's easy to miss the first time, if you look closely at Mr Big, he is actually smiling and appears to be having a lot of fun with his daughter.
  • Overall, it showcases a reunited Zootopia with predator and prey all having a good time together and not caring at all about the racial divides.
• Fru Fru telling her father about Judy who at the time thought was involved with Nick by selling a fake rug. She then tells him that she saved her life and both are later invited to her wedding dance.
• When Nick reveals his traumatic backstory to Judy, the sole good point was that Nick's mother, despite being poor, managed to get him the scout's uniform he wanted.
  • The fact that Nick told her speaks volumes about how much he's grown to see her as his friend. He tells her, "Never let them see that they get to you", and then opens up and tells her about the last time he let someone see that they got to him.
  • After hearing the story, Judy's almost in tears and reaches for his hand, thanking him for telling her. He tries to lighten the mood by talking about the traffic, but Judy's obviously moved by his opening up to her.
  • Simply the camera cutting back to Judy's sympathetic expression after Nick finishes his story is enough to warm the heart. She represents someone who cares about Nick as an individual.
• After the Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure with Nick is caused by her hastily chosen words and falling back on fear of foxes, she springs back and mends their broken friendship, and trusts Nick enough to have his teeth to her neck to sell the ruse that Nick's been turned feral. The sheer number of other police officers who show up after Bellweather puts out the call that Judy's down.

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