It’s been nine years since audiences first met Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ award-winning $1 billion blockbuster Zootopia. But, in the highly anticipated sequel Zootopia 2 (opening in theaters November 26), little time has passed since they became the Zootopia Police Department’s first bunny and fox cops, respectively. (The just-released trailer features the all-new original song “Zoo,” performed by Shakira, who reprises her role as Gazelle.)
“In the first film, they were partners for about 48 hours, so there’s a lot more they need to learn about each other,” said writer and director Jared Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. “They made it over that first hurdle, but now they have to figure out if they’re really designed to function as a team in the long run. Judy and Nick are very different, and in this film, they’re thrust into a very different scenario that challenges them.”
Director Byron Howard added, “We didn’t want Nick to lose all his sharpness and snark. We wanted Judy to keep her idealism. They’re smart characters, so they’re constantly able to one-up each other. People loved their dynamic in Zootopia, so we wanted to continue that.”
Zootopia 2 picks up directly after the first film, with Judy and Nick working out the complicated dynamics of their fledgling partnership. But just as they begin to make some headway, they get swept up in a decades-old mystery involving Zootopia’s most prominent family, the Lynxleys, and get entwined with pit viper Gary De’Snake (voiced by Oscar® winner Ke Huy Quan) — the first snake to be seen in the animal metropolis in 100 years.
“Reptiles weren’t in the first film,” Bush said. “We wanted to use the contrast of mammals and reptiles to highlight that Judy and Nick are very different… How can they all coexist?”
Partners in Crime Solving
When an unsanctioned sting goes sideways, Judy (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick (voiced by Jason Bateman) become fugitives themselves. Together, they go undercover in unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.
“Some of us are better at being undercover than others — and I don’t mean Judy!” Goodwin quipped. “Nick used to be a con artist, so he’s definitely better than Judy at this.”
Each possesses qualities the other lacks, and that’s what makes them such a dynamic duo. “Judy and Nick developed such a good rapport in the first movie, but now their partnership is going to be tested in an exciting and surprising way,” said head of story Carrie Liao. “Every relationship evolves. What does it really mean to be partners? There’s a big mystery at the center of Zootopia 2, but at its core, this story is about Judy and Nick’s relationship.”
“They’re so flawed,” Bush added. “These are not squeaky-clean characters, and that’s something people can relate to when they watch the film. This imperfect pair is doing the best they can, and even though they can sometimes get into it, they really like each other.”