Discover the Magic: How ‘Zootopia 2’ Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard Elevate the Disney Sequel’s Fun Factor

In the much-anticipated sequel “Zootopia 2,” audiences will once again follow the adventures of the unlikely duo, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. These rookie police officers—a bunny and a fox—are still ironing out the quirks in their partnership as they tackle new challenges in the bustling city of Zootopia.

Helming this animated adventure from Disney are directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard. For them, collaboration is second nature, and their partnership makes perfect sense. “The two of us are half-smart, so I think the dynamic is we need two of us to just get to a baseline that most people have,” Bush quipped, highlighting their complementary teamwork.

Howard chimed in with equal enthusiasm, saying, “That’s right. Left brain, right brain, yeah, it’s a good point. In all honesty, we are a really good partnership because we trust each other and we share our sense of humor, our sense of storytelling.”

The film is a massive endeavor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, with Bush—who also serves as the chief creative officer— and Howard leading a dedicated team of hundreds. The story follows Nick, voiced by Jason Bateman, and Judy, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, as they embark on a quest to track down a mysterious pit viper named Gary De’Snake, brought to life by the voice of Ke Huy Quan.

“The fun thing about this world is it really does feel like a believable real place,” Bush shared with On The Red Carpet. He added, “Something we really enjoyed was the idea that you can tell endless amounts of stories, and they would all be compelling for different reasons.”

“The fun thing about this world is it really does feel like a believable real place,” Bush told On The Red Carpet. “Something we really enjoyed was the idea that you can tell endless amounts of stories and they would all be compelling for different reasons.”

“The comedy I think is a big part of why the first movie worked,” added Howard. “And so I think we really wanted to be true to that. At the same time, we want people to get all the feels, like that’s what we want. I get the most emotional in my life when I go to the movies and I see characters feeling something.”

The first “Zootopia” won the Oscar for “Best Animated Feature” in 2017.

The sequel, “Zootopia 2” opens only in theaters Nov. 26.

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