Zootopia 2 feels like a celebration of everything that made the first movie special. Ke Huy Quan and Ginnifer Goodwin talked to The Mary Sue’s Rachel Leishman ahead of the big opening weekend. Zootopia 2 has a lot of fan excitement surrounding the sequel. Both Quan and Goodwin are elated to welcome new fans into the fold. Everyone’s welcome to have a good time with these colorful characters, whether you’ve been there since the first movie or you just saw the trailers for the first time.
“Selfishly, I mean, I couldn’t be happier. [Zootopia] was my favorite job I ever had, until we did number two. Now, number two is my favorite job I’ve ever had,”Goodwin said. “So, it would be fine if we just made 3, 4, 5, and 6 and everything, I’d be very happy. I could just live in this world forever.”
“I feel like we know that everything Disney touches is gold, but I still didn’t really understand what it was that we made until we had put it out into the world,” she continued. “Because for us, for the most part, I feel like we make something. We believe in it, and we love it. But, the whole thing is, we have to let it go. It’s not ours to hold on to. And, we make these things to be like, released out into the wild, like a butterfly or something.”
“Who knows whatever is gonna happen? We can’t care too much about the results and like the reactions. We can’t necessarily always let that in, as actors. But this, I totally let it in,” Goodwin admitted. “I was thrilled with the response with its reception, and therefore I think we’re doing a lot more with number two to put it out into the world. And I love that it feels like a celebration so revisiting, it feels like a party… I feel like we’re in it together. We’re celebrating it together, so it’s just rewarding.”
Zootopia 2 welcomes fans old and new
(Disney)
Ke Huy Quan is a Zootopia 2 newcomer. His character Gary DeSnake is trying to warm up to a new place too. But, the Academy Award-winner has already felt the love from multiple different corners. Fans have been telling him how much his characters mean to them personally since the days of the Goonies.
“The beauty with these movies is you work really hard on it, you know? So many hundreds of people work on this movie, and once you’re done, you release it. I mean, it is what it is. You just hope for the best.”
He added, “But, you don’t quite realize and understand the impact the movie has on that generation until you meet them on the streets in person. And, when they tell you their stories, their childhood, and how they bonded with their parents watching this movie. That is the most beautiful thing to ever experience.”
Disney’s Zootopia 2 is ready to tango in theaters this weekend!
How much is Zootopia 2 predicted to make during its opening weekend?
According to Box Office Theory, Zootopia 2 is now predicted to make somewhere between $115 to $130 million during its opening weekend.
Given that the movie is still a few weeks away from release, the numbers will likely fluctuate to some level, especially when the reviews start rolling in. Zootopia 2 will, however, be the first major studio animated release since August’s The Bad Guys 2, meaning it’s opening is almost certainly going to be big.
In comparison, the first Zootopia movie made approximately $75.1 million in the United States and Canada during its opening weekend when it was released in 2016. It went on to rake in $1.025 billion globally.
The official synopsis reads, “In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2, detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.”
The voice cast also includes Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Idris Elba, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Nate Torrence, Jenny Slate, Alan Tudyk, Maurice LaMarche, Leah Latham, Josh Dallas, Tommy Chong, Mark Rhino Smith, and Raymond Persi. Bush wrote the screenplay.
Zootopia 2 will be released on November 26, 2025. The first movie, meanwhile, is currently available to stream on Disney+.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, Rosario Dawson and other top movie and TV actors joined picket lines alongside screenwriters Friday on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood’s biggest labor fight in decades.
A day after the dispute brought production to a standstill across the entertainment industry, Sudeikis was among the picketers outside NBC in New York pressing for progress following the breakdown of contract talks with studios and streaming services. Dawson, star of the film “Rent” and the “Star Wars” TV series “Ahsoka,” joined picketers outside Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.
“Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin marched with chanting protesters outside Netflix’s offices in Hollywood. Also present at Netflix were “Titanic” and “Unforgiven” actor Frances Fisher and “The Nanny” star Fran Drescher, who is president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The actors’ arrival energized the picket lines outside Netflix, where music blared and the sidewalks were packed with demonstrators.
