Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2 (titled Zootropolis 2 in some markets) is a 2025 American animated buddy cop comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the sequel to Zootopia (2016). Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and written by Bush, the film stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, and Jenny Slate reprising their roles from the first film, with newcomers Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, and Danny Trejo joining the cast. The film follows Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they pursue a pit viper named Gary De'Snake across Zootopia and try to clear their names after being framed.

Zootopia 2 premiered at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on November 13, 2025, and was released in the United States on November 26. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $1.85 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2025. It won Best Animated Feature at the 79th British Academy Film Awards and was nominated in the same category at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards (in addition to Cinematic and Box Office Achievement), the 31st Critics' Choice Awards, and the 98th Academy Awards.

Plot

One week after Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde become partners at the Zootopia Police Department (ZPD), their clashing personalities start to complicate their work, and Chief Bogo threatens to separate them if they cannot resolve their differences. During a raid on a smuggling ring, Judy finds a piece of shedded snake skin, but her worries are dismissed because snakes have not lived in Zootopia for years. Undeterred, Judy unearths evidence that a snake may be at the Zootennial Gala, an event hosted by Milton Lynxley, the grandson of Zootopia’s founder Ebenezer Lynxley, to celebrate the city's centennial anniversary.

While infiltrating the Gala with Nick, Judy befriends Pawbert, the youngest son and black sheep of the Lynxley family. Meanwhile, a hooded creature crashes the party and reveals himself to be a pit viper named Gary De'Snake. Gary kidnaps Milton and uses him to steal an old journal that documents the creation of the weather walls that regulate Zootopia's climate zones. Judy corners Gary, who persuades her that the journal contains evidence to prove his family's innocence before Nick knocks him out.

Seeking to protect his family’s reputation, Milton demands to have the journal burned and Gary killed. When Judy refuses to comply and sets the room on fire, Gary accidentally bites Bogo, which ZPD Captain Hoggbottom witnesses. The Lynxleys frame Judy and Nick for the crime, forcing them to escape whilst Gary is retrieved by an unknown motorcyclist. After the incident, the Lynxleys order Mayor Brian Winddancer to kill Gary, Judy, and Nick.

Now fugitives, Judy and Nick are rescued by Mr. Big and Fru Fru, but decline their offer to lie low and seek help from Nibbles Maplestick, a conspiracy theorist beaver knowledgeable about reptiles. Nibbles leads them to Marsh Market, a secluded area of Zootopia where reptiles hide. There, they meet a basilisk named Jesús, who explains that the reptiles' original district was buried during the construction of Zootopia's arctic district, Tundratown, and that it is being expanded again, this time to Marsh Market.

Hoggbottom finds them, and Nick and Judy narrowly escape, but Gary steals the journal back and escapes through a water tunnel. As they attempt to track down Gary, Judy and Nick climb to reach an abandoned lodge, which results in an arguement during which their shared carrot pen ends up breaking. At the lodge, Judy uncovers evidence showing that reptiles once lived peacefully in Zootopia. Later, Nick discovers that the ZPD, led by Hoggbottom, have caught up, and he goes to warn Judy, which leads to another fight, with Nick stating that the case is not worth dying for. The ZPD finally catch up and arrest Nick, but Gary and the motorcyclist, revealed to be Pawbert, help Judy escape.

Gary and Pawbert reveal to Judy that Gary's great-grandmother, Agnes, was not only the original author of the journal, but also the true founder of Zootopia, and the engineer behind the weather walls. Her greedy investor, Ebenezer, stole all the credit and later framed her for murdering his tortoise maid. Her death made the general populace view reptiles as dangerous creatures, eventually leading into their exile from Zootopia.

With the help of Nibbles, who was also arrested by the ZPD, Nick escapes from prison and locates Judy at the Tundratown weather walls. There, Judy, Gary, and Pawbert activate an old clock tower to find the buried reptile district, deducing that the weather wall patent is hidden in Agnes' house. However, Pawbert betrays Judy and Gary, revealing he intends to earn his family's respect by destroying the patent. He injects Judy with snake venom, throws Gary into the snow, and steals the antivenom.

