Hey Everyone! Civet here once again! After the ‘Animation Is Film Festival’ presentation, Producer Yvett Merino and Head of Story Carrie Liao sat down with Peter DeBruge, head Film Critic for Variety Magazine (Who also conducted the Q&A with Jared Bush and Ron Clements at Annecy) and did a Q&A! They were also nice enough to give me a few minutes of their time afterward to answer a few more questions specifically for ZNN!
For context, this took place immediately following their preview of Zootopia 2, ending with the chase in Marsh Market. Now, without further ado, here is our full transcript of that Q&A:
Peter: This is so great, and thank you for doing so much for that. A bit to share: one of my favorite things about the original Zootopia is that Jared and Byron set up this expansive, incredible world and left so much of it to our imagination. To tell the story and introduce the characters they wanted, they had to kind of zero in on certain corners of it. I always wondered where else we’d get to see. So if you can expand a little: the Marsh Market is new. Give us a sense of where else you’ll be taking us in that segment.
Yvett: When Byron and Jared created this world many years ago, they always intended to expand it. It was just too big to fit into one movie. Going into Marsh Market is one of my new favorite things, because it’s a new world with aquatic animals who live in and out of the water. In the original Zootopia, most things relate to our human world. This Marsh Market world lives above and below water, which we don’t really have an equivalent to. It’s fun to go there and expand. There are many other places we get to see and learn about in this film—some I can’t mention yet—but we’re excited.
Peter: Let’s jump off the clip you just showed us. You were telling us about its complexity. I’m assuming because of the number of characters and the environment we see. With computer animation, how do we get things now that we couldn’t a year or five years ago? What did this demand, and how were you able to do it?
Carrie: Yeah, and I’m speaking from a story perspective, but I’m constantly amazed at downstream departments, such as layout, lighting, all of them, and how they come together. We already have this complex environment that involves water, which we all know can be very expensive for animation. We wanted Marsh Market to be a really thriving place, with so many characters, so much density and richness. And then there’s the chase itself: Nick and Judy going into the tubes. We wanted the sense of them being propelled through the water while also getting a sense of the outside, the reflections, the action, tracking all of that. The tubes as a mode of transportation throughout Zootopia take them through many environments you’ll get to see. There’s a lot of technical wizardry there, and the scene asks for a lot.
Peter: Yvett, can you give us a sense of things you couldn’t do on the first film that you were able to do here? Things audience members might not look for, but can appreciate when they see them?
Yvett: One of the biggest technical changes is we moved our animation system to Presto. It was so helpful because we have so many characters on screen. It allowed multiple animators to work within the same scene at the same time, and multiple departments to touch a scene, understand where it’s going, and do quick updates. That really let us move forward, having multiple people working on a shot instead of waiting for one animator to finish before someone else could continue or combine shots.
Peter: We sampled a bunch of really funny new characters, but talk about that central relationship. What you wanted to advance. I love the way you set it up: the honeymoon versus the moving-in phase. It seems like the most important thing is staying true to that dynamic.
Carrie: Going off the first movie, which is already so rich in world-building and character, we want to expand. But from the beginning we stuck to the idea that Nick and Judy’s relationship is the core. Ultimately, this is a relationship movie between the two of them. The challenge is: where do we take them in a second film when we already love them and their dynamic? How do we grow and test that relationship? This movie happens essentially one week into their partnership. That was rich ground: when you become partners and continue to grow, you start to learn things about each other—“Wait, you like that? You do what?” That was fun to play with. We wanted to take them somewhere new, and exploring the partnership was the way to do it.
Peter: Is it hard to find ways to bring back characters we liked in the first one? In the first film, they served a story purpose. In the second, you have to invent that purpose. We saw a creative solution with the murder shrews as an example “we have to bring them back.” How do you plug them in, and explain that challenge as the ensemble grows?
Yvett: It’s a challenge because the first film has such a rich cast. We want to bring them in, but we always focus on story. What’s the story we want to tell about Judy and Nick’s relationship, and how do we move that forward? We had situations where we’d say, “Oh, this could be Mr. Big. What if Mr. Big and Fru Fru are partners now, running their own business, and that advances the story?” But it all has to hang on the story. Sometimes we’d put characters in and they didn’t really work there, so we pulled them out. We were happy with the ones who came back.
Carrie: Absolutely what Yvett said. The impulse is to see familiar faces everyone loves, but we also want to introduce new characters for audiences to love. As the story developed, opportunities to bring characters back came up more organically than expected. For example, Mr. Big and Fru Fru worked really well. And there are other fun returns you’ll get to see later in the film.
