Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, two of the most talented and acclaimed filmmakers working in animation today, Zootopia 2 picks up directly after the conclusion of Zootopia / Zootropolis.

“We needed a true north and knew very early on that it was Judy and Nick’s partnership,” explains director Bush, who also wrote the screenplay and serves as Disney Animation’s chief creative officer. “We wanted to make sure that they were always at the centre of the story and that everything is experienced through their eyes.”

“We also knew we were going to see an expansion of the story,” says director Howard. “This is an enormous film. It’s one of—if not the—biggest features we’ve ever made in terms of the characters, the environments and overall complexity.”

“The first ‘Zootopia’ is one of the most visually-rich, complicated and just plain insane feats Disney Animation has ever pulled off,” agrees Bush, “and we knew this film had to reach even higher. There are dozens of complex, detailed environments and a cast of literally hundreds of different animals, including reptiles, lynxes and semiaquatic animals. The film is awe-inspiring on every creative and technical level.”

The original Zootopia / Zootropolis was released in 2016 and went on to become a global box-office hit
sensation, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. The film won the Oscar for best animated feature, along with numerous other accolades. Byron Howard served as director and Jared Bush as co-writer/co-director.

Howard recalls, “I met Jared when he was brought in to write on the first ‘Zootopia’ film, and from the start, we were very much like brothers. We had tons of things in common. We’re both afraid of heights, we both play trombone, and we both love snickerdoodle cookies. We bonded very quickly over the idea of creating an animal movie together. The idea of animals in an animal city built by animals was really fascinating to everyone, and we jumped in from day one to create that world. After the first movie wrapped, we always knew that this world was built for many, many more stories.”

“Zootopia 2” reunites Bush and Howard with veteran Disney Animation producer Yvett Merino. The trio previously worked together on the Academy Award–winning feature Encanto, which Bush and Howard directed, Bush co-wrote, and Merino produced. Merino also produced “Moana 2” and the Emmy Award–winning short film Once Upon a Studio. With nearly 30 years at Disney Animation, she has worked in production on features including Tangled, Big Hero 6 and Moana.

Additionally, Bush wrote the screenplay for Moana and co-wrote and executive produced Moana 2. Howard made his feature directing debut in 2008 with “Bolt” and went on to direct Tangled before helming Zootopia and Encanto. Howard launched his animation career in 1994 at the Disney Animation Studio in Florida, where he contributed animation to landmark films such as “Pocahontas,” “Mulan,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “Brother Bear.”

Merino observes, “Having worked closely with Byron and Jared on ‘Encanto,’ I look at this film abbit like coming home. They’re both truly incredible talents with great senses of humour. They’re amazingly creative and smart, and super experienced. My job on this film was partnering with them to make sure whatever vision was in their minds ended up on screen.”

“We always knew that there were reptiles and other semiaquatic mammals out there. As we were wrapping ‘Encanto,’ Jared did a little sketch on a story pad that said, ‘Zootopia 2,’ and the 2 was shaped like a snake,” Howard explains. “Working on this film with Jared was such an easy, comfortable thing for me to jump back into because we both made the world together. Yvett is the third leg to our tripod, and she is not only a great producer, but she brings a great sense of empathy and humanity to the entire production.”

A Letter From “Zootopia 2” Director / Writer Jared Bush

14 years ago, I was invited to Disney Animation for a first meeting with a star director who is now my dear friend, Byron Howard. I was in awe as I stepped into the headquarters of this legendary studio—a building topped with Mickey’s giant sorcerer hat—to begin an eight-week writing assignment. Byron had an idea—and a few sketches—for a story set in a world made by animals, for animals, starring a bunny and a fox. From there, our journey began. We went on research trips, built our team of artists and shaped this new world full of colorful characters.
None of us could have dared to dream that we’d be here in 2025, putting the finishing touches on Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde’s next adventure and preparing to share “Zootopia 2” with audiences around the world.
A lot has changed over the years, and yet so many things are the same. Our films, every single one of them, start in a story room with a handful of people. They’re born from asking each other what moves us, what entertains us, what matters to us and what brings us joy. With that, we dream up new ideas, new worlds and new characters together—and honestly, there is nothing more fun in the entire world.
Over the last few weeks, as we conclude our journey on “Zootopia 2,” Byron and I are filled with so many emotions. The artists and innovators of Disney Animation have put their whole selves into this film. The most insanely talented animators in the world have set a new bar with their hand-crafted, nuanced performances across dozens of characters—characters that walk, hop, waddle and slither, all set in the most complex and immersive environments we have evercreated at our studi o. Byron and I are filled with gratitude. We’re grateful to everyone who worked on this film, grateful to be given the opportunity to tell another story about this city we love, and grateful to the moviegoers who have connected with this film about a bunny and a fox and their world of animals, a world that may just be a little like our own.

