As they said at D23, Disney is now officially making Zootopia. Goodwin will play Judy Hopps again, and Quan is back as Gary De’Snake. There are also rumors that the new movie will be about birds, which will make Zootopia’s world even bigger.
The movie’s release date, full cast, and plot have not been announced by Disney yet. Here’s what we know for sure about the upcoming sequel and what we don’t know yet.
What Did Disney Reveal About Zootopia 3 at D23?
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Zootopia 3 was officially confirmed by Disney at D23. Walt Disney Animation Studios is now working on the third movie. After Zootopia 2’s huge success, the news showed that Walt Disney Animation has more stories to tell in its animal city. Ginnifer Goodwin, Ke Huy Quan, and Jared Bush, who is the chief creative officer of Disney Animation, were all there for the reveal.
Which Zootopia 3 Characters Are Confirmed to Return?
Ginnifer Goodwin is returning as Judy Hopps, while Ke Huy Quan will reprise Gary De’Snake. Goodwin and Quan announced, “The bunny and the snake will be back!” Jared Bush joined them during the D23 presentation. The Hollywood Reporter also reports that Nick Wilde will return, although Jason Bateman was not explicitly announced alongside Goodwin and Quan.
- Confirmed returns: Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake are the clearest confirmed characters for the third movie. Judy remains closely tied to the Zootopia Police Department, while Gary connects the new movie directly to the reptile story introduced in the second film.
- Nick Wilde status: The Hollywood Reporter says Nick Wilde is returning. However, Disney did not explicitly announce Jason Bateman with the two confirmed actors at D23, so his casting should be treated separately from the onstage confirmation.
- Other characters: Zootopia 2 introduced Milton Lynxley, Cattrick Lynxley, Kitt Lynxley, Pawbert Lynxley, Agnes De’Snake, Robert Furwin, and podcasting beaver Nibbles Maplestick. Actors included David Strathairn, Brenda Song, Fortune Feimster, and Robert Irwin, but their Zootopia 3 returns have not been confirmed.
Are Birds the Big New Addition to Zootopia 3?
Birds are the clearest reported addition to Zootopia 3. Deadline reports that the film will focus on birds, while other industry reports support that direction. Additionally, this new information changes the meaning of the feather that was seen next to Judy at the end of Zootopia 2, though Disney has not yet said what it means.
- Bird focus: The third film is expected to explore birds within the animal kingdom. This would give Disney a new group of characters and cultures to introduce while expanding the world beyond the mammals and reptiles already explored.
- Bigger world: Jared Bush and Byron Howard have discussed how much more of Zootopia’s world can be explored. That makes sense after the franchise expanded its city through locations and concepts including Little Rodentia, the Rainforest District, Outback Island, Reptile Ravine, and the Weather Walls.
- Story still secret: Disney has not revealed the complete plot or explained the feather. There is also no confirmed information connecting a post credits scene or Crime Files concept to the sequel, so those ideas should not be presented as established parts of the movie.
Why Is Disney Already Moving Forward With Zootopia 3?
The box office provides a strong reason for another animated feature. Zootopia 2 earned about $1.87 billion at the global box office, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Its opening weekend delivered the largest global launch for an animated film at the time and the fourth biggest global opening overall, placing the sequel in box office history.
- Massive success: The franchise started with the first movie, Zootopia, in 2016, which passed $1 billion worldwide. The second film then became an even larger box office success and received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Animated Feature.
- Growing franchise: Walt Disney expanded the Zootopia franchise beyond film with Zootopia+, a spinoff TV series. That gives Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Animation an established world with room for new characters, locations, and stories.
- Room to explore: With Judy and Nick, Gary, birds, and more areas of the city available, a third movie gives Bush and the creative team room to explore new parts of Zootopia and its characters’ lives. Disney has not yet announced a release date for the movie.
Final Thoughts
Zootopia 3 is now officially being made, which gives Disney another chance to grow the world where Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and the rest of Zootopia first met their fans. The third movie is going in a clear direction since Judy and Gary are going to be back and birds are going to be the main focus. Disney hasn’t said when the movie will come out or what it’s about yet.
FAQs
Yes. Disney officially confirmed Zootopia 3 at D23, with Ginnifer Goodwin returning as Judy Hopps and Ke Huy Quan as Gary De’Snake.
Gideon Grey was the young fox who bullied Judy when she was a child, although the first Zootopia later showed that he had changed and apologized for his behavior.
Zootopia does not explicitly identify Judy, Nick, or its main characters as LGBTQ, although viewers may interpret parts of the film and its themes in different ways.
Zootopia 3 is expected to focus on birds and further expand the animal city, but Disney has not revealed how Judy and Nick will fit into the complete story or what adventures they will share.
Judy joined the Zootopia Police Department in the first Zootopia movie after graduating from the police academy, beginning the career that eventually brought her together with Nick and introduced fans to the rest of their crime-solving story.