Zootropolis: 24 Easter Eggs & References You Probably Missed
17. The Godfather
As the first trailer gave away, there's a bif Godfather parody in Zootropolis, thanks to the presence of Mr Big and his daughter.
Mr Big is clearly a thinly veiled reference to Don Vito Corleone, who passes judgement on Judy and Nick on the day of his daughter's wedding (just as Corleone does in the Godfather). The vocal performance by Maurice LaMarche takes obvious (exaggerated) leads from Marlon Brando.
Though a shrew probably doesn't necessarily fit the idea of a leading villain, Rich Moore actually explained the choice in conversation with Cinema Blend:
"We chose the shrew because, through our research that we did about animals, we found out that the arctic shrew is the most vicious predator on earth. Its true, that little tiny shrew needs to eat three times its body weight to stay alive. So that means, if you put four shrews in a bucket tonight, when you get home, if you cover that bucket, you come back in the morning, youre going to find one fat shrew. So, find four shrews on your way home tonight, get a bucket, youre going to love what you find in the morning."