Peter: Now that we understand the audience love and the first film’s success, you’re thinking about the sequel. But are you thinking bigger picture? Are there ways to be five or ten years down the road, making sure you don’t close doors you might want later, or planting seeds that pay off down the line? I suspect you can’t tell us what they are, but I’m curious about the thought process.
Yvett: When Jared and Byron first created this world, they always thought of Zootopia as part of a larger animal world. What we saw in the first film is just a part of that. In this film, for example, we introduce reptiles. I didn’t work on the original, but talking with Byron and Jared, even back then they wanted reptiles in the world. The predator-prey story just didn’t support it at the time. As they were finishing the original film, they even looked at the title and Jared drew a snake in the shape of the “2.” They’ve always thought expansively. We expand a bit more in this film, and in my mind Zootopia is a place on a vast world of animals.
Peter:I almost want a TV series where we spend more time with these characters. Though I realize how demanding that would be. Let’s talk about reptiles, specifically Key and Gary the snake. We’ve had snake or reptile villains in other Disney movies, but he doesn’t sound or behave like them. He’s hilarious, not traditionally menacing. What can you tell us about the design intention for that character?
Carrie: When the mystery begins, Gary is framed a certain way. Is he scary? Is there something nefarious going on? But with both the design and Key’s voice, there’s a real charm to Gary. We wanted him to be more than the snake villain you might expect; there’s an emotional core to what he’s doing. A lot of heart in what he pursues during the mystery. Key’s voice was a huge inspiration. Early on, animators played with Gary’s rig to a clip of Key from a late-night talk show and instantly…This works so well. Getting Key to voice Gary was fantastic; his exuberance, joy, and warmth all infuse the character and where we want him to go.
Peter: Right, you brought that clip to Annecy. It made you realize a snake could seem limiting for animation, but the tip of his tail becomes like an index finger; the body language can do things other animals can’t. Sounds like you might have something to add.
Yvett: That’s the amazing thing about animation: you can create characters who can do anything. Gary was led by supervising animator Adam Green, who locked in early on with using that tail. I’m always amazed watching how Gary navigates, holds things. It all looks so natural and real. Our animation team spent months playing with, “What can we do with Gary? How do we make him live in this world and relate on screen?”
Peter: When I think of animation feats: [At this point referred to something specific that happened in the preview, which hasn’t been shown elsewhere, and which we agreed to not report on for sake of spoilers. Sorry! -Andy], It’s like, that took some engineering.
Carrie: A little insight there: on this film, a lot of departments worked even more closely together. Chad Sellers, one of our heads of animation, told us, “In that scene in particular, the story people created some problems.” (laughs) With grabbing Milton and everything, they worked with rigging because Gary’s length is set, but he needs to do all sorts of things. They were able to string together multiple Garys to create the length needed to accomplish it.
Peter: As long as we’ve had Disney movies, we’ve had anthropomorphic animals, but the closest corollary to me is Robin Hood—design-wise and the fit. There’s also the pace: mile-a-minute jokes where you can watch 20 times and still pick up new details. Like in the chase, or the parade. From a story perspective, the world invites so many details and gags, but it also kind of requires it. That’s a tall ask.
Carrie: For sure. The richness of the world lends itself to all these little bits. From the beginning, Jared and Byron emphasized that one of the fun things is the animal lens: you can play with scale and animal characteristics in relatable places, the DMV, etc. It’s a fun playground. There’s so much happening that even now, when I watch it, I see new things added in the background. We tried to put in as much fun as we could, and I hope audiences enjoy that.
Peter: Would you each give a “don’t miss this detail” moment? You don’t have to. But maybe a thing to lean into when we’re watching.
Yvett: Each department looks at their work as a chance to plus what’s there. Take Gary carrying off the book while holding everything. Rather than simplifying, the team asked, “How do we do it?” Our crowds department is also huge. They make the worlds feel lived-in. I love rewatching films and just watching the crowds and the stories that are happening back there. I’ll talk to our crowds team and they’ll say, “These two had a fight, so they’re not walking together in this scene.” In Marsh Market, when the Nibbles meet Russ the Walrus and go through the background, there’s a party boat back there, everyone is dancing, having a good time. I love those little things.
Carrie: This happens throughout, but that opening wide shot of Marsh Market, when they first see it, they showed it to us paused and zoomed into different sections: “What’s happening here, here, here?” There’s so much detail people won’t catch the first time. I also love Nibbles, the conspiracy podcaster. Look for fun details like bumper stickers or Nibbles’ podcast website, she has familiar things tailored to that Nibbles flavor.
Peter: The first movie played with different genres. Chinatown is a big one: “What if Chinatown were a comedy set in the animal world?” Is that still part of this second follow-up? What are some of the major references?
