When Walt Disney Animation Studios released Zootopia in 2016, audiences around the world fell in love with Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), the city’s first bunny police officer, and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), a con artist fox. The unlikely duo teamed up to solve the case of missing otter — and, in doing so, stumbled upon an even bigger mystery. The film went on to become a box office sensation, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide and winning the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature, among other awards.
The reason the film resonated across generations and geographies is because it includes “real human themes,” Jared Bush, who co-wrote and co-directed Zootopia, said in the video below. “How do we get along with one another? Are our differences too much? There’s something [about] no matter where you are in the world, you can see your story onscreen.”
“As a city, it really is a melting pot for characters and points of view from all different angles,” added Byron Howard, who directed the film. “And that’s why it’s such an easy way for us to talk about ourselves, as human beings, and what we experience in our own lives.”
Zootopia 2 reunites directors Bush and Howard with veteran Disney Animation producer Yvett Merino, who last collaborated on the Academy Award®-winning feature film Encanto. In exclusive interviews, the trio discussed how the highly anticipated sequel shows Judy and Nick’s “relationship grow” as the world of Zootopia gets bigger — literally and figuratively.
Plus, Bush, Howard, and Merino revealed how Zootopia and Zootopia 2 have inspired immersive, memorable, and tangible experiences in Disney’s theme parks — from the world’s first Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort to the new show Zootopia: Better Zoogether! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort.
“There’s something about animals that people can read themselves into,” said Bush, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. “The real fun thing about Zootopia is that you can identify with an animal. That’s you, that’s your friend, that’s your teacher, that’s a guy you saw at the DMV. There’s something very universal about that.”
Zootopia 2 premieres November 26, only in theaters. Zootopia is streaming on Disney+.