Arriving at the weather walls, Nick fights Pawbert for the antivenom and manages to throw it to Gary, who cures Judy. Nick and Pawbert fall off the wall, but Judy and Gary save Nick. Judy and Nick emotionally confess their insecurities and feelings for each other, mending their relationship. Judy, Nick, Gary, and Nibbles follow a barely-survived Pawbert, while Winddancer defeats the rest of the Lynxleys. They then find both Agnes' house and the patent, while Pawbert arrives for another attempt to destroy it, but is knocked out by Hoggbottom.

With their crimes exposed, the Lynxleys are arrested, Judy and Nick are cleared of all charges, and Bogo recovers from the venom, while the Tundratown expansion to Marsh Market is cancelled, and reptiles reintegrate into the city. Gary reunites with his family, and Agnes is finally credited as the true founder of Zootopia. Nick gifts Judy the newly repaired carrot pen before they begin their next case.

In a post-credits scene, Judy replays a recording on her carrot pen of Nick saying he loves her before her neighbors interrupt. After she leaves, a feather lands on her windowsill.

Voice cast

Production

In June 2016, directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore were in talks about the possibility of a Zootopia sequel. On February 8, 2023, during the Q1 earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the sequel was in active development. Later that day, screenwriter Jared Bush confirmed that he was working on the film. Ginnifer Goodwin, who voices Judy Hopps, told CinemaBlend that she would like to see a role reversal between Judy and Nick in the sequel. "I would like to see Nick have to be the one to convince Judy that the world is worth fighting for". Jason Bateman, who voices Nick Wilde, also told CinemaBlend about his idea for the sequel: "The two of us [Nick and Judy], kicking butts out there. Cleaning up the streets. We're a couple of new cops out there. So, bad guys, be warned."

On February 7, 2024, Iger announced the film's release date and that the film would be officially titled Zootopia 2. On April 15, Goodwin confirmed on her Instagram account that she began recording her lines for Judy, revealing that the film was in production. At the D23 Expo on August 9, it was announced that Zootopia 2 would feature reptiles, and Ke Huy Quan was announced to be playing Gary, a snake being pursued by Nick and Judy. Footage was also shown of a sequence in which Nick and Judy search for Gary in Marsh Market.

The following day, Bush revealed on his Twitter account that Fortune Feimster joined the cast to voice a beaver named Nibbles. The same month, Bush was revealed to be the sole writer and director of the sequel, and Yvett Merino was revealed to be the producer. On September 19, Jared Bush became the new chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios following Jennifer Lee's resignation to become director of Frozen 3. The following day, Bush confirmed that Byron Howard, the original creator and director of Zootopia, had returned to become co-director of Zootopia 2. On April 3, at CinemaCon, new footage from the film was shown that revealed the casting of Quinta Brunson as a new character named Dr. Fuzzby. At the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025, it was announced that Jean Reno would join the cast, and that Maurice LaMarche would reprise his role as Mr. Big.

In August 2025, it was announced that Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song, Patrick Warburton, and Wilmer Valderrama would join the cast. In September 2025, it was announced that Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, and Danny Trejo had joined the cast. That same month, it was revealed that unused recordings of Tommy Lister Jr. from the first film would be utilized for Finnick in the sequel. Lister died in 2020, which led to Disney contacting Lister's family for permission. The film was dedicated in Lister's memory per the credits. Originally, the Silence of the Lambs prison scene reference was four minutes long and taken verbatim from that film but was cut down because children were considered unlikely to understand the reference, and because it slowed the pacing.

After the film's release, Bush admitted that at the start of 2025 story adjustments were still being made, with some elements of the final film yet to be added. This included the honeymoon lodge setting and the breaking of the carrot pen.