Zootopia earned widespread critical acclaim and grossed over a billion dollars at the box office when it was released in 2016. The film was praised for its clever storytelling, gorgeous animation, and its thoughtful exploration of prejudice and social stereotypes, all wrapped in a compelling buddy-cop mystery. Now, nearly a decade later, audiences are set to return to the bustling metropolis in Zootopia 2. The Zootopia sequel is getting critical acclaim, following Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) as they tackle a new case around a week after the first movie begins. However, for the actors, the gap has been much more significant. Speaking exclusively with ComicBook, Bateman and Goodwin discussed the unique challenge of slipping back into their beloved characters’ voices after a decade away from the recording booth.
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“We both studied the first film excessively,” Goodwin revealed. Bateman jokingly added, “The hours at the zoo, this is just forever.” For Goodwin, the process of re-familiarizing herself with Judy Hopps was woven into her family life. “My kids are now nine and eleven, so I spent the last decade forcing this [Zootopia] down their throats,” she explained. “It was the only thing that I’ve ever done that I was able to slip in, that they didn’t know it was me, and they actually loved it and watched it repeatedly. I feel like I learned a lot just from watching it with my kids, about what we had done and about, if given the opportunity, how I would improve upon it.”
Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin Reveal How Recording Voices for Zootopia Works
The process of voicing an animated character is often misunderstood, with many assuming it requires an exaggerated, larger-than-life performance. However, for the cast of Zootopia, the direction from the filmmakers was precisely the opposite. In our interview, both Goodwin and Bateman shared how they found this method to be a rewarding acting experience.
“The first time I went into the booth for number one, it was like doing voices,” Goodwin said. “And they were like, ‘That’s so cute. If we wanted those actors, we would have hired those actors.’ I don’t feel, when I’m doing this, that I’m acting. I feel like I’m being asked to come in and be as present as humanly possible. I don’t have to keep up with a character of anything, because I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Bateman described the performance-focused environment in the recording booth. “When we’re recording, we have the little easel or whatever there, and a microphone; you have an iPad in front of you, which has got the script in it. So you’re looking at the script and you’re acting,” he explained. “I wouldn’t change my performance at all if the camera was on me and the iPad was the other actor I was talking to. Whereas you’d think you’re doing voice acting, so you’ve got to do something that’s like… [overly expressive]. They don’t want that. They got that. That’s what the animators are for, later. ‘Just talk, and don’t suck.’ They encourage you: ‘Just do what you do and we’ll take care of the rest.’”
Zootopia 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 26th.
What are you most excited to see in the long-awaited sequel to Zootopia? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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