‘Zootopia 2’ Sequel Gets Huge Boost from Director

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The animated sequel Zootopia 2 is shaping up to be Hollywood’s biggest hit of 2025. Released in November, it has already earned $1.2 billion worldwide on a $150 million budget, surpassing Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch at the box office. While Zootopia 2 is leading in many markets, the Chinese fantasy film Ne Zha 2 still holds the overall global box office title with $2.2 billion, thanks to its massive success in China earlier this year.

As a longtime fan of Judy and Nick – Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman absolutely nailed those roles, by the way – I think a lot of us were holding our breath waiting for the sequel. Nine years is a long time to leave Zootopia fans hanging! Now that Zootopia 2 has absolutely crushed it at the box office, I’m hoping Disney realizes there’s a huge appetite for more and won’t make us wait nearly as long for Zootopia 3. Fingers crossed they get moving on it quickly!

Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the directors of Zootopia, recently answered fan questions on Weibo and shared exciting news for fans of the movie.

‘Zootopia 3’ Could Be Out in Theaters by 2030


Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer, Bush, playfully teased his coworker about the long wait for Zootopia 2. He joked that Byron Howard, the director, is a bit of a slow worker, according to SINA. Howard admitted he prefers a careful pace, but agreed that nine years was an excessive amount of time, promising the next film won’t take nearly as long.

So, someone asked about where they are with the third movie, and that’s when things got really interesting. They started sharing some details, and I was totally hooked!

“That’s a great question,” said Jared Bush. “Byron and I love brainstorming and trying out different creative possibilities. We definitely included some hidden details in the ending of Zootopia 2 – like the bird feather – which is fun for us to think about, and we’re also excited to consider what the future holds for Judy and Nick.”

Making an animated film usually takes four to five years. The first two or three years are dedicated to developing the story and ideas. After that, it takes roughly three years to finalize the script. So, while I can’t share what we’re currently working on, I believe the creative exploration process itself is valuable – it allows for unexpected discoveries, which is really important to us.

As the team plans a third Zootopia film – and even discusses a possible appearance by Keanu Reeves – the original movie is still remembered for its thoughtful look at how history can be rewritten and the challenges faced by immigrants. They’re being encouraged to continue these themes in future installments. This was particularly evident with the character Gary De’Snake (played by Ke Huy Quan), a reptile who fights for equal rights for his species in a city where they’ve been unfairly judged.

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Want to learn how Zootopia 2 builds on the ideas in the first Zootopia? We’ve analyzed how the movie explores themes of symbolism and the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. It’s surprisingly thoughtful for a Disney film! That’s what’s great about popular animated movies made for kids – filmmakers can sneak in important questions about society within entertaining stories. Hopefully, they keep doing that!

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2025-12-27 21:33