Did You Know Zootopia Has a Different Name in Europe? Here’s Why

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Zootopia 2 made a major change when it hopped across the pond.

When the nominations for the 2026 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) were revealed on January 27th, some fans were surprised to discover that the Disney animated sequel—nominated for Best Animated Film along with Elio and Little Amélie—is known as Zootropolis 2 in Europe.

When Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) first appeared in 2016, Disney explained the change in the film’s title as a way to better connect with viewers in the United Kingdom.

Before the movie came out in 2015, a representative explained that they changed the title from Zootopia to Zootropolis in the U.K. simply to give the film a distinct title that would appeal to British audiences.

Records obtained by TopMob News show that Givskud Zoo in Denmark actually trademarked the word “Zootopia” in the European Union back in April 2009. The trademark was approved in February 2010 and is currently valid until April 2029.

Disney registered the name “Zootropolis” as a trademark with the European Union in October 2013, according to documents obtained by TopMob News. The trademark is valid until October 2033.

German viewers encountered Zootopia under a different title. To prevent confusion with a children’s book called Zootopolis, Disney released their animated film as Zoomania in Germany.

Even with different titles in various countries, the 2025 sequel—which is up for Best Animated Feature at the 2026 Oscars—has become a huge hit, surpassing Pixar’s Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film in Hollywood history.

As of January 28th, the film—featuring Fortune Feimster and Ke Huy Quan—has earned $1.74 billion globally, exceeding the $1.69 billion made by the sequel to Inside Out.

Want to discover the hidden stories and fascinating details about the animated films and series you love? Then keep reading…

Many fans were left purrrrrfectly confused after this revelation.

According to Jill Cook, an executive at Sanrio, Hello Kitty isn’t a cat at all! In a July 2024 interview with Today, Cook explained that Hello Kitty is a little girl who grew up in the London suburbs. She has a family – a mom, dad, and a twin sister named Mimmy, who is also her best friend – and loves baking and meeting new people.

Although many were surprised by the recent news, Tim Cook wasn’t the first to point this out. Christine R. Yano, an anthropology professor and author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific, had previously confirmed that Hello Kitty is not actually a cat.

In a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hello Kitty’s creator clarified that Hello Kitty isn’t actually a cat. She explained that Hello Kitty is a cartoon character—a little girl and a friend—who walks and sits upright like a human. While she doesn’t have cat-like movements, she does have a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.

Did you know some fun things about Hello Kitty? Sanrio says she’s five apples high, weighs three apples, was born on November 1st (so she’s a Scorpio!), and hopes to become a pianist or a poet.

Gawrsh! Did you know this fact?

Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy for many years, recently shared the reason why Goofy can speak but Pluto, Mickey Mouse’s dog, cannot.

During an August 2024 episode of the Popcorn Podcast with Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland, Goofy’s voice actor explained that Goofy isn’t technically a dog, but belongs to the canine family. He compared it to a wolf, saying both are canines but not dogs. The voice actor playfully referred to Goofy as Goofus canis or a “man-dog,” calling him a MOG for short.

However, Pluto, he added, is a “regular dog”—a blood hound as it turns out.

You’ll want to get to the (bikini) bottom of this discovery.

As a lifelong SpongeBob fan, I was totally surprised to learn that Stephen Hillenburg, the brilliant mind behind the show, actually intended Squidward to be an octopus all along! It’s wild to think we’ve all been calling him a squid for years, but that’s what the creator said, and I trust his vision completely.

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, explained the design of Squidward the Octopus in a 2005 interview rediscovered by BuzzFeed. He said he chose an octopus because of their naturally large heads, and felt it suited Squidward’s personality as a character who sees himself as intelligent.

If you’ve ever noticed Squidward only has six legs instead of the eight an octopus should have, creator Stephen Hillenburg explained it was simply easier for the animators to draw him that way.

Break out your handy dandy notebook and jot this one down.

According to co-creator Angela Santomero, Blue wasn’t always Blue! In a 2006 special called Behind the Clues: 10 Years With Blue – recently highlighted by Mental Floss – Santomero revealed that Blue was originally going to be named Mr. Orange, but they later decided Mr. Blue sounded better.

However, Nickelodeon revealed they were already developing a show centered around a cat. This led the animation team to scrap their initial concept and completely reimagine Blue as a dog instead.

Now this really isn’t funnie, er, funny.

Interestingly, the main character of the cartoon Doug was originally going to be called Brian. So, what prompted the name change?

Jim Jinkins, the creator of Doug, explained to HuffPost TV in 2014 that he changed the character’s name from Brian because it sounded too sophisticated. He wanted a name that felt completely ordinary, so he chose Doug. He felt the name perfectly reflected the character’s everyday perspective.

This fact is so good it’s scary.

BuzzFeed reports that the little girl in Monsters, Inc.: An Augmented Reality Book is named Mary Gibbs. Interestingly, this is the actual name of the actress who voiced the character of Boo in the movie!

Still not convinced? There’s a moment in the film where Boo is looking at her drawings, and viewers have noticed the name “Mary” written on one of them.

Everyone knows Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend as Minnie Mouse, but the BBC reported in 1942 that her complete name is actually Minerva.

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2026-01-29 02:17