This article is about the deuteragonist of the film. You may be looking for the doll or the park character.
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- “Never let 'em see that they get to you.”
- ―Nick Wilde's life motto
Officer Nicholas Piberius "Nick" Wilde[6] is a male red fox and the deuteragonist of Zootopia. He is the son of Mrs. Wilde.
Background
Official Bio
- Nick Wilde is a charming, small-time, con artist fox with a big mouth and a lot of opinions. But when a rabbit cop outsmarts him, he finds himself actually helping her solve a mystery.[7]
Early Life
A flashback depicting Nick's childhood.
Nick came from a poor background living with his mother, Mrs. Wilde (his father is never mentioned or seen, except in the original version of the film). As a child, Nick had a dream to join the local Junior Ranger Scouts, for the goal of receiving genuine acceptance. When he was 8 or 9 years old, his mother scraped up enough money to buy a brand new scout uniform, allowing him the opportunity to join the division.
Though he was the only predator there, the only fox, Nick attended his initiation with confidence and zeal, unknowingly walking right into a trap. The "initiation" turned out to be a cruel prank and Nick was ridiculed, brutally beaten, and muzzled by the other scouts for being a fox (as foxes are considered among the most vile and untrustworthy species of mammals in Zootopia). After running outside to escape his tormentors, Nick tore off the muzzle and broke down in tears, developing a triggering fear of muzzles and dislike towards prey, and bigoted mammals. From that moment forward, Nick vowed to never expose his true vulnerability to others, resulting in the fox presenting himself as stoic and unreachable.
This unjust treatment continued well throughout his lifetime, apparent during his adulthood shown in the film, which would only heighten Nick's cynicism. Some of these instances include Nick's interaction with the prejudiced Jerry Jumbeaux, Jr., who specifically states that he has the right to refuse service to anyone, and abuses this power against Nick, openly due to the former's distrust towards foxes. Chief Bogo also displayed this behavior when Officer Judy Hopps, at one point, called Nick forth as a key witness for her case; Bogo unabashedly scoffed at the idea of a fox being trustworthy enough to have its voice heard, thus refusing to listen to his testimony.
As a result of this treatment, Nick declared that if the world viewed foxes as nothing more than sly, vile and untrustworthy scoundrels, he should not only accept it, but embrace it, subsequently doing so by becoming a successful con artist.
At some point during his status as a con artist, Nick fell in with Mr. Big, a feared arctic shrew crime boss, developing a stable partnership with him. Mr. Big liked and trusted the fox, welcoming him into his home and even introducing him to his grandmother, who made him a cannoli. However, Nick later took advantage of Big's trust by selling him a very expensive wool rug secretly made from the fur of a skunk's rear end. Feeling betrayed and disrespected, Mr. Big turned Nick away, threatening to kill him if they ever met again.
By the start of the film, Nick appears to be well-off, claiming to have made $200 on a daily basis since the age of twelve (though the accuracy of these claims is questionable). He often works and splits the day's earnings with his quick-tempered partner and fellow fox, Finnick.
In Disney Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue, young Nick is described as sweet, friendly, and mischievous, and is noted to have a natural ability to make others smile and laugh, by replacing the magician, who called in sick, for his childhood friend, Hedy's birthday.
Physical Appearance
Nick is a fox with a slim build. He's covered in red fur with a cream underbelly up to his muzzle. He has dark auburn fur on his feet, his hands, the tips of his ears, and at the tip of his tail. He has green eyes and a dark purple nose.
Nick's wardrobe consists of a light green Hawaiian shirt, a dark indigo necktie with red-and-blue stripes, and a pair of grayish-tan pants. He also has a yellow variant of his Hawaiian shirt. While helping Judy during her investigation, he wears a junior ZPD badge sticker over the pocket of his shirt, originally a gift from Judy for Finnick before the latter humorously passed it onto Nick. The sticker is removed after Judy's press conference when Nick feels hurt by her.
After Nick graduated into a police officer, his fox-size uniform is navy blue with sleeves, a peaked cap, a high collar and pants with a gold aiguillette and the ZPD insignia on his shoulders, along with having a black tie and a utility belt filled with various paraphernalia. He's also shown wearing police sunglasses.
