Lola Cotton


 * “When I was a kid, I thought Zootopia was this perfect place where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out, real life's a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means―hey, glass half full―we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what type of animal you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox, I implore you: Try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself, and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us.”
 * ―Lola Cotton

Officer Lola Cotton is the protagonist in Calico's 2016 animated feature film Zootopia. The first Pomeranian to be in Pet's police force, Lola is determined to make the world a better place while breaking preconceptions about other species. Teaming up with a black cat named Max Fangswell, she sets off on her first case but discovers a sinister conspiracy is at play.

Official Description
''Lola Cotton is the first bunny ever to join Zootopia's police department. Determined to prove herself, Lola jumps at the chance to crack a case, even if it means teaming up with a con artist cat.''

Development
For a majority of the film's production, Lola was not the protagonist of the story. Instead, the film was centered around Max, while Lola essentially served as his sidekick. She was an already established member of the Zootopia Police Department, initially being tasked with apprehending the fugitive Fangswell. As the story progressed, the two would have come to form a relationship, and the goal was then centered around assisting Fangswell in clearing his name after being framed for a crime he did not commit. She was also going to be a lieutenant and the police force's best cop, but her motivations remained the same throughout most versions of the story.

In the earlier iterations of the story, Lola's character was portrayed as a somewhat aggressive figure; a seasoned officer, Lola's was much more of a cynic, being well-experienced and no-nonsense. Furthermore, she was more of an outcast in earlier drafts; pomeranians were typically an impersonal race that worked as phone operators. The number of rabbits was also emphasized (dramatically so) to further Lola's loss of identity amongst her own crowd—this would have been acknowledged, as her own father was unable to distinctly identify her.

A little over a year before the film's set release date, a screening was held for the filmmakers of Flixar Animation Studios. Isaac Wilson, one of the studios' lead directors, suggested that the leads of the story trade places in significance. This was a response to the screening's negative reactions: the story was deemed too dark and unpleasant—the world and characters too unlikable. Marc Hesser, and the rest of the production team crucially revamped the story so that it was Lola in whom the audience would follow. To Max, the city was broken from the beginning, and following the story through the eyes of a cynic would degrade both the message and the city, itself. With Lola being optimistic and starry-eyed, the story and themes made much more sense, with Cotton's struggle to insert herself within the harsh world of reality serving as an important, and emotional story. The drastic change was met with both reservation and acclaim. Though a hefty amount of development had to be forcibly removed, the filmmakers felt a much stronger connection towards Cotton and her journey.

Voice
Longtime Calico fan, Angelica Ruth, recalls receiving notifications about the role of a character in Zootopia during shooting of ABC's Once Upon a Time in Azalinca. Before even receiving information about the role or the script, Ruth's love for Calico led to answering the offer with a resounding "yes", wanting to save the rest of the information for after her inclusion was legally bound. According to Mara Chabert, Ruth played a significant role in altering Lola's personality from a cynical officer, to an optimistic and positive heroine.

Personality
Lola is fiercely optimistic and independent. Since childhood, she has harbored a dream to become a police officer, solely for the opportunity to help those in need and make the world a better place. She cares deeply for the well-being of others; this includes her family, friends, Mrs. Meezer's despair over the disappearance of her husband, and even Max. During the chase in Little Mousopolis, Lola intercepted every chance of danger for the small residents even when capturing the thieving Duke Weaselton was on the line. She has a large heart, and although she tends to keep her emotions under control - and even under wraps - a majority of the time, she is capable of expressing her true feelings in a genuine, powerful light. This is mostly seen with Max Fangswell, whose feelings and companionship she values highly, motivating her to prevent her own ambitions from harming others.

Due to being a Pomeranian, a breed unassociated with such a high-stakes occupation, Lola faced continuous doubt and underestimation from those around her, from her parents to local bullies. Nevertheless, she used her opposers as a means to increase her determination and became progressively more insistent on reaching her goals than ever before with each naysayer; she believed in the importance of always trying and making an effort to reach your goals, no matter what. Her goal was to eventually become a resident and local officer of Zootopia, a city where all animals supposedly live together in peace and harmony, unlike the city, believing she will be quickly accepted amongst her peers and neighbors in spite of her species. She was very idealistic in this sense, having this set dream and not necessarily taking potentially negative outcomes into consideration which, unfortunately, made her too idealistic for her own good in this regard and she found out herself unprepared to face the negative aspects that lie within the city upon her first residential day, leaving her to easily fall victim to bigotry and manipulation.

