Rebecca Lee Staff Writer

What ’ s better than Disney releasing another animated movie ? When you find out you are in it .

Eighth-grader Madeline Curry ( MT ) was featured in Disney ’ s new and adorable film “ Zootopia ,” which will surely keep you wondering when you can watch it again and leave your heart with a lasting impression .

Curry voiced not one , but three characters in the film : sheep siblings Sharla and Gareth , and the Hippo Kid . As stressful as it may seem working for Disney , Curry testifies that it was fun for her . Despite her young age , she knows when it ’ s supposed to be professional in the studio room .

“ I ’ ve done voiceovers for a very long time , and my dad does it too , so I ’ ve had the experience of knowing that I have to be very serious . No matter how funny the line is , I know I can always laugh after I ’ m done recording ,” Curry said .

A recording session can take up to a few months to finish and finalize , but

Madeline Curry

her role in “ Zootopia ” took only one day to complete , even with all three voices . She said there were other creative contrasts to this job too .

“ Usually the director is outside of the booth and I ’ m in … just saying my lines ,” she said . “ But the director was actually in the booth with me and we were having conversations , and he was very friendly . And it was nothing that I ’ ve ever done before so it was really fun .”

“ Zootopia ” is an action-packed , family-friendly comedy set in a metropolis where predators and prey live together in harmony . Not dismissing the fact that they ’ re animals , Disney created four habitat neighborhoods -- the Sahara Square , Tundra

Foreign poster Town , The Burrows , and Rainforest District -- to emphasize that Zootopia is a diverse community where a ferocious tiger and a gentle mouse can co-exist .

It ’ s a community “ where anyone can be anything .” Judy Hopps , a motivated bunny , doesn ’ t let the condescending opinions of others ( even her own parents ) block her from pursuing her childhood dream : becoming a police officer .

Once she joins the Zootopia Police Department , fellow officers tease her for being the , first bunny officer . But when a mysterious crime case prolongs , Hopps takes the chance to prove a small animal can accomplish big things . With the help of con a artist fox , Nick Wilde , she sets out to crack

the case .

Just like a little bunny becoming a police officer , Curry , despite her age , has already accomplished much professionally . She has had many voice acting roles including Piri Piri in “ Harvey Beaks ,” a Nickelodeon original series , and as a guest star on Disney ’ s “ Sophia the First .”

Not only is she talented and accomplished in voiceovers , but she is also a traditional actress . Curry played Tootie in “ Meet me in St . Louis ,” at OCSA ; Little Red in “ Into the Woods ,” a Palos Verdes Performing Arts Conservatory production ; Kathy Seldon in “ Singin ’ in the Rain ”; Young Fiona in “ Shrek the Musical ”; and Angel in “ Anything Goes .”

As both a voice actor and actor , Curry sees the disadvantages and advantages of both . The main difference ? How you dress .

“ Let ’ s say you ’ re having a bad hair day . The directors don ’ t care and it ’ s not so vital to the process so you just keep doing your voiceover and it doesn ’ t really matter . But

in front of a camera , you [ would ] have to fix that .” Since voice acting is an actual profession that people get paid for , Curry doesn ’ t let the prvilege of looking bad stop her from looking professional in the workplace .

“ For voice auditions , I still want to look presentable because after all it is a job and you ’ re going there and are getting paid and you are putting in effort and a lot of time so you should look presentable .”

Curry will always be an inspirational role model to aspiring young voice actors and actors . She advises , “ Whenever it gets difficult--I know it ’ s going to sound cheesy -- don ’ t give up . It ’ s a tedious process much like everything else in life , but if you just keep working at it , it becomes easier and then once you reach that point , you won ’ t want to stop doing it .”

No one ’ s dreams should be put down because others say they can ’ t do it . Like Curry says , “ Don ’ t give up ,” because , “... anyone can be anything .”