Audiences want familiarity but also expect growth": Zootopia 2 director Jared Bush on challenges with sequels

Washington DC [US], June 14 : The much-anticipated sequel to Zootopia is slated to release in theatres on November 26, 2025. The director, Jared Bush, opened up on the challenges of making a sequel and shared the new changes that can be seen in the new part of the movie.

In an interview with Variety, Jared Bush opened up about the challenges in making a sequel. He said, "Sequels are tricky. Audiences want familiarity but also expect growth. The key is making sure any evolution feels organic and integral to the story. You can't just change a character's design for the sake of change. People can sense when it's unearned," as quoted by Variety.

The director believes that 'Moana 2' is a good example of a sequel, as the audience resonated with the main character's development.

"A good example is a character who aged up, like Moana did for the second film. Viewers noticed, and it worked because it supported the character's arc. It wasn't a redesign just for marketing," said Bush as quoted by Variety.

He also shared the details of the 'Zootopia 2', which included a long green reptile as shown in the trailer.

"In Zootopia, we're also introducing reptiles. They move and behave differently than mammals. Telling their story required a different approach. For instance, animating a snake, essentially a big rope, and everyone knows about the difficulty in animating ropes, is a big challenge. It's something we haven't done in CG before, even though Disney has this rich history of animated snakes," said Bush as quoted in Variety.

The makers of 'Zootopia 2' on Friday, offering the first major preview of the highly anticipated sequel during a packed presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Director and writer Jared Bush, who is also Disney Animation's new chief creative officer, made his Annecy debut with the film, revealing new footage from Zootopia 2 at the Bonlieu Scène Nationale.

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