Wild Times was an amusement park in Zootopia operated by Nick Wilde in earlier versions of Disney's 2016 animated feature film, Zootopia.
Background[]
As mentioned above, Wild Times was an amusement park operated by Nick in earlier versions of the story where predators were forced to wear electric "tame collars" to keep paranoid prey citizens content with a feeling of safety and control over their potentially savage neighbors. After becoming hospitalized, Nick's collar had to be removed to allow the doctor access to his neck. This was the first time Nick has had the collar removed since childhood, and the feeling of freedom provides him with an epiphany—a dream to open a park where predators all across Zootopia are given a chance at freedom. Not only would it be an action of goodwill, but also a massive money-making endeavor, being that the tame collars were universally hated by their hosts.
After assembling a team in the form of his best friends (Finnick, Clawhauser, and Honey), Nick sought deals with several banks in hopes of earning a loan to open the park. Being that these banks were owned by prey citizens, a predator such as Nick was unable to garner any assistance. Out of desperation, he struck a deal with loan shark Koslov, and purchased a factory below and linked to a parking. To keep Wild Times hidden from prey mammals, a false medical clinic was built in the center of the parking lot. Inside the clinic was a secret entrance leading to Wild Times, where dozens of attractions designed specifically for predatory animals were held and operated. After entering the clinic and the passageway, predators would visit Clawhauser and Finnick at "Collar Check". The latter would remove the collars with a tag reader, and the predators were free to roam from there.
Development[]
Wild Times was developed during a lengthy period of story development in which Nick was the protagonist, in place of Judy Hopps. Like the final version of the film, Nick was a con-artist, and Wild Times was meant to act as his greatest ambition yet. However, the entire purpose of Wild Times was to allow predatory animals a chance to roam without the restrictions of their tame collars. The collars were dropped from the story late in development, due to the darkness of the concept rendering the city of Zootopia too unlikable for the audience. As such, the concept of Wild Times was also scrapped. Nevertheless, Byron Howard has expressed interest in reviving the park in later Zootopia projects.
Trivia[]
- Although Wild Times was dropped from the film, it was utilized with an alternate background in the sequel book, The Stinky Cheese Caper.
- It was also featured in the The Official Zootopia Handbook, being advertised as a family amusement park located in Downtown, Zootopia, on the pier.
- There was a point in the story where Wild Times was raided by the Zootopia Police Department, leading to its closure and Nick's arrest.
Gallery[]
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