Personality
A screenshot of young Nick, reflecting his sensitive nature.
Nick Wilde is shifty, sly, and cunning, traits supposedly common to all foxes. He is easygoing and slick, easily conning and tricking others through his charm and friendly demeanor. He nearly always has a sly smile on his face and seems unfazed throughout most of the film, as he later reveals that because of the numerous years of suffering from prejudice and stereotypes that came with being a fox, he decided on two things: He would never let anyone know they got to him and if the world only ever saw foxes as sly scoundrels then he would be that. This led him to be cynical and pessimistic of the world, and he came believe that animals can only be what they are, not what they want to be. He is very street smart and intelligent, and is also good at telling what kind of person someone is, as he was able to correctly guess upon simply meeting Judy that she was from a family of carrot farmers and graduated top of her class with high dreams of making it big and living in a place like Zootopia where it seemed like everything was great because people could live equally before displaying his pessimistic side and stating she would never make it and would return home.
Because he is a con artist, he is tricky and knows how to get out of sticky situations using his words and knows how to get around the city easily managing to evade Judy and tricking her into stepping into wet cement. Despite being a con artist (or perhaps because of it), he has numerous friends and connections (most of whom are shady characters to begin with). He also got in trouble with at least one mob boss, notably Mr. Big (though by the end of the film they seem to have put the matter under the skunk butt rug). He enjoys being sarcastic and poking fun at others particularly Judy, since she was much more serious than him and was a bunny, on occasion citing stereotypes such as carrot farmer and dumb bunny toward her.
A screenshot of adult Nick, reflecting his cocky and condescending nature.
It is implied throughout the film and stated outright by Judy that his obvious enjoyment in poking at others' failures comes from the suffering he endured and seeing another's pain makes his views about his own frustrating life feel better. However, when Judy saw more to him than that, he grew hopeful as he believed someone finally saw him for who he really was, implying that deep down that was all he ever wanted. However, when she unintentionally said bigoted comments about the animals going savage being predators and that their affliction was caused by their "biology" and something in their genes causing them to revert, he felt betrayed as he (a predator) was once more being labeled as dangerous simply because of his species. Despite this, he is quite forgiving, as he did quickly forgive Judy when she realized her mistake and broke down crying. He is also not a glory hound and seems to prefer remaining in the shadows, letting Judy take all the credit for finding the 14 missing mammals, claiming it was because he was not a cop and so didn't need or deserve the credit. He also proved to be resourceful and intelligent, quickly figuring out that the cameras around the city could help them find where Mr. Otterton was and understanding how to avoid being caught on camera doing illegal things by using Maintenance Tunnel 6B and keeping evidence of Bellwether's treachery in case their attempt at hijacking the train where she and her minions grew Night howlers went awry, which it did and also coming up with the plan (alongside Judy) to switch the serum in the dart gun with blueberries in case one of Bellwether's minions caught them and to keep the serum as evidence.
Prejudice remains a big deal for him, as he hates it when others misjudge him, but at the same time does his best to hide this anger under an easygoing facade and sarcastic comments, and easily creating a comeback to retaliate. The only time he ever breaks his easygoing facade are when he is scared for his life, or when someone close to him betrays him. This also shows he is loyal and caring to his friends. His friendship with Judy evolves to the point where he risks his life to help and protect her throughout the film. He even shows a softer warmer side to himself, comforting her over her mistakes and giving her advice. The two times Judy asked Nick to leave her behind, he refused.
Role in the Film
Nick and Finnick posing as father and son.
On an average day, Nick and Finnick were in the midst of their latest scheme. He is first seen snooping about Savanna Central, and eventually entering Jumbeaux's Café, unknowingly being tailed by Officer Judy Hopps, a rookie of the Zootopia Police Department, as she believes Nick, being a fox, is up to no good. Inside the café, Nick is denied service due to his species, though Nick claims he means no harm, and is simply looking to buy a Jumbo-pop as a birthday present for his son (Finnick, disguised as a toddler). Jerry refuses again, prompting Judy to intervene. She does so by threatening to shut down Jerry's establishment for health code violations, and out of fear, Jerry complies with Judy's demands by allowing Nick to buy the pop. With his luck running strongly, Nick furthers his scheme by claiming to have left his wallet at home, prompting Judy to pay out of sympathy. Nick then thanks Judy for her services, before he and Finnick leave the scene.
