Zootopia 2 Finally Adds Reptiles — The Director Reveals How It Expands the World

Disney finally let reptiles into Zootopia, and no, it was not a random addition. Co-director Jared Bush says bringing them in for Zootopia 2 was about widening the world and sharpening the story. Also, yes, the movie just hit theaters on November 26 and is already making noise at the box office. Feels like Disney has a big one on its hands.

Why reptiles now?

In the first film, the whole engine was bias and stereotypes within a mammal-only ecosystem — clean predator vs. prey lines, easy to track, thematically tidy. Reptiles would have blown up that simplicity. As Bush put it, those lines are clear in a mammal world, but not so much in a reptile world. So they left reptiles out of Zootopia the first time around, even though he and co-director Byron Howard always imagined they existed somewhere off-screen. They even talk about the setting as Zootropolis — one city on one continent on one planet of animals — which is a fun peek at how the filmmakers think about the map beyond what we see.

The sequel’s angle: differences, mystery, and Gary

For Zootopia 2, Bush told GamesRadar+ they wanted to mirror the central duo’s energy — Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) — with a bigger mystery and a new species that throws the old rules out the window. Reptiles are, in his words, very different than mammals, which makes them perfect for clashing perspectives and fresh world-building. And because this team loves to flip expectations, they leaned into a reptile that tends to make people the most nervous… then turned that fear on its head with Gary, who Bush swears is the sweetest character in the world. That’s a pretty cheeky way to poke at ingrained assumptions without repeating the first movie’s playbook.

"We wanted to pair the story of their differences with our larger mystery. And so the idea that we’d bring in reptiles — very different than mammals — really made sense for us, and we wanted to do it with, frankly, a reptile that would make people the most nervous, so we could flip that trope. And you meet Gary, and he’s the sweetest character in the world."

Release, momentum, and the quick hits

Zootopia 2 is in theaters now (opened November 26) and has already made a splash at the box office. Early signs point to a legit hit for Disney.

• Directors: Jared Bush and Byron Howard; Bush discussed the sequel with GamesRadar+
• Franchise first: Reptiles finally join the world of Zootopia
• Story focus: Differences, a larger mystery, and flipping expectations
• New face: Gary, a reptile character Bush calls the sweetest in the movie
• Leads: Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) return
• Worldbuilding note: The filmmakers view Zootropolis as one city on one continent on one animal-inhabited planet
• Release: November 26; early box office response is strong