Yvett: I think so. Jared and Byron are film lovers; we all are at Disney. We talked a lot about Chinatown on this film, too. And yes, as you mentioned earlier Robin Hood is one of Byron’s favorites and you can see that influence. Ultimately, this film is about partnerships. Judy and Nick’s partnership. So we watched a lot of buddy-cop films and looked at how those relationships evolve. There’s a little of that throughout.
Peter: Yeah, I guess you can have it but instead of them kind of as antagonistic, you have the kind of misfit buddy cop movie kind of going on here. One thing that struck people about Zootopia was its social resonance, helping us manage our own world, almost anticipating conflict in the country. Predator and prey, different species working together. How does this movie honor that? Is it part of the fabric you inherit?
Carrie: Definitely. People think, “This is fun and rich,” but there’s also that layer of commentary. For the sequel, the guidepost was returning to Nick and Judy’s relationship as the core. In the first movie, they contended with predator-prey dynamics and their own biases. Here, thematically, it’s partnerships. How their partnership gets tested as they go on the run and through this mystery. It can feel like it’s them against the world. That’s relatable to anyone with friendships or partners: what happens when your relationship is tested and you find you’re not as similar as you thought? How do you talk about it, understand each other better, and grow stronger?
Peter: One of the things I’m picking up here, kind of just watching these clips that you’ve shared is like another thing is that everyone at Disney is so good at distilling the element of an animal’s behavior into a caricature. But constantly, repeatedly, we see our expectations challenged. And I think that’s just a healthy thing for kids to live in the world. You know there’s a degree to which we stereotype. That’s just a way that we encounter new things. And then we can have that challenge, whether it’s a sea lion or a Clint Eastwood reptile, kind of like the Jesús hazing scene there. Let me give you each a last beat: we’re out of time, but what thought do you want the audience to leave with?
Yvett: First and foremost, we want people to go into the theater and have fun. I’m a big theater-goer. There’s something magical about sitting in a dark room with strangers and sharing laughter and emotion. Beyond that: relationships, of all kinds, go through trials that can feel like, “Is this the end?” Getting through them can lead to deeper, stronger bonds.
Carrie: Similar to that—the theme of partnership shows up across many characters. You’ll see how Mr. Big and others have evolved, and how new characters fit that theme. Personally, one of the beautiful things about production was getting to work with departments I’d never worked with before, animation, lighting, all of it, under one roof. Different artists bringing their sensibilities together to build and elevate the film. I’m excited to be part of it and to watch the final thing.
Peter: All right, so it opens in November… 26th? That’s my birthday. (laughs) Now you won’t forget my birthday! Thank you everyone for coming to this, and spread the good word about Zootopia 2!
And that concludes the questions!
…Well, it would be, but ZNN is special thanks to all of you, so we got a few extra questions of our own after the presentation was concluded. Enjoy our exclusive interview!
Civet: That was an amazing presentation! We are all so excited for the next movie. So first off a quick fun question, Are you familiar with the Civet?
Carrie: Yes, with the Kopi Liwak coffee. Have you had it?
Civet: I have! Do you think that Kopi Luwak coffee is canonical in Zootopia?
Yvett: (laughing) That is an excellent question. I honestly am not sure.
Carrie: Definitely a question for [Jared Bush]!
Civet: So, Yvett, you’ve worked on a lot of different movies between the first and the second one. What’s your favorite aspect about coming back to Zootopia after being away for so long?
Yvett: I have always been a big fan of the first one. And so I was so excited to be able to step into this world and see how much fun we have creating the world and the characters and the returning, the returning characters, and the new ones.
Civet: We love the world as well! For Carrie, was there anything specifically challenge-wise that you and your team have faced, you know, being in such a complex world and advances in technology and all that?
Carrie: Yeah, I think for sure from the story aspect, I think that like, you know, it would just felt very open, like there were a lot of things. There were actually a lot of ideas. We had so many ideas, and went through so many ideas during the various screenings. And I think that like so much of it was on the screen, but there’s always, you know, some of those little fun ideas or gags that you have to kind of leave behind just because it doesn’t work for ultimately the story we’re trying to tell. But fortunately, a lot of this will make it into the special features.
Civet: Just more to look forward to! Obviously, no spoilers, we’re going to have to wait, but any individual thoughts on Wildehopps?
Yvett: I just love them as partners.
Carrie: Yeah, I kind of just like, I enjoy the relationship between the two, and honestly, I always defer to Jared and Byron and kind of like where they want to take the characters. But for now, I’m just enjoying them for whatever adventures we take them on!
Civet: Awesome. Thank you so much for your time!
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