"The Bunny is Back!" Ginnifer Goodwin Talks 'Zootopia 2'

One of the biggest announcements to come out of this year’s D23 Expo was the number of sequels coming from Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Animation Studios. However, it looks like Ginnifer Goodwin is more than ready to take us back to the urban jungles of Zootopia.

Judy rescues Fru Fru in 'Zootopia' — Credit: Disney

Zootopia (2016) was a massive hit when it first came out, and it even snagged Disney an Oscar at the Academy Awards. A sequel has been long overdue, but where will the studio take Nick and Judy this time?

Returning to voice Judy Hopps, Goodwin has been incredibly open about her desire to return to the franchise. So, of course, Disney would choose her to be the face of the new announcements about the upcoming film, as seen in the footage below by Attractions Magazine.

Crowd Goes “Wilde” for Zootopia 2

Along with introducing new districts, characters, and species, Goodwin shared that Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan would join the core cast as Disney dropped the sneak preview at D23 only a few weeks ago. Although Disney has still kept us in the dark about what kind of mystery our favorite duo from the ZPD will uncover, the clues are starting to reveal themselves.

IMDb recently shared an exclusive interview with Ginnifer Goodwin and Zootopia writer Jared Bush, during which both of them shared some intimate details about the sequel. Two notable points were how Ke Huy Quan got involved as one of Zootopia’s primary reptilian residents and how Judy (and Nick, by extension) will evolve in the new film.

Old Friends and New Adventures

season-2-loki-ke-huy-quan — Credit: Marvel Studios

When asked about Ke Huy Quan as Gary the viper, Jared Bush made the following comment,

“Something I don’t think even he knows is, before he was even officially cast, one of the animators loved his voice so much, he actually took a Stephen Colbert interview with Ke and just put that onto Gary the Snake so that he could run around and do it. And I was like, ‘That– that’s him!’ That was sort of the audition for that. But I’d say what’s great about this character, you know, it’s the first time we’ve had reptiles in the world of Zootopia. What’s that going to be like? Who is this snake going to be? How do Judy and Nick feel about him? How does everybody else feel about him is critical. So to have Ke voice that character, I think, is something very special.”

If that story sounds vaguely familiar, you aren’t far off. Long-time Disney fans will know that the late great Robin Williams was pegged for the Genie in a similar fashion after Disney animators worked with a recording of his voice before officially offering him the role.

Given Quan’s career-high with his success in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) and Loki on Disney+, this writer has no doubt that adding an animated Disney character to his list of roles will only serve him better in the future. With that in mind, that’s not the only big piece of news revealed in the interview.

If you are anything like this writer, you are also a massive fan of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. Fans have been wondering what will become of them in a storytelling sense since the credits rolled on the previous film.

Fortunately, Ginnifer Goodwin shined just a little bit of light on the subject in the interview. After she was asked what inspired her to further grow into Judy’s strength, the actress replied,

“What’s so magical for me is that Judy is going to be challenged beyond my own wildest dreams in ‘Zootopia 2’ and is going to be forced to grow quite a bit. It doesn’t end, which is my favorite part!”

Although we might still have to wait until 2025 to finally see the film, it’s a great comfort to know that those involved, like Ginnifer Goodwin and Jared Bush, have so much invested. All that’s missing is a response from Nick Wilde/Jason Bateman to tie it all together.

Are you ready for Zootopia 2? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!