Zootopia 2

[UmbrellaFish]

Just saw it. We actually came in as walk ups, and I was shocked that the showing was basically sold out. We had to get seats in the first row.

I thought it was average— I did not have a strong reaction to the film, either positively or negatively. I thought it was just alright.

I don’t really have much else to say!

[Disney's Divinity]

I saw a list of the top 10 grossing trilogies on another forum the other day and it occurred to me that the Zootopia and Frozen trilogies will most likely end up entering at around the #5 mark (knocking down LOTR, Deadpool, etc.) once the third film in each franchise releases. Moana and Encanto won't make it even if a Moana 3 and Encanto 2 & 3 both crossed the billion mark since the first films didn't make it high enough. Same for Incredibles, I suppose. The first Inside Out was closer to that number, so that franchise may get there, too; not sure if Finding Nemo made a billion although I'm pretty sure Dory did.

So I guess that'll give WDAS the greatest amount of franchises in the top ten area. I can't help but find that ironic considering the franchising from DreamWorks and with PIXAR is part of why Disney transformed WDAS into the 3D business the way they did back around the late 2000's. I wouldn't have expected WDAS to do the same thing much better in the end.

[PatchofBlue]

‘Zootopia 2’ Becomes Disney’s Highest-Grossing Animated Film Ever With $1.46 Billion, Beating ‘Frozen 2’
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/zoot ... 236621280/

That puts it like $300M behind Inside Out 2. I'm wondering if it can creep past with the Christmas season winding down.

[Farerb]

The film isn't doing as well domestically anyway, but China will make it happen.

[PatchofBlue]

Zootopia 2 Leaps Onto All-Time Top 10 Chart, Smashing Box Office Record For Animated Movies
https://screenrant.com/zootopia-2-box-o ... rt-update/

Looks like it managed to pull past Inside Out 2 after all.

[Disney's Divinity]

With Zootopia 2 becoming the highest-grossing Western animated film (only the Ne Zha 2 from China in front of it now), I just went to look at the list out of curiosity. The highest original films on the list--not a sequel, remake, or offshoot of pre-existing IP like Mario--are Frozen, Zootopia, and The Lion King in that order. It feels so odd to me to see that considering how PIXAR was generally dominant all those years. Very odd.

Seeing the TLK remake on the list made me wonder, too... Not only is it a mystery why no PIXAR remakes have happened, but why not The Nightmare Before Christmas as well? A TNBC "live-action" remake would end up on this list, too--and near the top with TLK, I imagine. Good thing it wasn't made a few years ago though, Disney would be quite in a bind over how they could racebend a character made of white bones.

[Disney's Divinity]

The steelbook cover for this one is really nice. I think that's the main poster they used, right?

[BloomHunter]

There is a particular sequence from this film that I keep reminiscing & wish we had gotten more of.
When there's barely any dialogue, as the animals discover the frozen reptile neighbourhood near the end. As Gary peels off the snow on the mailbox, discovers the indoors of the house. It's all very classic Disney storytelling to (show and not tell) It's very brief, but heartfelt. For sure the moment that will stick for me from this film. Can't believe they actually bothered to make one moment feel like true Disney spirit. As for the rest, I will probably forget most about this film. Can their future films maybe try to pull back on telling us what will happen and let us figure out ourselves through the visuals, like in this moment?

[DisneyJedi]

I am so mad. I don't know how long pre-orders have been live for the 4K steelbook (which, even if the steelbook's the only way to get it on 4K physically, I still want it), but now the pre-orders are unavailable or sold out. Like, come on! I just want the movie physically on 4K!

[PatchofBlue]

‘Zootopia 2’ Producer Yvett Merino on Box Office Records, Latina Success and Sneaking in References to ‘The Shining’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’
https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/zo ... 236666958/

Variety shared this interview with Producer, Yvett Merino. Here were some of my favorite bits. I think I share all of her observations here, particularly about the sequel needing to sink its tethers into character.