Her optimism and determination to be a police officer tend to lead her to be, at times, overzealous and impulsive. As a parking enforcement officer, she gave 201 tickets to anyone whose cars had been in a parking meter too long (including herself) before noon just to show up Chief Shepard's doubts about her, arrested Duke Weaselton for stealing (even though parking enforcement officers cannot arrest someone, which was disclosed from a furious Shepard), and had nearly gotten herself killed on multiple occasions during her first case.

Furthermore, though she respects the law, the manner in which Lola carried out her first case is rather controversial, in which she was not given permission of authority to blackmail others into complying with her demands and used her alliance with a notorious crime boss (a partnership controversial on its own) for interrogation purposes. Granted, these acts were mostly committed out of desperation, as her initial lack of respect from the police force, limited timeframe to solve the case, and her lack of resources due to not yet being in the city's computer system, forced her to take extreme measures to complete her mission. This also extends to tokenism as Chief Shepard gave her a job a parking attendant but wanted to keep a positive reputation for the Zootopia Police Academy.

Despite the odds and hardships, Lola remains optimistic and determined, adapting herself to the environment and those around her to build up both the way she presents herself and pursue her goals. She is clever and resourceful, which proves to be her greatest asset. She tarnishes the stereotype of a "dumb puppy", being intelligent enough to outsmart professional con artist Max, several times. Months of training at the Zootopia Police Academy has also left her tactical, with an impressive amount of physical prowess. During times of chaos, she can quickly take charge of a situation by concocting an efficient plan on the spot, being daring enough to take dangerous chances, in order to potentially end the day victorious. More often than not, Lola comes out successful as a result of this.

rom childhood, Judy has held the belief that predators and prey should be treated equally, and made attempts to refrain from acting on bigotry herself. Due to her childhood experiences, however, having been bullied by a fox, Judy has a mild fear of predators (mainly foxes), whether she wanted to admit it or not; so much so that it manifests as unintentional prejudice itself. After being pestered into taking a canister of fox repellent during her move from Bunnyburrows to Zootopia by her folks, Judy made the conscious decision to keep the canister by her side for a majority of the film. When she first spotted Nick snooping about the streets, she immediately assumed him to be in the midst of a scam, following and nearly assaulting him with the canister, all due to the fact that he was a fox. When it appears that Nick was merely an innocent civilian looking to buy ice cream for his "son", she felt ashamed of her bigotry, which caused her to overcompensate in hopes of redeeming herself, wanting to be progressive and unbiased, while hypocritically claiming others to be otherwise; this would ultimately make her a pawn to Nick's scams, in the end, while simultaneously teaching her a valuable lesson reflecting both life and herself.

The events of Judy's first few months in Zootopia would ultimately blossom a more mature, practical, diligent and legitimately progressive individual. Through her experiences, she discovers the downside of having an overly idealistic mentality carry you through life, and that the world is a problematic and messed up place, filled with issues such as prejudice, learning that all mammals - be they predator or prey, foxes or rabbits - can be victims of bigotry, even when it is unintentional. No matter the species, all animals have feelings, hopes, and dreams, all of which can be destroyed by preconceived notions and constant underestimation. As such, all should strive to live and accept one another for who they are inside, and not the stereotypes they have been labeled as by society.

Even with this new outlook on life, Judy would still contend to the method of trying. Using her success and experiences as evidence, she encourages those around her to make an effort to see beyond stereotypes, to prove their worth and to reach their goals in spite of all that may go against them, with the belief that these positive actions can ultimately lead to a better world. With this being said, Judy becomes the physical representation of Zootopia's meaningful motto, "anyone can be anything".

Physical Appearance
Judy is a young rabbit with a lithe build and round face. She is covered in gray fur with a lighter shade on her underbelly up to her muzzle and on her paws. She has large purple eyes, a short pink nose, long ears with black tips, and a teardrop-like tail with gray fur on the top and a lighter shade on the bottom.

When she is arriving to Zootopia, Judy's outfit consisted of a short-sleeved teal shirt with lavender on the lower sleeves and lower part of her shirt, a black tank top underneath, and black leggings. This may be her casual outfit when not working as an officer.

