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Zootopia 2: Bringing In Reptiles And Managing Sequel Expectations

Zootopia 2 co-director Jared Bush discusses bringing reptiles into this world and managing the extremely high sequel expectations everyone has for the film.

When audiences were first introduced to the world of Zootopia in 2016, a couple of animal groups were missing from this curated world. In the first film, it was largely focused on using the predator/prey dynamic in mammals as a way to explore judging people before you know them and racism. It worked really well, and the film is a member of the billion-dollar box office club just as the insanity at the box office was beginning to take off. There were always going to be high expectations for Zootopia 2, and according to co-director and Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jared Bush, who explained to GamesRadar+, the decision to bring in reptiles wasn't a hard one because the idea that they were out there somewhere was always in the back of their minds.

"In the first film, we talked a lot about bias and stereotype, and predator and prey. In a mammal world, those lines are very clear. In a reptile world, not so much," he explains. "So, we couldn't bring reptiles into the first story, but my directing partner, Byron Howard, and I always thought that reptiles were somewhere. We always talked about Zootropolis as one city on one continent of one planet of animals. So we said, 'They're out here somewhere.'"

And the easiest way to subvert not only audience expectations of reptiles but the characters too is to introduce what might be the nicest character in the entire series, Gary De'Snake, voiced by Key Huy Quan. Even he assumed that his Zootopia 2 character was going to be a villain, saying, "My first instinct was, 'Oh, he's a venomous pit viper. He must be the villain. And I didn't think my voice sounds scary at all! But when I found out that he's actually this friendly, goofy guy with a big heart, I loved him right away, and I couldn't wait to voice him."

The sequel expectations were a thing that everyone involved with Zootopia 2 was very aware of. As Bush said, "Sequels are really difficult, because there's the audience's expectations, and you want to try to meet or exceed those expectations, but it also can't feel so different that people are confused," he explains. "And so I looked to a lot of movies that, for me, resonated." It's extremely rare that the second movie is better than the first, and usually the absolute best you can hope for is something that is on par with your first film.

However, there have been exceptions, and two of them now call Disney home. The first is Toy Story 2, which is arguably better than the first movie. The other movie that is not only often cited as better than the original but also considered the best in the entire franchise is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The film served as inspiration and a guiding light in more than one way.

"One of those movies was a particularly legendary sequel. "Of course, Empire Strikes Back. To me, it was a great, 'Why did that work?' And really looking at it, you're learning more about the characters," says Bush. "You're also bringing in new characters that feel like they've always been there. So, that was Yoda for Empire Strikes Back. We now have Gary, and Gary feels like a character, of course, he's in this world, and he should have always been in that world, right? But it's the first time you're meeting him, and it feels so important, but really tied to your character journey."

Overall, the reactions to Zootopia 2 have been on par with the first film, with some saying it is better than the first. It's absolutely resonating with audiences the same way the first one did almost ten years ago. Animation is a labor of love that takes a long time to make it to the finish line, but when it comes together as well as this film did, the wait is absolutely worth it.

Zootopia 2: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

In Walt Disney Animation Studios' Zootopia 2, detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before. Oscar® winners Jared Bush (co-director/co-writer Zootopia, director/co-writer Encanto) and Byron Howard (director Zootopia, director Encanto) are directing; Bush is writing the script; Yvett Merino (Oscar-winning producer Encanto) produces. Zootopia 2 hits theaters on November 26, 2025.

The Zootopia 2 voice cast is composed of an astounding pool of talent that also includes Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live), David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), Macaulay Culkin (American Horror Story), and Brenda Song (The Last Showgirl), who appear as the Lynxleys, one of the most prominent families in Zootopia. Comedian Fortune Feimster (Crushing It) previously joined the cast as Nibbles Maplestick, an oddball beaver whose podcast explores reptile mysteries; Idris Elba (Heads of State) returns as Chief Bogo, the well-respected head of the Zootopia Police Department; Patrick Warburton (The Emperor's New Groove) voices actor-turned-politician Mayor Brian Winddancer; Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) stars as Dr. Fuzzby, an adorable quokka therapy animal; and Nate Torrence (Get Smart) reprises his role as Clawhauser, Zootopia Police Department's charming cheetah receptionist.

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