With the huge commercial and critical success of Disney’s Zootopia, it is not shocking fans are wondering if there are any sequels to the film.
The film was released in 2016 and it won fans over with its accessible and emotional message about prejudice. Aside from that, its comedy also struck both kids and adults. People online have been busy speculating about what the sequel will be since its release.
However, those speculations might be more based on reality. According to the directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard, they want to revisit the story. Both the directors keep on expressing interest in a sequel.
Also, there was a poll on the main Zootopia subreddit showing that fans are willing to wait up to 5 years for a sequel. So, when may Disney fans be returning to the fun and enjoyable animal city?
Story Recap
Zootopia was one of Disney’s most successful films. It has earned over $1 billion at the box office back in 2016. A year after, the film managed to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars.
Thus, though several years have passed, it is perhaps not shocking that a lot of fans believe a sequel must be in the works. After all, why would Disney not continue this movie after it becoming a successful one?
Zootopia told the story of a police rabbit named Judy Hopps, who was played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Judy left her small town and moved to Zootopia because she wanted to make a difference. From there, the movie plays witness to the growing friendship of Judy with Nick Wilde, who was played by Jason Bateman.
Nick Wilde was a fox con artist who hustles Judy. However, Nick becomes Judy’s entryway into a case that might give her the reputation she desires.
By the end of the movie, Judy has joined the Zootopia Police Department, even though her supervisor does not like having a rabbit on the team. Nick also graduated from the academy and became Judy’s partner.
However, the question is that will there be a sequel to the antics of our beloved rabbit and fox team? Is Zootopia a single franchise only?
Zootopia 2 Leaks
It appears that Disney will return fans to Zootopia for more adventures with Nick and Judy in 2021.
Zootopia actor Tommy Lister, who played Finnick, originally leaked the news during a fan meet and greet.
According to Lister, he can tell fans that he is doing another Zootopia with Disney. The truth is that they are doing at least 3 movies of them. Zootopia is the biggest film that Disney is producing. The first movie was 240 million. According to Lister, the second one will be 300 million. This will be the budget for the movie. It does not include advertising.
Unfortunately, the video of Lister sharing this news was removed from social media almost right away.
Zootopia 2 Release Date
Zootopia 2 is set to be released on November 24, 2021. This is according to several reports. The reason for this is that Disney has reserved 8 release date spots in 2021 for a couple of untitled movies. Though there is a huge chance the movie to be released on that date, nobody has confirmed it yet.
Thus, possibilities are Disney will release the film in 2021, unless Disney fails to release a teaser for the Zootopia 2 this summer. If they do release the teaser, it will provide Disney around 4 months before they release it.
However, this will possibly affect the plans of Disney for its animated TV series, Zootopia+. According to them, the show will feature Zootopia while having its sights set on characters such as Flash (the Sloth), Fru Fru (the arctic shrew), and a couple of Gazelle’s friends.
According to Lister’s leaks, Disney is planning to have a trilogy for Zootopia. That is why they’re attempting to invest in the correct places by producing a TV series about it.
In addition to that, there is a Zootopia-themed Land that is currently in development in Shanghai, China. The place is located in the Disney Resort in Shanghai. Unfortunately, the construction stopped due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These investments will only build up the success of the Zootopia sequels at the Box Office. There are also reports that Disney is already working on the 3rd movie. According to the reports, the title of the film is Zootopia 3: Saving Judy. They also said that Disney will release the 3rd movie on June 29, 2024.
However, you should keep in mind that Disney did not confirm the existence of a second or third film. These are just reports and speculations. Perhaps Disney will take advantage of their streaming platform and will focus more on Zootopia+.
Zootopia 2 Plot
The possibilities for a sequel are endless since Zootopia did not end on a cliffhanger. As mentioned, both the directors of the movie always want to create a sequel for the film. The actors also expressed interest in the sequel.
According to Goodwin, she would like to see Nick convince Judy that the world is worth fighting for. On the other hand, Bateman said that he would like to see both Judy and Nick kicking criminal ass in Zootopia.
It does not matter, though. The story will probably revolve around Judy and Nick being a new partner cop in Zootopia. They will clean up the streets from bad guys.
It will be extremely interesting to see how the sequel navigates portraying Nick and Judy’s policing in a good light. This is particularly true since the theme of the first movie was acceptance, racial profiling, and diversity.
Nick and Judy will probably continue to improve their community. Perhaps they will travel to another city and face new animals and criminals. Perhaps they’ll encounter complex social codes and explore how they’ve got to adjust their methods to policing.
Whatever way it goes, fans of the film are keen to dive back and see what happens next to these characters.