Today’s been an exciting day! At Destination D23 (which is a completely separate event from D23- confusing, I know), Jared Bush got on stage to give a unique preview of Zootopia 2. Spoilers ahead, so if you want to avoid knowledge of the movie before it releases this November, turn away now. Special thanks to Jess (@Procy0n_10 on twitter/X) for sharing a video with us of the parts of the presentation that were allowed to be recorded.
The presentation began with part of the teaser trailer, starting when the music kicks in after the therapy scene. He then explains how the movie starts with Nick and Judy undercover, pretending to be a couple as they attempt to catch a smuggler.
They then show off some of the opening car chase, which couldn’t be shown, but one of the mammals in the van they’re pursuing is apparently an anteater (presumably this guy from the teaser trailer)
During the chase, Judy decides to jump from one car to the other, which Nick objects to as she’s the one driving. It’s unclear what happens next, but the whole thing ends with the smuggler’s van careening off a bridge and into the memorial statue of the weather wall inventor, Ebenezer Lynxley, which is being unveiled by the new mayor of Zootopia.
“As you can imagine, Chief Bogo is not thrilled about what just happened,” Jared said, “and he benches them from any new cases. But of course Judy, who is never willing to back down, she wants to get back in good graces with Chief Bogo and prove that she and Nick are truly a great team. In true Judy fashion, she goes back through the evidence from that chase and discovers that what was actually smuggled in was a dangerous snake- a pit viper, who is in town to steal a precious piece of Zootopia history, which is this antique book. Now why a snake wants this book, she doesn’t know, but she learns that it will be on display at the fanciest party in town- The Zootenial Gala. And I will tell you this venue is the fanciest thing that we have ever built, and it’s got some real fancy guests.”
He then goes on to introduce the actor-turned-politician, Mayor Brian Winddancer, played by the one and only Patrick Warburton.
For those who don’t immediately recognize the name, you’ll almost certainly recognize the voice. Patrick Warburton is a legendary voice actor with a distinctively deep voice, with some of his most iconic roles being Joe Swanson on Family Guy, Brock Samson on The Venture Bros, and, of course, Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove.
I have to say, Mayor Winddancer is probably the most Patrick Warburton design I could possibly imagine for an animal in Zootopia. Perfect design, zero notes.
After challenging people to try disneybounding Mayor Winddancer, Jared brought Patrick himself on stage to talk a bit about the character. Winddancer has played a mayor before, but his biggest hit was the over-the-top, karate-filled action movie series “The Neighsayer”, with his iconic catchphrase “They say Justice is dead. I say… Neigh!”. Apparently Patrick had a TON of different neighs for that line, with Jared saying there are over 80 takes, and hints that they will be part of the bonus features of the film.
Absolutely love it. Jared then proceeds with the story, showing a few still frames from the gala, including this one with The Bearoness (played by Yvette Nicole Brown, who will also be playing an EMT otter elsewhere in the movie).
We also get to see the moment that Nick and Judy decide to help Gary escape, becoming fugitives themselves. Interestingly, it appears that someone else from the ZPD is the one who saw them, though it’s unclear exactly who it is from the picture. The horn looks a bit like Chief Bogo’s, though there also appear to be sheep horns alongside it.
From there, he describes how Gary escapes into the night, leaving the book behind. Jared then describes how they look for a reptile expert in Marsh Market, and shows the same scene shown previously at Annecy. The rest of the presentation continues similarly, including a better image of the boat where reptiles apparently are known to hide out.
Then, the chase scene in Marsh Market is shown. It’s largely the same as what was shown at Annecy, though presumably more complete, as the version shown previously was still unfinished. Interestingly, the safe word Nick shouts has been changed from “Pineapple” (which we saw at Annecy) to “Coconut” (which matches the poster in Dr. Fuzzby’s group therapy session). Goes to show that things are being changed and worked on all the time on movies like this. The scene also seems to extend a few seconds longer than previous versions of this scene had shown, with the preview closing on this image of Judy and Nick in the tube- Judy looking forward in determination, Nick looking at Judy with concern.
Jared ended the preview by showing this beautiful image and saying that “maybe this story about a mismatched pair of a bunny and a fox might show us that even in a polzarized world where our differences can push us apart, sometimes simply just trying to understand one another can be the thing that can cause us to find common ground and mend our broken world.”
Before he left, he welcomed Yvette Nicole Brown, Patrick Warburton, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps (the actors in suits from the Disney parks), and for the first time, Benjamin Clawhauser (also the suit for Disney Parks meet-and-greets). They thanked the audience for coming, and confetti rained down on the room.
Overall, a great preview with a lot of new information revealed! I for one cannot wait until the movie releases November 26th.
They really are milking the “Will WildeHopps become canon?” Question for all it’s worth.
This is exactly what was leaked on reddit several weeks ago, the whole scene and even the actors. It better not be the case that it’s true.