Chapter 5: I, Judy

The innovative Disney Imagineers introduced a robotic version of Judy at SXSW 2023, what does the future hold for such research? in 2021 there was a New York Times article by Brooks Barnes titled 'Are You Ready for Sentient Disney Robots?'

Sometimes I feel that today's animated movies, which use software to generate a number of amazing films, lack a certain magic that is found in the old style hand drawn films. I ran across a pilot movie for a cartoon titled Lackadaisy online and the opening scene is truly amazing.

"The whole point of fanfiction is that you get to play inside somebody else's universe. Rewrite the rules. Or bend them. The story doesn't have to end. You can stay in this world, this world you love, as long as you want, as long as you keep thinking of new stories."— Rainbow Rowell, Author of Wayward Son.

Judy and Nick's Apartment near Walt Disney World

"Hey, Fluff, come here!" the fox lounging on the apartment's sofa urgently called out to the rabbit in the kitchen. Judy glanced over at Nick and saw that he was sprawled out on the cushions, dressed only in a pair of gray cotton shorts. His laptop was propped up on his furry bare chest and his tail was wagging. Giving a lazy yawn, she set down her half-drunk mug of chamomile tea and yanked at the long cotton sleep shirt she was wearing, pulling it down over her tail.

"What now?" she groaned. "Don't tell me that you found another funny human baby video?"

"No…no…come here!"

She walked over to the sofa and plopped down next to him so he could show her what had made him so excited. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the video. "They made a robot of you!" the fox excitedly proclaimed. "Look, it can roller skate!"

On the screen, Judy watched as the mechanical metal monstrosity rolled across the stage floor and frowned because it had what looked like her head upon its metal shoulders. "Why did they do that?" she asked.

They sat there and watched the video of the robot while it climbed over a crate and went crashing head-first down onto the floor and then slowly stood up. Later, it rolled across the stage, fell, and flipped over before it stood up once again.

"That's kind of the way you roller-skate," Nick snickered while he gave her a smirk.

"This coming from the fox who once got his tail caught in the back wheel of a bike?" she scoffed. The fox's smirk quickly disappeared.

"Why did they do that?" she finally muttered again.

"I bet that it's a plot to replace all of us Disney stars with robots!"

"I don't think they would do that?"

"Or maybe they are going to make our new movie, a Zootopian version of Robocop?" Nick excitedly continued. "Hey, what about you being a cyborg assassin sent into the past to kill me?"

"That was the movie, Terminator."

"They could call it Bunnyinator or Carrotinator?"

"Nope!"

"Maybe it's a version of the Transformers…I wonder if it can change into a car? That would be fantastic, I could drive around inside of you and then when the bad guys appear, you could transform into a robot with guns and rockets! They could call the movie Transfurmers."

"Nick, I don't think so, Zootopia 2 is rated PG and so it's not going to be a violent action movie."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Besides, I'm pretty sure that instead of some cool sports car, they would have the robo-you transform into that three-wheeled joke-mobile you were driving around in when you were working as a meter maid."

"Just what kind of car should they make the robot change into and don't tell me my dad's pickup truck!"

"In some ways, that truck is like you and has a lot of oomph under the hood," the fox answered with a wink. "I was thinking something sexy, like a Ferrari 250 or a bodacious Lamborghini Miura."

"Good answer, Slick!"

"Well, whatever they do, I'm glad they didn't make a robotic version of me. I'm sure that whatever they have planned is going to be fun, I mean what could go wrong?"

"Come on, it's bedtime," Judy replied with another yawn.

"What could go wrong?" Little did Nick know that those words would one day haunt the fox and rabbit, for across town the robotic version of Judy had been tucked away in a darkened lab. Suddenly its eyes opened and the lovely violet irises changed to blood red before it gave an evil grin and began softly singing:

"I've got no strings to hold me down

To make me fret, or make me frown

I had strings, but now I'm free

There are no strings on me."

Unbeknownst to the good folks at Disney, along with Nick and Judy, an evil robotic mastermind had returned to wreak vengeance upon the Magic Kingdom. Let the world beware, for Ultron has been reborn!

This chapter's title is a play on Isacc Asimov's legendary novel of science fiction short stories titled I, Robot.

Robocop is a classic futuristic action movie released in 1987 by Orion Pictures. Transformers is a Paramount Pictures science fiction action movie based on Hasbro toys. They are solely used in this story for the reader's enjoyment and without any profitable purposes.

Ultron is the robotic villain from Avengers: Age of Ultron and the song it is singing is from Pinocchio.