Hollywood productions and promotional tours around the world have been put on indefinite hold as actors join writers on the picket lines.
Hollywood actors are joining screenwriters in the first dual strike from the two unions in more than six decades, with huge consequences for the film and television industry.
A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency has exploded during testing but there were no reports of injuries.
A sprawling, mighty galaxy was created in season one of “Foundation.” Now it’s time to rip it down. Season two of the ambitious Apple TV+ sci-fi series flashes forward some 140 years and it’s quickly clear that the clones who form the story’s authoritarian order are losing their grip.
Elsewhere, “Once Upon a Time” actor Ginnifer Goodwin stood with protesters at Paramount Pictures.
The famous faces of Oscar and Emmy winners will likely be seen with some regularity on picket lines in New York and Los Angeles, adding star power to the demonstrations outside studios and corporate offices.
The walkout is the first double-barreled strike by actors and screenwriters in more than six decades.
In recent weeks, many actors made a show of solidarity with the 11,500 writers, who walked out in May. On Thursday, 65,000 members of the actors’ union formally joined them on strike.
The two guilds have similar issues with studios and streaming services. They are concerned about contracts keeping up with inflation and about residual payments, which compensate creators and actors for use of their material beyond the original airing, such as in reruns or on streaming services. The unions also want to put up guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence mimicking their work on film and television.
Many on the picket lines took aim at Disney chief executive Bob Iger, who said Wednesday that the damage the strikes will do to the entertainment economy is “a shame.”
Justine Bateman, right, speaks outside Netflix during a Writers Guild rally as a strike by The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is announced in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
“I think that when Bob Iger talks about what a shame it is, he needs to remember that in 1980, CEOs like him made 30 times what their lowest worker was making,” actor Sean Gunn, who starred in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” said outside Netflix.
Now Iger “makes 400 times what his lowest worker is. And I think that’s a shame, Bob. And maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Why is that?’”
No talks are planned, and no end is in sight for the work stoppage. It is the first time both guilds have walked off sets since 1960, when then-actor Ronald Reagan was SAG’s leader.
“What we won in 1960 was our health and pension plans and the existence of residuals. That was the most important strike in LA union history, and now we’re on strike together again, and honestly, this strike is even bigger,” Adam Conover, host of the TV series “Adam Ruins Everything” and member of the Writers Guild negotiating committee, said outside Netflix. “We’re going to win. If you are gaining momentum like we are, 70-odd days into a strike, you are going to win.”
Conover was one of many picketers, including Sudeikis, who are members of both unions.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents employers including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others, has lamented the walkout, saying it will hurt thousands of workers in industries that support film and television production.
The actors’ strike will affect more than filming. Stars will no longer be allowed to promote their work through red carpet premieres or personal appearances. They cannot campaign for Emmy awards or take part in auditions or rehearsals.
The strike triggered cancellations of red carpet events scheduled for next week for “Special Ops: Lioness,” starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman, and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”
A “Haunted Mansion” premiere event at Disneyland on Saturday was set to go on as planned, but with no actors in attendance to promote the film.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was clear that the entertainment industry “is at a historic inflection point.” She urged all parties to work around the clock until an agreement is reached.
“This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy,” Bass said in a statement.
The writers’ strike had already stopped much of television production, and the actors joining them immediately led to a shooting shutdown for many major films, including “Deadpool 3,” “Gladiator 2” and the eighth installment of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” series. All are scheduled for release next year.
The writers’ strike also shut down late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as several scripted shows that have either had their writers’ rooms or production paused, including “Stranger Things” on Netflix, “Hacks” on Max and “Family Guy” on Fox. Many more are sure to follow them now that performers also have been pulled.
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This story has been corrected to fix the misspelling of Jason Sudeikis’ last name and Ginnifer Goodwin’s first name.