Nick sells pawsicles to lemmings.
They head to Sahara Square to further their plot, which is revealed to be an elaborate scheme in which he and Finnick melt down the Jumbo-pop to create dozens of pawpsicles, selling them to lemmings at less than the original price, and recycling the popsicles' sticks to sell to mice for construction in Little Rodentia. After the work for the day is complete, Nick and Finnick part ways, just before Judy reveals to have witnessed their entire scheme unfold, feeling foolish for having fell for Nick's trickery.
"Everyone comes to Zootopia thinking they can be anything they want. Well, you can't. You can only be what you are. Sly fox; dumb bunny."
Out of anger, Judy threatens to arrest Nick, but the fox retorts by claiming he's done nothing illegal, having all of the required permits and paperwork in check to allow such schemes to take place. He subsequently berates Judy on her failure as a police officer, and giving her the "reality check" that Zootopia is a not a place where anyone can be anything, but a place where you are who you are. These words strike Judy, and the following day, she becomes determined to prove herself, as her boss, Chief Bogo, also has negative feelings towards a bunny cop. She receives the opportunity when she volunteers to help solve the missing mammals case of Emmitt Otterton, though Bogo only allows her 48 hours to do so, or face resignation.
Judy "hustles" Nick.
After investigating, Judy finds that Nick had ties to Otterton, and labels him as a witness. She finds both Nick and Finnick in the midst of another scam, and asks information on Otterton's whereabouts, being that Nick sold him a pawpsicle shortly before his disappearance. When Nick refuses to help, Judy threatens to arrest the former for tax evasion, which she hustles him into admitting to have committed, using her carrot pen to do so.
Flash assists Judy and Nick.
With his luck finaly run out, Nick begrudgingly joins Judy's mission, hoping to retrieve and dispose of the carrot recorder once their job is complete. Nick takes Judy to the Mystic Springs Oasis, a naturalist club, where its owner, Yax, aids them by giving the license plate of the car Otterton was last seen in. Nick then asks for the carrot recorder, believing his role to be fulfilled, but Judy realizes that she cannot run a plate, as she is not yet in Zootopia's system, forcing Nick to do it for her. Nick takes Judy to the Department of Mammal Vehicles, where Flash, being a sloth, takes the entire rest of the day to run the plate, as according to plan for Nick. Judy chides Nick on his actions, but the fox merely admits that the idea of her failing is something he relishes in.
Nick and Judy investigate a car in Tundratown.
When they find the car in Tundratown to be fenced off, Nick comments that Judy must back down as she doesn't have a police warrant to enter the premises, meaning their partnership is over. However, Judy once again tricks Nick by throwing the recorder over the fence, making him rush to get it, thus violating trespassing laws and forcing him into another corner of blackmail. Judy burrows under the fence without Nick noticing, and the two begin searching through the car. Nick soon realizes that the car belongs to Mr. Big, the most feared crime boss in Tundratown, who has a price on his head for a scam gone wrong.
Nick and Judy are almost "iced" by Mr. Big.
Nick attempts to escape, only to find himself and Judy captured by Mr. Big's henchmen. They are taken to the crime boss's lair, where Judy interrogates the arctic shrew, accusing him of being a suspect in Mr. Otterton's disappearance. In response to this and Nick, Mr. Big orders to have the two iced, only to have a change in heart when his daughter, Fru Fru, arrives and explains that Judy saved her life earlier. Mr. Big allows the two to live, and invites them to Fru Fru's wedding as honored guests.
Nick nearly pounced on by a savage Manchas.
