Zootopia Producer Says Upcoming Sequel Might Be “Better Than the First”

Back in February, the Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger announced that some of Disney’s most notable franchises had sequels in development. Toy Story and Frozen are going to be getting new films, while Zootopia is set to get its first sequel. Very few films from Walt Disney Animations Studios have gotten sequels in the past, putting Zootopia in some elite company. There’s going to be pressure in delivering a sequel to 2016’s Best Animated Feature Academy Award winner, but the team behind the film thinks they have something special on their hands.

Brad Simonsen, an associate producer on the first Zootopia, recently spoke to The Direct about Disney’s new Once Upon a Studio short (which includes multiple Zootopia characters). he was asked about the work being done on Zootopia 2, and Simonsen hinted that the upcoming sequel is “as good or better” than the original movie.

“We’re all super excited about it,” Simonsen said. “And it’s a world that I was a part of the first movie, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, to be honest. And I know that this next one’s going to take it to another level and be, as you know, as good or better than the first. So we’re super excited about that project.”

Right now, there isn’t any concrete information about Zootopia 2. Disney has announced that the movie is happening, but there have been no updates regarding the film’s cast or release date. That said, it would probably be safe to assume stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are returning.

Zootopia+ Series

While Zootopia hasn’t gotten an actual sequel just yet. Disney has been expanding the franchise. Last year saw the release of Zootopia+, a series of shorts on the Disney+ streaming service featuring characters from the world of Zootopia. While plenty of fan-favorite animals from the film appeared in the series, there were still some the creative team behind the show didn’t get the chance to use.

Speaking to ComicBook.com last fall, Zootopia+ directors Josie Trinidad, Trent Correy, and Nathan Curtis opened up about the characters they missed out on in the series.

“We kept trying to find a space for Finnick and it just never… we had him in a couple of scenes here and there and it never panned out,” Correy told us. “That’s what jumps to my head.”

“You know we also, in developing the Flash episode, the sloth episode, there was a moment where it was a cooking show with Yax from the Mystic Springs Oasis,” added Trinidad. “I Wish we could have found a way to sneak Yax in there as well. That would have been fun.”

Are you looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Zootopia? Let us know in the comments!