Zootopia’s mayor was originally a woman – and a pig
Original versions of the Disney hit had a sow named Mayor Swinton running the city
Zootopia’s highest public office originally was held by a lipstick-wearing pig.
In early versions of Disney’s animated mega-hit Zootopia, featuring an all-animal metropolis, directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore had Mayor Swinton ruling the city.
“We found in our research that pigs are one of the most intelligent animals,” says Howard. Adds Moore: “Swinton was very urbane and intelligent, a politician of the people.”
Swinton eventually was impeached from office by the directors – overtaken by the ultimate predator, Mayor Lionheart, the blustery big cat voiced by J.K. Simmons.
But her role lives on in the extras, along with other deleted characters, on the Zootopia Blu-ray release.
