Byron Howard

Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook, it's so amazing because years ago, when I was growing up and watching movies, there was no way for us to interact with filmmakers at all. You could send a letter, and you'd never know if you were going to hear back or not.

It's tough sometimes for groups of people and animals to let go of that fear that can so easily bubble back up to the surface.

Once you're done with the film, it's almost like empty nest syndrome: your kid has moved out of the house.

People were very nice to me. They knew I didn't have the money to do figure-drawing classes, so they let me annex the figure-drawing classes that the animators had.

Ariel got me into animation. She was the first Disney heroine that really felt alive. She felt like a real young woman.

A nice thing about being at Disney is that these movies can develop into a presence in theme parks and become something real, or maybe get a sequel or tell other stories.

The people around us are at the top of their craft, and we benefit from that.

Oh, I like Roger Moore - he's cheeky.

You hope, when you're working on these things, that people love them whether it makes a lot of money or not.

When I was up in Washington state, I always thought, 'I'm going to go to Los Angeles where films are made and stories are told, and they're going to love me and welcome me with open arms.' But, there was no welcoming committee.

Zootopia' features such a large and diverse range of characters - one of our biggest casts ever for a Disney Animation film. We needed talented actors who could help bring these animals to life.

As animation directors, you're the first one on the film; you're the last one off, and you get to learn from and touch every department throughout the whole journey. I don't know any other job in the world that's like that. I don't think live-action is like that. It's a very different sort of experience.