Credit: DisneyZootopia (2016) is one of the best Disney animated films in recent years. Though it’s primarily targeted towards young children and families, the film deals with a number of adult themes. And now, we’re finally getting a Zootopia sequel.
Recently, Disney confirmed that there are three animated sequels currently in development – Frozen 3 (TBA), Toy Story 5 (TBA), and Zootopia 2 (TBA). While no release dates have been confirmed, this is great news for fans of Zootopia.
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We’ve been waiting for a Zootopia sequel for years, and though we were recently treated to the miniseries Zootopia+ (2022) on Disney+, it wasn’t quite the same — especially without Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) at the forefront.
Between Zootopia+ and the upcoming Zootopia sequel, the franchise is set to take center stage all over again. And though you can rub shoulders with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde at Disneyland or Disney World, will we ever get an open-world Zootopia game?
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Open-world games are currently very trendy, with Hogwarts Legacy (2023) currently dominating the charts, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (TBA) set for release some time this year or early 2024. As such, the time is ripe for an open-world Zootopia game.
In fact, it begs to question why it hasn’t already been done. After all, Zootopia — or Zootropolis as it’s known in the United Kingdom and other countries — might just be the richest world seen in an Disney animated film.
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Though a Zootopia-themed land is currently under construction at Shanghai Disneyland, the world of Zootopia could easily justify its own theme park, let alone themed land. But seeing as that’s unlikely to ever happen, we’d gladly settle for an open-world video game.
Zootopia, an urban world populated by anthropomorphic animals, is comprised of several districts, which include Sahara Square, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and Rainforest District, each of which feature different artificial climates to accommodate the residents living there.
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And then there’s the urban metropolis of Zootopia itself, which is teeming with animals of all shapes and sizes. Meanwhile, all of these districts are interconnected by an extensive transit system, part of which is tiny so that it can accommodate the smaller animals!
While we already got a taster of an open-world Zootopia game with Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015), it barely scratched the surface of such a game’s full potential. So, here’s to hoping that fans will soon have the opportunity to “try everything” Zootopia has to offer.
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As per Disney+, here’s the official synopsis for Zootopia:
Walt Disney Animation Studios presents a heart-warming comedy-adventure set in the modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia. With habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together — a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything.
But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with fast-talking, scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery
Zootopia stars Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (Nick Wilde), Idris Elba (Chief Bogo), Jenny Slate (Dawn Bellwether), Nate Torrence (Benjamin Clawhauser), Bonnie Hunt (Bonnie Hopps), Don Lake (Stu Hopps), Tommy Chong (Yax), JK Simmons (Mayor Lionheart), Octavia Spencer (Mrs. Otterton), Alan Tudyk (Duke Weaselton), and Shakira (Gazelle).
Zootopia and Zootopia+ are now streaming on Disney+.
There is currently no release date for the Zootopia sequel.
Would you like to play an open-world Zootopia game? Let us know in the comments down below!