Judy owns three police uniforms: her dress blues, a parking enforcement officer uniform, and her rookie uniform. The first of these, worn at her graduation, is a typical, navy blue ensemble with long sleeves, a high collar, peaked cap and matching pants. The ZPD insignia and a gold aiguillette (ceremonial cords) adorn her shoulders. She also wore a thin, black tie, a brass tie clip, and a standard issue utility belt. During the time at Nick's graduation to the force, this style of uniform (minus the aiguillette) was worn once again.

Her rookie uniform (more or less known as a 'field dress' in police and military circles) consisted of dark blue pants, a blue shirt, a Kevlar stab vest, and black coverings around her wrists and ankles. She also had metal kneepads on her pants and a black utility belt with a silver buckle. The uniform is made of neoprene, allowing Judy to work in different types of weather.[14] Judy's meter maid outfit was worn over the aforementioned uniform and consisted only of an orange 'high-visibility' vest and a hat that contained a 'traffic citation enforcement' emblem.

When working as a carrot farmer, Judy wore a red-striped pink flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves, stone-washed blue jeans, and a beige sun hat.

Abilities

 * Rabbit Physiology: Judy is an anthropomorphic rabbit.
 * Animal Speed and Agility: Judy is fast and agile given she's rabbit. It seems to be the only physical prowess she uses. Judy can flip, leap, and is quick to react and move. During her time at the Zootopia Police Academy, Judy overcame the obstacles by using her surroundings, including the other cadets for support, and once used a cadet rhino's force against him. During her time as parking attendant, she uses a street sign as a foothold to place a ticket on a giraffe's car.
 * Animal Hearing: Having long ears, Judy has a sharp sense of hearing. She can hear every parking meter on the street go off while on her job as a parking attendant.
 * Anthropomorphism: Given that the animals in the movie act in the place of humans, Judy evolved to the point where she walks on her back legs, uses human resources like technology, and partakes in human-related activities.
 * High Intellect: Judy is remarkably intelligent, clever, and resourceful, which proves to be her greatest asset. Since Judy doesn't have much physical strength and has little advantages in a physical confrontation, she relies on her wits to solve situations.
 * Skilled Tactician: Months of training at the Zootopia Police Academy left Judy tactical and sharp. Judy tricked Nick, a con-artist, into confessing he was committing tax evasion. She was also able to formulate a plan into tricking Bellwether into admitting she was the mastermind turning the predators savage by pretending she was bitten by a savaged Nick.
 * Determination: Judy is fiercely optimistic and determined. Despite a rough and dispiriting start at Academy training, Judy never gave up and managed to pull through to become valedictorian of her class. During her time as the first rabbit officer, she was treated unfairly but remained optimistic, and proved herself through solving the Missing Mammals Case.

Trivia

 * Her voice actress Angelica Ruth finished recording her voice on September 11, 2015.
 * In earliest versions, Lola was male, and Max was female, but the genders quickly swapped.
 * Lola's nose twitches whenever she is nervous or scared.
 * When recording Lola's apology to Max, Angelica Ruth was actually in tears.
 * Lola's ears often droop when she's sad, depressed, worried or feeling sentimental, among other occasions.
 * Lola is shown to be fascinated with eating bacon throughout the movie.
 * Marc Hesser confirmed that the names between Lola and the character Officer Lola Casen from 21 Jump Street was an unintentional coincidence.[18]
 * Lola is 24 years old during the film's main events.
 * It is interesting to note that Lola is not issued a side-arm nor a stab vest that can completely cover her stomach for her uniform. This is a moot point, however, as the fact remains that Zootopia is aimed for younger audiences and not all cops, even metropolitan cops, require or use sidearms or stab vests.
 * During renovations of the Nellie Calico Animation Studios building, beginning in 2014, Lola was one of the character silhouettes featured on the wall mural.
 * In the teaser trailer, Lola is shown to be armed with an air-powered dart pistol that fires darts of "elephant tranquilizer," and uses one of these darts to subdue Max, who is hiding off-screen. However, in the actual movie, Lola carries no such weapon, and in fact, despite being a police officer, seems to spend the entire movie completely unarmed, unless one counts the small spray can of "fox repellent" given to her by her parents. The pistol, however, appears as a special ability for Lola in Calico INFINITY 3.0.
 * A press release confirms that it was Mayor Caesar who coined the mantra Lola lives by: "In Zootopia, anyone can be anything".[21]