What was once a place built by animals, for animals, has become so much more.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning film Zootopia (2016) is set in a modern mammal metropolis where, as one young bunny put it, “Predator and prey live in harmony.” That young bunny, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), grew up to become the city’s first rabbit police officer, sworn to protect the citizens of its districts: Bunnyburrow, Little Rodentia, the Rainforest District, Sahara Square, Savanna Central, and Tundratown. But after a few citizens “go savage,” Judy reluctantly teams up with a con artist fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), who shows her corners of Zootopia she never knew existed — and, along the way, helps her realize “we all have a lot in common.”
Because fans couldn’t get enough of the original film’s wildly imaginative characters and environments, a series of six shorts, titled Zootopia+, premiered in 2022 on Disney+. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Imagineering was busy building the world’s first Zootopia-themed land — a celebration of new heights reached in storytelling made possible only through Disney’s groundbreaking creativity and innovation. It opened in 2023 at Shanghai Disney Resort, after animators and Imagineers from around the world spent years collaborating to construct a dynamic land that immerses guests in a holistic experience at every touchpoint.
“One of the most exciting things, to me, is that about 70% of what you see in that land is taken from the film; the other 30% comes from the incredible Imagineers who ran with their own ideas and created new places and characters that felt like they would fit within the world,” Jared Bush, the writer and co-director of Zootopia, said. “To visit a part of Zootopia that wasn’t in the film — but feels 100% like it could be — is incredibly exciting.”
Bigger and Better
The world of Zootopia is constantly growing.
Zootopia 2 continues the adventures of rookie cops Judy and Nick as they get twisted up in a mystery involving Gary De’Snake (voiced by Oscar® winner Ke Huy Quan), whose sudden arrival in Zootopia turns the city upside down. Bush wrote and, along with Byron Howard, directed the highly anticipated sequel, opening in theaters on Wednesday, November 26.
“With any new environment, it’s always fun to meet new characters,” producer Yvett Merino said. “Gary has such an innocence to him. He really, truly believes that the world can be a better place and that he can right the wrongs of the past. And he grounds Judy.” That’s because Quan brings a natural “heart and optimism” to his role, Howard said: “We often say that Gary is more of an optimist than Judy. So, he’s a great character to mix up Judy and Nick’s dynamics as they try figure out what this world of reptiles is really about.”
Zootopia 2 features 178 unique characters representing 67 different species — and naturally, a bigger story necessitates a bigger cast. In addition to Goodwin and Bateman, Idris Elba, Nate Torrence, and Shakira reprise their roles as Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, and Gazelle, respectively (among others). New additions include Fortune Feimster as Nibbles Maplestick, Andy Samberg as Pawbert Lynxley, Patrick Warburton as Mayor Winddancer, and Quinta Brunson as Dr. Fuzzby. And several members of the Disney Animation family — including Disney Legends Josh Gad and Anika Noni Rose — make scene-stealing cameos.
“Zootopia is close to our world, but it’s not our world, so we had the ability to do anything,” Merino said. “We asked ourselves, ‘Who are the actors and musicians that we would love to work with?’ Danny Trejo is someone I personally wanted, and I love that we were able to bring in such an icon to come in and play one of our new characters [Jesús, a basilisk lizard].”
With new characters and a new mystery, filmmakers seized the opportunity to expand the bustling metropolis to include all-new environments. One such example is Marsh Market, where Zootopia’s semi-aquatic animals reside and reptiles are rumored to hide out. “We want to give audiences something new to get excited about. A new environment like Marsh Market, along with the kind of animals who live there, satisfies that,” Carrie Liao, head of story, said. “How do these new characters fit into this world that we already know?”
Liao continued, “The first movie was already so full, but you only got a glimpse. Zootopia is rich for that kind of expansion. You can’t help but think, ‘We saw these neighborhoods, but what about all the others? What about the other species? Where do they live — and how?”
In hindsight, Goodwin admitted, “I didn’t even realize that we weren’t covering the entire animal kingdom… I never sat back to [ask], ‘Where are the reptiles? Where are the bugs and the birds?’ The movie’s fabric supports endless world-building in a way that’s not contrived. We are never going to have to force this; there are endless opportunities here.”
“Zootopia thrives because it’s built on diversity,” Quan added. “It’s built on a happy community — on everybody being included, coming together, and embracing each other.”
Full Circle
Zootopia 2 also draws inspiration from the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort. “It’s so immersive, and the Imagineers were so brilliant that we took some of those ideas from the park and put them in the film,” Howard said. “You’ll see little Easter eggs and shops represented in the Imagineers’ theme park designs that made it into Zootopia 2.”
And, thanks to a comprehensive creative synergy with Disney Animation, Shanghai Disney Resort recently turned its one-of-a-kind Zootopia land into a living extension of the sequel, producing imaginative, immersive, and tangible experiences through film-inspired décor and embedded details, reimagined entertainment, and other limited-time offerings.
“The Zootopia land in Shanghai is incredible,” Quan raved. “When I was there, on a regular day in the park, the line for [Zootopia: Hot Pursuit] was around the block. And there were cosplayers dressed up as Judy Hopps! That’s how I knew how much this movie is beloved.”
Fans can experience Zootopia in myriad other ways, from Jumbeaux’s Sweets aboard the Disney Treasure cruise ship to Zootopia: Better Zoogether! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort, in addition to a robust line of consumer products.
For more than a century, The Walt Disney Company has been entertaining and inspiring audiences and guests through storytelling that transcends generations and geographies. Zootopia, and all that is has inspired, is just one example of something only Disney can do.
“One of the great things about working at Disney Animation is that we have so many different areas where our characters can live,” Merino said. “We love partnering with the different parts of the company to bring these characters to life. We’re creating this film, these characters, and this world, but they’re actually bringing them out into the real world.”
