yumikuri:

The original plot of Zootopia was a lot darker and they actually changed the entire plot and main character very late in development because they believed it made you “hate the world” of Zootopia. The original plot was much more in your face about oppression, and involved all of the predator characters needing to wear shock collars to “control them”. The collars didn’t actually control them because they were perfectly capable of self control, but because prey was the majority and felt unsafe without these collars on it became a societal norm. Nick was originally the main character, and the plot was something to do with showing the world that predators don’t need their collars. I really wish I could have seen this topic explored more, but since it changed so late in development theres a ton of story boarding and voice acting done for this original plot.