Her anchor was character — specifically, Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and her evolving bond with Nick Wilde, voiced by Emmy winner Jason Bateman. “I love, love, love Judy Hopps,” Merino says. “As long as we hooked it on her and her relationship with Nick, and how their relationship evolved, I think I was in. It took a little bit to find that, but once we found that, we were kind of in for the ride.”

One reason the first “Zootopia” lasted is that it trusted kids with complexity, without alienating adults. Merino sees that trust as a responsibility. “Kids these days are super smart. We never want to, quote unquote, dumb it down for kids,” she says. “We just want to make sure it’s understandable and digestible.”

The studio’s internal calculus, she admits, can get anxious: Is this too complicated? Too referential? But Merino is comfortable with layered storytelling, even the kind that flies over a 5-year-old’s head and lands with the parents. “We have references to ‘The Shining’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’” she says with a chuckle. “And I can guarantee you, the 5-year-olds in the audience have no idea what it is.”

In an era where artistic metrics are splintered between box office, streaming and the long tail of cultural chatter, Merino still believes in the old ritual. “I am a huge theater person, and I truly believe in having this communal experience with people that you don’t know, and laughing together, or having emotion and crying together, or having that jump scare together,” she says.

[PatchofBlue]

BAFTA Film Awards Host Alan Cumming Asks Americans if ‘Zootopia 2’ ‘Rings Any Bells’: ‘Lies, Corrupt Leaders, Poisoning and Persecution of a Race’
https://variety.com/2026/film/global/ba ... 236665302/

“Then I thought, I know, I’ll watch a nice animated film to relax me and cheer myself up. Do you know the plot of ‘Zootropolis 2?’ Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race. Too soon, Disney. Come on, people. Cut us some slack here. Whatever happened to escapism? I’m exhausted. It’s almost as though, I don’t know, there are events going on in the real world that are influencing filmmakers. Anyone know what I’m talking about? No? Ring any bells for you Americans in particular? You know, I think it’d be a good idea if we all just had one big collective primal scream. Ready? Okay, let’s scream on the count of three. Are you ready? 123, aaarggggh. That felt better didn’t it?”

[PatchofBlue]

‘Zootopia 2’ Surpasses ‘A Minecraft Movie’ as 2025’s Highest-Grossing Domestic Release With $424 Million
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-offic ... 236672412/

“Zootopia 2” has cemented yet another box office benchmark, surpassing “A Minecraft Movie” to stand as the highest-grossing domestic release of 2025.

Disney‘s animated sequel, which has been a theatrical juggernaut since Thanksgiving, had notched just about every other one of the year’s box office records, including Hollywood’s biggest earner internationally ($1.425 billion) and worldwide ($1.85 billion). However, “A Minecraft Movie” loomed larger in North America with $424.08 million. Now, after 13 weekends in the top 10 on domestic charts, “Zootopia 2” has officially pulled a hair ahead with $424.2 million in North America.

I love this callback to the 90s when Disney cartoons were the highest grossing movies of the year. I suppose we should all be grateful seeing how this movie is effectively going to have to support the investment of both itself as well as Hexed when it drops this year.

Anyways, Ne Zha 2 is still larger globally, which I also think is a fascinating phenomenon. I still haven't seen the second one, and I thought the first one was just alright, but it's interesting for a non-English film to command such attention around the world.

[PatchofBlue]

Zootopia 2 | The Heart of the Cinematic Phenomenon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMaQBM4s1p0

Featurette highlighting the emotional underpinnings of the film.

The clip embeds the culminating heart-to-heart between Judy and Nick from the film's ending.

[Disney's Divinity]

The performance is very surprising. I would not have expected Zootopia 2 to have performed better than Inside Out 2 last year even in the best case scenario. It'll be carrying Hoppers this year, too. I expect TS5 won't be an outright flop, but it more than likely will be a downturn from 4. How big of a drop is the question.