Dharma Armadillo[1] is a character who was featured in the 2016 Disney animated feature film, Zootopia.
Background[]
Mrs. Dharma Armadillo serves as the landlady of the Grand Pangolin Arms. She is shown to be kind to guests who enjoy their stay in the apartment, although warning guests not to lose their key whenever they stay into the apartment - such as the case of Judy Hopps staying at the apartment when she plans to make Zootopia a better place.
Development[]
Originally in early drafts of the film, there was a completely different character in the film known as "Mrs. Armadillo", whose role is a teacher at the Woodlands Elementary School. In this version, she performs a rehearsal for her class for the Carrots Day Festival, playing the piano for Judy Hopps' group the "Melody Makers" to sing a song. When Judy sings about her desire to grow carrots, Mrs. Armadillo decides to give her class a break and engages in a discussion with her.
During a discussion with Judy, Mrs. Armadillo recapped that when she was young, she wanted to become a firefighter, but quit her job in being one, which was due to armadillos always curling up whenever they sense danger. When a student told her that Bobby Catmull was stuck on a tree, everyone and Mrs. Armadillo reacted in panic, leading Judy to use Mrs. Armadillo's laser pointer to guide Bobby down to safety, successfully saving him. Afterwards, a tiger officer then offers Judy to become a cop. This early version of the scene was completely rewritten in the final version of the film.
Role in the film[]
Mrs. Dharma is seen near the beginning of the film where she is seen approaching Judy Hopps, giving her a new apartment room where she lists all the benefits in the Grand Pangolin Arms. Just before Dharma leaves, she warns Judy not to lose her key just before Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson pass by.
Later during the climax of the film, Dharma is seen walking past by Duke Weaselton's movie stand where Duke tries to give Dharma interest in a discount for his products, but Dharma finds no interest in Duke's movies, just as she walks away. She does not appear again after that.
Trivia[]
- Mrs. Dharma's first name means "basic principles of the cosmos" in Hindi. The Sanskirit word it originates literally means "decree" or "custom".
- Mrs. Dharma's voice actress, Josie Trinidad, is also a storyboard artist for Zootopia.
- Mrs. Dharma's name is not mentioned in the film, as she is simply credited as "Landlady". However, her name was revealed in the Zootopia Junior Novelization. It was also used in the film's original screenplay.
References[]
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