There, Mr. Big gives information on Otterton's disappearance, advising that Nick and Judy travel to the Rainforest District, to question a jaguar named Mr. Manchas, the driver of the limo and the last person to have seen Otterton. Upon meeting Manchas, they find him in a state of deep fear, having been viciously attacked by Otterton, who had mysteriously reverted from a peaceful citizen to a savage beast. Though initially hesitant, Manchas agrees to let Judy and Nick into his home for further questioning, but before he can do so, he suddenly loses his sanity and becomes savage himself. Nick and Judy make a run for their lives, and are hotly pursued by Manchas, though they narrowly escape.
Standing up for Judy, Nick chastises Chief Bogo.
Chief Bogo and his police force arrive on the scene, only to find that Manchas is nowhere to be found. Bogo accuses Judy of failure, and requests her badge. Nick views the cruelty from behind, and steps in to defend Judy, noting that she still has ten hours left to solve the case, forcing Bogo to stand down and allow the opportunity. Nick and Judy take their leave on a gondola, where Judy thanks Nick for his compassion. Nick responds by revealing his traumatic childhood experience that would lead to his stoic nature, con artist lifestyle and sympathy towards the oppressed and underestimated.
"Nick, you are so much more than that."
He immediately regrets doing so, as he broke his vow to keep his vulnerability under wraps, but Judy comforts him, and thanks him, again, for his warm heart. Suddenly, Nick gets the idea to track what happened to Manchas by using the city's camera systems, with Judy having the connections in City Hall that allows her to do so.
Nick and Judy uncover Lionheart's conspiracy.
They visit Bellwether, the assistant to Mayor Lionheart, who grants them access to the city's traffic cams. They find that Manchas was captured by wolf mercenaries, and Nick cunningly tracks their path through hidden roads to an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city. Judy, impressed by Nick's actions, congratulates the fox, and the two head out to the hospital, finding it heavily guarded by wolves, and filled with imprisoned predators who have fallen under the mysterious "savage" affliction. The operation seems to be run by Mayor Lionheart, who Nick and Judy spy on, learning that he wants to keep the imprisoned predators a secret, to prevent public panic, and by extension, the loss of his position. When discovered, Nick and Judy escape by flushing themselves down a toilet, and report their findings to Bogo, who arrives with his force and arrests Mayor Lionheart.
Nick realizes how biased Judy is against foxes.
Following these events, Judy is hailed a hero, and a press conference is held in regards to the situation. Nick advises a nervous Judy to remain calm, and moments before it's time for her to speak to the press, Judy offers Nick a position on the police force as her partner. Nick, touched that someone sees something beyond his species, takes it into consideration, and proudly looks on as she speaks about her latest victory. When asked why the predators are savage, however, Judy suggests it may have something to do with "natural behavior", which is taken as a serious sign that predators are reverting to their ruthless, aggressive ways, not seen since the earliest days of the earth, thousands of years prior. Nick takes extreme offense by this, feeling Judy has done nothing but labeled all predators as "savages" which, in technicality, she did. While being confronted on the matter, Judy starts to feel threatened, and actually makes reach for her fox repellent, confirming that she, too, sees Nick as a potential savage, much like the rest of the world. A hurt and betrayed Nick then leaves the department, declining Judy's offer to join the force.
"You bunnies. So emotional."
Following these events, Nick returns to his normal life, reuniting with Finnick, and finding himself lounging about in solitude on his spare time. About 2.5-3 months after the press conference,[8] Judy suddenly returns and with a breakthrough in the case, needing Nick's help to solve it and save the city. Nick rebuffs her, which prompts Judy to confess how foolish she's been, and how regretful she is for causing so much trouble while, most importantly, hurting Nick in the process, and believes that after the case is solved, he can hate her forever. Knowing her words are genuine, Nick forgives Judy, teasingly recording her confession on her carrot recorder, which he held onto. The two then make their leave and track down Duke Weaselton for information.
Nick and Judy discover Doug's lab full of Night howlers.
