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Credit: DisneyFour years ago, The Walt Disney Company had one of its most surprising shakeups in recent memory, and now, one of the shocking announcements made during that period has paid off.
In November 2022, after months of turbulence and controversy, Disney’s Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek was removed as the head of the Mouse House. He was replaced by his own predecessor, Bob Iger, who had run the company from 2005 (replacing Michael Eisner) through 2020, when Chapek took over.
After a problematic couple of years at the box office, marred by the movie theater industry shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic and later by numerous misfires from Disney’s various studios, Chapek was ousted. Upon Iger’s return, one of the first things he did after replacing Chapek was to announce three animated sequels were in development: Frozen 3, Toy Story 5, and Zootopia 2.
Frozen 3 will debut in 2027 (Frozen 4 is also on the upcoming slate), and Toy Story 5 will launch next summer. As for the latter, Zootopia 2 made its worldwide entrance last week during Thanksgiving, and it may be one of the best decisions Disney has ever made.
Disney Animation’s original Zootopia debuted in 2016 to widespread acclaim, blending humor, mystery, and social commentary while earning over $1 billion globally. The film’s success spawned the Disney+ series Zootopia+ and sustained audience interest in a sequel for years.
Zootopia 2 follows detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they track down a reptilian villain disrupting their city. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman return to voice the lead characters, with Ke Huy Quan joining the cast as Gary De’Snake.
The sequel launched strongly, generating $10.2 million in Tuesday previews—Disney Animation’s second-best preview performance after Moana 2‘s $13.8 million. Industry projections estimated a five-day Thanksgiving opening between $130 million and $160 million, with the film earning $39.5 million on its official opening day.
International estimates ranged from $135 million to $145 million, including a $33.7 million opening day in China that ranked as the 10th-largest U.S. debut there. The film currently holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now, following its first weekend at the box office, the true success of Zootopia 2 has been revealed.
Zootopia 2 had a massive Thanksgiving debut, pulling in $156 million domestically over the five-day holiday weekend. Internationally, the sequel raked in an impressive $400 million, bringing its global opening to a record-breaking $556 million.
That makes it the biggest worldwide opening ever for an animated film and the fourth-best opening for any Hollywood movie. For the traditional three-day weekend, it earned $96.8 million domestically, ranking it as the second-largest Thanksgiving opening, behind last year’s Moana 2, which brought in $139.8 million over the three days in 2024.
The sequel absolutely crushed it in China, opening with $272 million—the top animated opening ever in that market. It’s also the second-biggest launch in China overall, sitting just behind 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Beyond the China numbers, Zootopia 2 set several other milestones. It grabbed the highest global sequel opening since 2021, the highest global debut of 2025 so far, the highest global opening for an animated sequel ever, and the highest global opening for any Disney animated film in the studio’s history.
Viewers are responding enthusiastically to the film, giving it an A CinemaScore rating and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. For context, the original Zootopia opened with $75 million domestically back in 2016 and went on to earn $1.025 billion globally, so the sequel is clearly on track to match or exceed that performance.
“The incredible response to Zootopia 2 reflects both its worldwide appeal and the remarkable work of our filmmakers and cast,” said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, via The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a proud moment for Disney Animation and all of us.”
The results of Iger’s shocking 2023 announcement, confirming the sequel after replacing Bob Chapek, have been realized, and what a Thanksgiving it has been for the House of Mouse. In fact, Iger’s commitment to the Zootopia franchise extends not only to greenlighting its production but also to starring in it.
Among the film’s surprises is Iger’s voice cameo as Bob Tiger, a weatherman delivering a brief forecast. While Iger has appeared in documentaries before, this represents his first animated voice performance.
The role connects to Iger’s background as a television weatherman in Ithaca, New York, before his Disney career. He previously revisited this experience in 2021 with a live forecast on KABC, Disney’s ABC affiliate station. Director Jared Bush noted that Iger had expressed interest in voicing an animated character for years, making the cameo a long-awaited moment as his contract approaches its 2026 conclusion.
The appearance adds a personal touch to the expanding Zootopia franchise, while also cementing him as part of the record-breaking movie cast.
How do you feel about Zootopia 2‘s success? Does it prove that original storytelling is a thing of the past? Or, that audiences want to spend their money on characters and places they are already familiar with? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!