Will There Be A Zootopia 2?
Back in 2016, the animated Disney film "Zootopia" earned over $1 billion at the box office. Soon afterward, the movie managed to snap up an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2017 Oscars. So, while a few years have passed, it's probably not surprising that many suspect a sequel — or, at least, some kind of continuation — must be in the works. After all, why wouldn't the Mouse House want to continue such a successful franchise?
The first movie told the story of new police recruit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit who moves to Zootopia, leaving behind her small town roots in the hope of making a difference. From there, "Zootopia" plays witness to Judy's burgeoning friendship with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a fox con artist who hustles her, then becomes her entryway into a case which may make or break her reputation. By the end of the film, Judy has fully joined the ZPD, in spite of her supervisor's misgivings about having a rabbit on the force, and Nick has graduated the academy and become an officer as well — plus, Judy's partner. The movie also makes a point about stereotyping that sticks with the viewer long after the movie's over.
But will there be a sequel to Judy and Nick's antics? Or is "Zootopia" a one-and-done franchise?
An upcoming sequel series will bring us back to the Zootopia universe
First, the good news. For those concerned that they've seen the last of this universe, Disney formally announced during an Investor Day presentation in December 2020 (via Screen Rant) that "Zootopia" will continue — in TV form, on Disney+.
The series, "Zootopia+," will air on the streaming service in 2022. The show will focus on a small group of central characters — Flash (Raymond S. Persi), the beloved sloth DMV worker from the film, is one returning character, and he will be accompanied by arctic shrew Fru Fru (Leah Latham), the pregnant and recently-married daughter of crime boss Mr. Big, as well as Gazelle's backup dancers, a team of tigers. It's an interesting ensemble of memorable side characters, all of whom will be expanded upon for the series. "Zootopia+" will be directed by Trent Correy, who worked as an animator on the movie, and Josie Trinidad, who served as a writer.
Now ... the bad news. When it comes to the big screen sequel, for now, there's nothing confirmed.
Back in 2019, according to Movieweb, rumors circulated that the late Tommy "Tiny" Lister had informed a fan at a meet and greet that two sequel movies were in the works. However, this information has never been confirmed nor denied by Disney. As far as we know, there has been movement on any sequel project — other than the series — since then. It's hard to say whether the Disney+ series took the place of a film trilogy, or if the show's focus on side characters perhaps implies that Judy and Nick are being saved for a full-on sequel. For now, though, that's just speculation: until more information surfaces, it's hard to know if a feature film "Zootopia" sequel is in the works.