Jared Bush, “Zootopia 2” director / writer

JARED BUSH (DIRECTOR/WRITER) is the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, overseeing all aspects of the creative direction of the studio. Bush is the director (with Byron Howard) and writer of “Zootopia 2,” the sequel to the Academy Award®–winning “Zootopia,” for which he was co-director and co-writer. Bush was also executive producer and co-writer of Disney Animation’s record-breaking hit “Moana 2” and was the screenwriter of the first “Moana.”
During the 13 years Bush has been a writer and director at Disney Animation, beyond his work on the “Moana” and “Zootopia” films, he received an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe® and a BAFTA Award for “Encanto,” which he directed (with Byron Howard) and co-wrote. In 2021, the same year as “Encanto,” Bush was also the executive producer for the Oscar®-nominated “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Additionally, Bush was an executive producer for the Disney+ series “Zootopia+,” for which he received a Children’s and Family Emmy® Award.
He is also a writer of the upcoming live-action version of “Moana,” which is based on the Disney Animation film for which he wrote the screenplay. Bush has also written and advised on several projects in collaboration with Disney Animation Creative Legacy and Walt Disney Imagineering, including the “Zootopia”-themed land in Shanghai Disney Resort as well as the upcoming “Zootopia”- and “Encanto”-themed attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Walt Disney World Resort.
Bush began his career as a script reader for director Robert Zemeckis, and prior to joining Disney Animation, he developed original television series for Revolution Studios, Fox and NBC, and feature film projects for New Line Cinema, Columbia/TriStar and 20th Century Fox.

BYRON HOWARD (DIRECTOR) is the Academy Award®–winning director of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” (with Jared Bush) and “Zootopia” (with Rich Moore). Howard also directed Disney Animation’s worldwide hit feature “Tangled” with Nathan Greno, and the duo teamed up again for the short film “Tangled Ever After.” Most recently, he was the animation director for Disney Animation’s “Moana 2” and for the new Walt Disney World attraction “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!”
As a child, Howard’s favorite Disney Animation films included “Robin Hood,” “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty.” He was also inspired by artists like Chuck Jones, Ronald Searle and Bill Watterson, and he would fill reams of computer paper with characters of his own creation. His love of art and animation continued through high school and college.
Howard earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Evergreen State College in Washington, where he pursued his interest in filmmaking by studying cinematography, art and literature. By 1991 he was part of the Disney family, hosting the animation tour at what was then Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. In 1994 Howard officially joined Disney Animation in Florida as an inbetweener and clean-up artist on “Pocahontas.” He quickly went on to become an animator on “Mulan” and a supervising animator on “Lilo & Stitch” and “Brother Bear,” as well as doing character design on both of those films.
Howard later relocated to California, where he continued his study of cinematography and drawing as a story artist and character designer at Disney Animation before becoming a director in 2006. Disney Animation’s Oscar®-nominated feature “Bolt” marked Howard’s debut as a feature film director (alongside Chris Williams). Howard also designed some of the characters in that film.
Howard loves the collaborative medium of animation because it combines art, cinematography, writing, design, acting and music with a family of supportive and talented artists and crew. Team members inspire each other to achieve something greater than they could alone.
In addition to his lifelong passion for animation and a career spanning over 20 years, Howard’s interests include art, music, theater, travel and a deep love for animals.