With seven years already gone since the first movie hit theaters, producer Brad Simonsen has offered an encouraging Zootopia 2 update. The 2016 Disney animated movie was set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals and centered on Judy Hopps, an ambitious rabbit police officer, and Nick Wilde, a witty fox con artist, as they investigated an outbreak of animals returning to their predatory instincts. Featuring an ensemble cast led by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, Zootopia was a critical and commercial hit, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and grossing over $1 billion.
During a recent interview with The Direct for the upcoming Once Upon a Studio animated short movie, Simonsen was asked about the development of Zootopia 2. Though not confirming a timeline for when the sequel will enter production or hit theaters, the producer did offer an encouraging update by assuring the studio is “super excited” about the project and are striving to make it “as good or better than the first.” See what SImonsen shared below:
We’re all super excited about it. And it’s a world that I was part of the first movie, and it was one of the most amazing experiences in 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.
Everything We Know About Zootopia 2
Despite being a box office hit right out of the gate, it took Disney almost seven years to finally confirm that Zootopia 2 was in development at the studio, paired with the confirmation of Frozen 3. Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore had indicated shortly after the first movie’s release that they were in talks for a sequel, though it’s yet to be confirmed whether the two would be returning to their positions, however Jared Bush has confirmed he will be back. The announcement also came three months after the premiere of the Disney+ spinoff Zootopia+, which was set during the events of the original movie and explored its supporting characters.
While no cast has been announced yet for the movie, both Goodwin and Bateman have eagerly expressed their desires to come back for the sequel. The former even shared her pitch for the story, in which Nick would instead become the bright beacon between the pair and push for Judy to save their world from a new threat, while Bateman is keen to see Nick’s new life as a cop following the first movie’s ending seeing him join up with the Zootopia Police Department.
Though the conclusion of the Writer’s Guild of America strike is sure to help Zootopia 2 make further development progress, the ongoing status of the SAG-AFTRA strike is will likely keep the sequel from entering production any time soon. However, considering Disney elected to wait seven years to even push ahead on the follow-up, a little longer wait could prove beneficial to making sure the movie meets the goals Simonsen has expressed of matching or surpassing the Oscar-winning original.
