One of Disney’s best 2010 movies is coming back for a second film – that’s right, Zootopia 2!
Back in the 2010s, Disney Animation was really on a roll with its releases. From both Frozen movies doing obscenely well (and a third Frozen film is on the way) to movies taking place inside video games to animated films about superheroes, there was something for everyone to love. One film that was very well received was Zootopia.
Released in 2016, Zootopia is an animated movie about a bunny named Judy who moves to the big city to become a police officer and gets herself involved in a case where predator animals are going missing. The film talks about many different social issues, including prejudice and so much more, and is critically acclaimed. The film itself earned over a billion dollars at the box office, so clearly, it was a success.
It’s taken some time for Zootopia 2 to be confirmed, but thankfully, we are here to say it is happening. And here is what we know so far about it.
What Is The Zootopia 2 Release Date?
At the time of writing this, Zootopia 2 will be released on November 26, 2025, according to Deadline in February 2024 – which, truthfully, isn’t that surprising.
Deadline confirmed the news that the film was happening in 2023, so the timeline makes sense that it would premiere two years later. While it’s a shame it won’t be premiering as part of the 2024 movie release schedule, it’s great that we won’t have to wait too long.
This also lines up with a consistent Disney trend. For several years, Disney Animation has released a film around Thanksgiving—this includes several of their last films of the previous decade, like Tangled, both Frozen films, the highly rewatchable Moana, Encanto, and many more. In fact, Disney is releasing Moana 2 this year in November 2024.
The Zootopia 2 Cast Has Not Been Announced
No cast has been confirmed just yet for Zootopia 2, and that includes both Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin as Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. While we might expect them to return to their voice roles for the sequel, there’s been no confirmation just yet if we’re going to hear their voices in the lead roles.
The original movie was released eight years ago, and both of them have been doing well in Hollywood. Jason Bateman, specifically, had a whole run with a very well-received television show on Netflix, Ozark, that earned him plenty of acclaim and awards. Aside from that, Bateman has also starred in films like Game Night, Air, and more.
Ginnifer Goodwin wrapped up her time on the hit series Once Upon a Time and then had another acclaimed role on television when she starred in the anthology series Why Women Kill. She also held a prominent role in the show Pivoting, and appeared in several guest roles on many TV shows.
Aside from the two leads, here are some of the other cast members of the original Zootopia. Again, no one is confirmed for the sequel yet.
- Idris Elba as Chief Bogo
- Jenny Slate as Dawn Bellwether
- Nate Torrence as Benjamin Clawhauser
- Bonnie Hunt as Bonnie Hopps
- Don Lake as Stu Hopps
- Tommy Chong as Yax
- J. K. Simmons as Mayor Lionheart
- Octavia Spencer as Mrs. Otterton
- Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton
Once we know who is going to appear in Zootopia 2, we’ll let you know!
The Story Is Unconfirmed – But There Are Theories The Cast Have Had
The story of Zootopia 2 has remained under wraps at this point, and we don’t know what exactly is going to happen next, but both Bateman and Goodwin had theories about what they would want to happen if there were a sequel, back when the first movie came out.
In 2016, both Bateman and Goodwin interviewed with CinemaBlend on their ideas for a potential sequel, and both had intriguing ideas. Goodwin commented that she wanted to see the “script flipped” a bit and have Nick be the one to convince Judy to fight for the world if a sequel were to happen:
You and I know what happens at the end of the movie, and I would like them to along on this adventure in their new roles. But because they are playing new roles, I would also like to see Nick [Wilde] have to be the one to convince Judy [Hopps] that the world is worth fighting for.
That would honestly make for a great story – and also make their friendship that much better to watch as they balance each other out.
Bateman, on the other hand, had a more straightforward idea – one where Judy and Nick are out there, roughing up bad guys:
The two of us, kicking ass out there. Cleaning up the streets. We’re a couple of new cops out there. So, bad guys, be warned.
For those who don’t recall, the Zootopia ending saw Nick and Judy becoming a team, both working for the police to make the city better for its citizens after everything that happened. And truthfully, I could see them doing precisely that – kicking ass and taking names.
That said, we’re still theorizing about the sequel, but if these theories have any legitimacy, I’ll be happy to watch either film.
Zootopia 2’s Rating
There isn’t a set Zootopia 2 rating just yet, but I’m sure it’s safe to expect that it will most likely be rated PG. Disney films rarely breach the PG-13 rating for any of their animated films.
The live-action films can stray in that direction, but the animation is made for kids most of the time, so they want to make sure the children can come to the movies.
Jared Bush Is Co-Directing
The last thing we know is that Jared Bush is co-directing Zootopia 2. The director confirmed the news on his Twitter account, saying that they had been working on the film “just fur you”—obviously, the franchise’s fans. The Disinsider also said that Bush is co-directing the film with Josie Trinidad, so these two will be helming the sequel.
Byron Howard and Rich Moore directed the first film, while Bush co-wrote the screenplay. Bush, however, has also worked on Moana, and he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for his work on the fantastic 2021 film Encanto.
Zootopia 2 is in good hands, and I hope that we will soon get even more information. I am dying to get back to this world of animals.
