Summary
- Zootopia 2 introduces a new snake character named Gary who will solve an old mystery, setting up the perfect conflict for the sequel.
- The original Zootopia was a mammal-only city, but the sequel may explore neighboring cities populated by reptiles, birds, and other animal groups.
- By introducing different animal cities in Zootopia 2, Disney can further explore themes of bias and tolerance, taking the impactful message of the first movie even further.
Zootopia 2 is bringing a new character who can not only solve an old mystery but will set up the perfect conflict for the upcoming sequel. The original 2016 Disney movie introduced the exciting and visually stunning titular city, and it will be the job of the 2026 sequel to explore it further. After all, Zootopia couldn’t have possibly dived into every aspect of this fictional world. Zootopia 2 will take a closer look at the animal species that inhabit Zootopia’s various districts while continuing the impactful themes of bias and tolerance. In doing so, it can solve a mystery that has lingered unsolved for a decade and already has the perfect character to do so.
Disney is no stranger to animal protagonists, but Zootopia took this to a different level. The city where Judy Hopps was sure all her dreams would come true was populated entirely by animals, with accommodations on every corner to fit the needs of creatures big and small. This meant a wide variety of animal characters, but Zootpia 2 is now bringing in one the previous movie never explored. Actor Ke Huy Quan (Loki) will be playing Gary the snake, which is especially interesting since there were no reptiles or birds in 2016’s Zootopia.
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There Are No Reptiles Or Birds In Zootopia
Zootopia Is A Mammals Only City
Zootpia is full of a wide variety of animals, from giant elephants to the tiniest mice. With such a diverse mix, it’s easy to miss that the city is populated entirely by mammals. There are no other animal family groups like birds or reptiles to be seen anywhere. There were no districts where a snake would slither down the street, or crocodiles would be seen on their commute to work. No birds were flying through the sky, nor were they in the shopping centers or driving cars. It seems that these types of animals just don’t have a place in Zootopia.
Now, the announcement regarding Ke Huy Quan’s snake character indicates that Zootpia 2 is going to explain why this is. The teaser from Disney at D23-2024 revealed that Gary the snake will have old ties to Zootpia, which leads him to be involved in Judy and Nick’s next big Zootopia investigation. Surely, such a character would come with an explanation for what happened to the reptiles, birds, and other animal groups. Perhaps there will even be other animal cities brought into the mix.
The official logo for
Zootopia 2
features a scaled tail, further hinting that reptiles will play a significant role in the movie.
Zootopia 2 Can Introduce Other Animal Cities
Gary The Snake Could Be From A Different City
It has been revealed that fish and bugs exist in the world of Zootopia, but they are non-sentient and are consumed by predators (who no longer eat mammals). While this makes some amount of sense, the introduction of a snake character to Zootpia 2 proves that the same isn’t true for reptiles. So, if mammals of Zootopia evolved to create a massive city, then lizards, pelicans, turtles, and flamingos surely did the same thing.
Zootopia 2 may reveal that Gary the snake is from a neighboring city entirely populated by reptiles, just as Zootopia is the home to mammals. This would mean that there are likely more cities in this universe as well, with a separate metropolis or community where birds live, while amphibians find their home in another. Given the themes of the first Zootopia, this opens the door to a perfect new conflict for Zootopia 2.
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Adding More Animal Groups Would Mean The Perfect Conflict For Zootopia 2
This Would Take Zootopia’s Themes Further
Though entirely populated by mammals, Zootopia was divided regarding predators and prey. The unconscious (and sometimes conscious) biases that existed between these groups led to a variety of dangerous circumstances that reflect the real racism, bigotry, and general intolerance that plague the real world. At the end of the 2016 Disney movie, Judy learns to reflect on her own biases and make a change, but how will she react to a new city of animals wholly unlike her?
At the end of the 2016 Disney movie, Judy learns to reflect on her own biases and make a change, but how will she react to a new city of animals wholly unlike her?
A logical next step after the lessons of Zootopia would be an exploration of how multiple animal cities of drastically different cultures would react to one another. If Zootopia2 introduced bird and reptile cities, Disney could take the impactful themes of its 2016 movie even further, diving into the divide between mammals and other animal groups rather than just predators and prey. Zootopia 2‘s new snake character indicates that such biases are sure to be explored in one way or another. Ultimately, we will just have to wait to see how far Disney takes this idea.
