Zootopia 2: “The public would be disappointed if we didn’t talk about current society”

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A decade after the public and critical success of the first film Zootopiawhich grossed more than $1 billion at the box office and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, bunny Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wolfe finally team up again in Zootopia 2in theaters this November 26.

On the occasion of the film’s release in theaters this November 26, The Digitals was able to interview its directors and screenwriters Byron Howard and Jared Bush.

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Meeting with directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush

Byron Howard started as an animator and character designer in Disney productions in the 90s (Pocahontas, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch). He then moves on to production with Volt, star in spite of himself in 2008, then co-signed the acclaimed Rapunzel in 2010. In 2016, he wrote and directed the first Zootopiafor which he won the Oscar for best animated film. A statuette that he wins again in 2021 for his work on Encanto.

Jared Bush is an American screenwriter and director, who began writing series All of Us And Penn Zero. In 2016, he wrote the scripts for Moana And Zootopia. In 2021, he co-directed Encanto for which he won the Oscar. He then returns to the scenarios of Moana 2 (2024) and this Zootopia 2which he co-directed with Byron Howard.

The big novelty of this sequel is the arrival of a reptilian population, and in particular snakes. Why this choice? And why did you decide to make it the heart of your plot?

Byron HowardI’ll tell you a little anecdote: four and a half years ago, while we were finishing Encanto, Jared shared with us a little sketch he had made. It read: “Zootopia 2”, and the 2 already represented a snake. Initially, we mainly talked about reptiles, but it made me think about the idea of introducing a snake into the world of the film.

Jared BushWe knew this movie was going to center around Nick and Judy, two animals who have radically opposing worldviews. And we also wanted to reflect that in the main plot, with these mammals and reptiles that are also very different. This idea of reptiles dates back to the first film, but above all we had to find how to integrate them coherently into the story, and how this would interest the public.

This sequel, like the original film, talks about stereotypes, racism and serious and current themes. As authors and creators, do you feel a responsibility to talk about the world and current society?

Byron HowardI think the public expects us to talk about today’s society, and they would be disappointed if that wasn’t the case. One of the hallmarks of the first film was its status as a modern fable that reflected how we behave as human beings…and those problems haven’t really gone away since. What I love about this new film is that it’s about partnerships and trust, and it really emphasizes the idea that our differences are actually one of the most valuable assets in a collaboration.

Jared BushI would say that one of the most enjoyable aspects of our job is being able to collaborate with people from all over the world. Everyone has their own superpowers, and it’s because of our differences that we can make the films we do. We wanted this idea to be a central element of our story.

The film has many new characters. Do you have a favorite?

Byron HowardThe snake character Gary was a huge surprise for me. I don’t remember who had the idea of giving the role to Ke Huy Quan, but he’s really a lovely person, who embodies the whole soul of Gary. Even though some people are uncomfortable around snakes, they will love them after hearing Ke Huy Quan’s voice.

Jared BushFor my part, it would be Nibbles Maplestick, who is a beaver adept at conspiracy theories. I love his character because he’s a sort of agent of chaos. She knows certain places in Zootopia better than Nick, which makes him very uncomfortable and irritates him. And it was really fun to see her bother Nick throughout the movie, like he did with Judy in the first movie.

Have you imagined other areas of Zootopia, or other types of animals to include in this sequel? What would be the next territory you would like to explore in this universe?

Jared BushThere are a bunch of ideas that didn’t make the first film, and are now making their way into the second. So we have even more! Personally, I love the idea of a place called “Outback Island”, and which would bring together all the Australian animals. I really want to go there!

Byron HowardOne of the recurring jokes with our producer, and which we always keep in the back of our minds, is to make a Nocturnal Quarter. It would be completely dark and there would be little eyes floating around. There is also the idea of bats that we would really like to explore. Fingers crossed!

Zootopia 2 hits theaters on November 26, 2025.