Duke stole unique flowers called "night howlers" on Judy's second day in the city, and those flowers were linked to what causes animals to go savage. When Duke refuses to cooperate, the pair bring him before Mr. Big, who threatens to ice him unless he told them what they wanted to know. Duke reveals that the flowers were sold to a ram named Doug, who owns a laboratory hidden in the subway tunnels. Nick and Judy find the lab, and learn that Doug is using the flowers to produce a serum which he has been exposing to predators via a dart gun, turning them savage. Judy hijacks the lab (which is on a still-functional train) and tries to take the evidence to Bogo. Doug's ram associates, Woolter and Jesse pursue, and though they are defeated, the train is derailed and destroyed.
Nick and Judy discover Bellwether is not as "sweet" and "meek" as she seems.
Nick, fortunately, reveals to have saved the evidence containing the dart gun and its Night howler toxin ammo, and the two make way to Bogo through the Natural History Museum. There, they encounter Bellwether, who is revealed to be the true mastermind behind the villainous operation. She sends her henchrams to capture Nick and Judy, and though they make a break for it, Judy is injured in the process when her leg gets cut by one of the museum's structures. Nick refuses to leave her, and tries to carry her to safety, only to be knocked into a pit-like exhibit by one of Bellwether's rams.
"It's called a hustle, sweetheart. Boom."
There, Bellwether shoots Nick with the serum gun so that he will become savage and kill the injured Judy. Bellwether subsequently calls Bogo to make it all look like another "savage attack", but both Judy and Nick reveal to have got the best of Bellwether, as the bullet was actually just a blueberry. With Bellwether's confession recorded on the carrot pen, Bogo and his reunited predator and prey force arrive and arrest her.
Officers Nick and Judy on their first assignment together.
In the end, Judy is reinstated as a member of the Zootopia Police Department. Nick, with a change of heart towards his life, joins as well, as the first fox officer and as her partner. A ceremony is held, where Judy badges Nick herself, and the two begin their duties immediately afterwards. The epilogue shows that Nick has become a welcomed member of the force, and even a liked companion of Chief Bogo, who gives both Nick and Judy the task of tracking down a speed racer, who ironically reveals himself to be Flash, much to Judy's shock and Nick's amusement.
During the end credits, Nick joins Judy and several other Zootopia citizens in attending a concert starring pop star Gazelle. He just watches at first, but a nudge from Judy gets him to start dancing.
Role in Zootopia: Crime Files
Nick is the male protagonist of the game. He and Judy (and the player) take part in every case and search for clues, interrogate suspects, and analyze evidence to solve more crimes.
Disney Parks
Nick Wilde made his live debut at the premiere of Zootopia in early 2016, along with Judy Hopps.
California Adventure
Nick and Judy are currently available for meet-and-greets daily near Animation Academy.
Walt Disney World
Nick in Walt Disney World.
Though Nick and Judy are not available for meet-and-greets at Walt Disney World, they can be seen on a float during the Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play It! Street Party parade in the Magic Kingdom, replacing the Genie and Stitch as of March 26, 2016. For a special promotional Zootopia event in early 2016, both Nick and Judy made appearances for meet-and-greet sessions in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Nick was also present during 2016's Easter parade at WDW.
In November 2016, he and Judy started their meet-and-greet sessions during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
Tokyo Disney Resort
Nick made his debut with Judy during the 2017 Easter parade, which was held at Tokyo Disneyland.
Disneyland Paris
Nick made his first appearance in France at the Disneyland Park as part of the 2016 Easter meet-and-greet event.
Hong Kong Disneyland
On April 25, 2016, Nick and Judy began their meet-and-greet sessions on Main Street, U.S.A., as part of Hong Kong Disneyland's 10th anniversary celebration.
Shanghai Disneyland
Nick and Judy ride in the caboose in Mickey's Storybook Express, a train. Nick also appears briefly during the finale of Ignite the Dream, a nighttime spectacular.
For meet-and-greets, he and Judy can be found at Happy Circle in Adventure Isle.
See Also
Trivia
- Nick first appeared as a cameo in Big Hero 6, specifically on one of the billboards in San Fransokyo and with his likeness on Honey Lemon's phone case.
- Nick made a cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Development
Jack Savage, an earlier version of Nick Wilde.
- In the original Zootopia draft, Nick was the protagonist whilst Judy was the deuteragonist, however, their roles were later switched during production.
