Zootopia 3 Cast Teases Birds in Disney Animation Sequel

Zootopia 3 is officially in early development, and the birds are coming. Jared Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, shared the news in August during the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Then he screened an exclusive extended sequence inside the Honda Center that confirmed birds will play a major role in the next film.

Anyone who stayed through the end of Zootopia 2 saw the setup already. A feather floated onto Judy Hopps’ windowsill, and that was the whole tease.

“The idea of bringing birds into this world is something that we’ve been excited about for years,” said Bush, who co-wrote Zootopia and wrote and directed the 2025 sequel. “What that means for Nick and Judy, what that means for the world of Zootopia, that’s going to be the fun surprise of this movie.”

What did the cast say about the birds?

Ginnifer Goodwin, the voice of Judy Hopps, watched the announcement land while her children sat in the front row. “In general, the announcement definitely made me emotional. I was like, ‘Please don’t cry onstage, Ginny!’” she said. “I just can’t believe my luck that we get to keep telling this story.” She has been texting the creative team random thoughts about birds.

Ke Huy Quan says he doesn’t know anything yet about what’s coming for Gary, “but I can’t wait to hear and go back to the recording booth and play Gary again.” His one hope is that the birds and his pit viper end up friends, which is a very Gary thing to want. “The birds might be afraid of him because he’s a pit viper, but I like to think that because of how cool he is that they’ll eventually see who he actually is,” Quan said.

When does Zootopia 3 come out?

Disney says release timing will be announced later. Producer Yvett Merino, who produced Zootopia 2, called the city “such a mirror of the world we live in” and said the stories there are endless.

Clark Spencer, President of Disney Animation, pointed to how much map is left. “There are so many other districts we can go into. We didn’t have reptiles the first time, and we’re allowing birds to come in this time,” he said, adding that Jason Bateman and Goodwin remain the core of the films. Director Byron Howard, who helmed the first two, says the third keeps digging into predator versus prey, plus “a lot of new animals” from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Source: D23