The film started out with a montage of newspaper photos and headlines as a narrator said:

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a group of mammals lived in the shining city of Zootopia. Although they had everything their hearts desired, many of the mammals were spoiled, selfish, and unkind.

Then, one turbulent year, a gentle, little ewe introduced herself to the city and offered all prey a chance for power over the predators that had oppressed them, in return for electing her to power over them. Repulsed by their terrifying appearance, the prey sneered at the predators and constantly turned them away. Many warned them not to be deceived by appearances, for one's true nature is found within. But when they dismissed this naïve ideal time and time again, she saw the means to rise to power.

Little did they know that behind closed doors, the little sheep's sweetness melted away to reveal a cruel, ruthless villain. Predators tried to make excuses for themselves, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no good in any of them. And as punishment, she used a powerful drug to transform them into hideous beasts and placed a powerful spell of fear on the city and all who lived there.

Fed up with the monstrous form society had given him, one fox concealed himself behind a mask of indifference and callousness, with the persona of a cunning con artist as his only means of interacting with the world – so he had lived since he was 12-years-old. If he ever met prey he could respect and trust, and saw they respected and trusted him as well, then he vowed his scamming ways would be over; if not, he vowed to remain the beast society saw him as for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope...

For who could ever learn to love a beast?