- When designing Nick, Disney animators got inspiration by looking at Robin Hood, who is also an anthropomorphic fox, from Disney's Robin Hood.
- Nick's shirt originally belonged to Clawhauser in earlier stages of the film's development.[9]
- Also according to Byron Howard, the name "Piberius" is in reference to James Tiberius Kirk,[6] the captain of the USS Enterprise in the original television series of Star Trek, which the filmmakers were big fans of.
- In earlier drafts of the film, Nick had a father - Mr. Wilde.
- According to Byron Howard, in earlier drafts of the film, Nick was known by the name Jack Savage. After the idea for the savage serum was introduced, they changed his name to Jack Wilde, however this was again changed as Disney was also working on Gigantic and the directors did not want the name of the protagonist to be similar to another Disney production, hence it was changed to Nick Wilde.
General
- He habitually calls Judy "Carrots" and only once refers to her real name when he believes she is drowning after they evade the wolves at Cliffside Asylum, by flushing themselves down the toilet.
- According to his application, he is approximately 4 ft (1.2 m) tall and 80 lbs (36 kg) in weight.
- According to Nick's tax evasion confession, he is 32 years old. (He started when he was twelve and Judy multiplies his income in a year with 20).
- Nick does not eat meat.[10]
- Nick's tax forms show information on him:
- His name, Nicholas P. Wilde, is on his form.
- His Zootopia Benefits Number is 555-16-2239.
- His address is 1955 Cypress Grove Lane, with 1955 referencing Disneyland's opening year, 1955.
- He was committing tax evasion as his records were all zeros.
- Aside from his name being true, it is unknown if his phone number and/or his address are false.
- According to the director Byron Howard in the video "Drawing with D23: Nick Wilde from 'Zootopia'", Nick's full name is Nicholas Piberius Wilde.[11]
- Nick's last name, 'Wilde', is a play on the word 'wild'.
- Rich Moore tweeted that Nick and Flash Slothmore were in the same high school and both on the track team together.[12]
- The handkerchief that Nick uses to hold blueberries and patch Judy's leg wound during the climax is the same handkerchief that was part of his Junior Ranger Scouts uniform.[13]
- According to The Essential Guide, Nick's top 3 secrets are:
- He secretly wants to be seen as more than a sly fox.
- He wanted to be a Zootopia Junior Ranger when young.
- He was bullied by mean prey kids as a kit.
- Also according to the Guide, Nick likes "gullible animals and dreaming up new hustles".
- Nick and Judy's relationship is similar to Flynn Rider and Rapunzel's relationship from Tangled.
- Nick's handwriting resembles Walt Disney's handwriting.
- In Case 10 of Zootopia: Crime Files, it is revealed that as a child, Nick had a crush on a girl named Marian.
- In the mobile RPG Disney Heroes, Nick wields pawpsicles as throwing weapons. However, his shirt and tie lack their respective patterns, and his trousers are incorrectly colored gray.
- Nick appears to have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), as seen when he sees the pictures of the muzzled predators during Judy's press conference. He is shown to be visually horrified and has flashbacks of his traumatic experience as a child.
Relationships
Nick Wilde/Relationships.
Quotes
Nick Wilde/Quotes.
Gallery
Nick Wilde/Gallery.
Videos
References
- ↑ The Art of Zootopia, page 36
- ↑ Byron Howard via Twitter, January 19th, 2016
- ↑ Rich Moore via Twitter, February 23rd, 2016
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Rich Moore on Nick's mom via Twitter, March 29th, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Byron Howard via Twitter, February 15th, 2016
- ↑ Zootopia
- ↑ Rich Moore via Twitter, May 7th, 2016
- ↑ Byron Howard's Clawhauser concept via Twitter, October 12th, 2015
- ↑ Byron Howard's Answer to Nick Wilde Eating Meat Question, January 20th, 2016
- ↑ Drawing with D23: Nick Wilde from "Zootopia", March 6th, 2016
- ↑ https://twitter.com/_rich_moore/status/722628441946763264
- ↑ Rich Moore via Twitter
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