The year is almost coming to a close, and it’s uncommon to see major animated releases at a time when holiday films typically dominate the box office. Nonetheless, Disney is moving full steam ahead with the sequel to its widely successful animated film Zootopia. Zootopia 2 will be released in theaters internationally on November 26, 2025.
The film follows Nick and Judy as they embark on a dangerous mission—apprehending a mischievous snake who begins causing trouble the moment he slithers into Metropolis. To capture him, they go undercover in the city’s seedier corners, forging new alliances and uncovering hidden layers of Metropolis that remain unseen by most residents.
Zootopia 2 brings back most of the original voice cast, including Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy and Jason Bateman as Nick. Other returning actors include Shakira, Don Lake, and Idris Elba. New cast members feature an impressive lineup of Hollywood talent such as Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Quinta Brunson, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Brenda Song, Macaulay Culkin, Ed Sheeran, Anika Noni Rose, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk.
Jared Bush and Byron Howard return as directors, with Yvette Merino producing. The trio previously collaborated on Disney’s animated musical Encanto, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2022.
To promote the film, Shakira released an original song titled “Zoo”, co-written with Sheeran and Blake Slatkin. She previously co-wrote and performed “Try Everything” for the Zootopia soundtrack, which became an international hit. The RIAA triple-platinum track earned a Grammy nomination in 2017 for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Zootopia was an international box office triumph, grossing over $1 billion in 2016. It ranked as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year and remains the fourteenth highest-grossing animated film of all time.