Zootopia 2 is taking fans back to the bustling city of anthropomorphic animals and buddy copy hijinks on November 26th. A new trailer for the sequel dropped on Wednesday, introducing a new plot for Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), who are now officially partners in the Zootopia Police Department. Several other fan-favorite characters are back, but the plot seems to be driven by newcomer Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan). It seems that tracking this unexpected visitor will be Judy and Nick’s first official mission as partners, and it will take them to some strange new places we haven’t seen before.
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Zootopia came out nearly a decade ago now, so Disney has taken its time on this sequel. Co-writer Jared Bush returns, this time handling the script by himself and splitting directorial duties with Byron Howard. In addition to Goodwin and Bateman, returning stars include Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, Nate Torrence as Benjamin Clawhauser, Maurice LaMarche as Mr. Big, and Shakira as Gazelle. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of a sloth with a slow-dawning smile, hinting that the most enduring joke of the first movie will be back in some fashion.
Back in 2016, we saw Nick and Judy form an unlikely friendship as they partnered on a case out of necessity, overcoming their dynamic as predatory and prey in the process. Fittingly, the trailer for the sequel finds them in group therapy together. Quinta Brunson plays their therapist, Dr. Fuzzby, and she seems to get a lot of screentime for this in-depth character work. However, Quan’s introduction to the story seems to drive the action, and this time rather than predators and prey, the dynamic under examination is mammals versus reptiles.
Disney had indicated that a Zootopia sequel was likely as far back as 2016, but the company didn’t confirm that it was in development until 2023. Since then, things seem to have come together quickly and quietly, with no great fanfare around the production. Bush became the chief creative officer of Disney Animation during the production, taking over for Jennifer Lee, who stepped aside to focus on directing more sequels to Frozen. Bush was notably the original writer for Star Wars: Andor in 2021, before Tony Gilroy stepped in with his own pitch. Bush is also writing the script for the live-action remake of Moana, which comes out next year.
Zootopia 2 has a lot to live up to, but so far fans seem confident in Wednesday’s trailer. The sequel hits theaters on November 26th, while the original Zootopia is streaming now on Disney+.
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