Why There Was a 9-Year Gap Between ZOOTOPIA, Sequel

Published: October 3, 2025

By India McCarty

ZOOTOPIA 2’s writer and co-director hit back at critics of the nine-year gap between the series’ first and second movies.

“It’s really a function of where the movies are at,” Jared Bush, who also serves as Disney’s chief creative officer, told ScreenRant. “There’s no sort of set formula, I’d say, as we look to the future and figure out what stories we’re going to tell next.”

He explained that a lot of their plans are driven by “filmmaker passion,” adding, “I’d say we’re really lucky that we’re surrounded by very brilliant people that want to create things, and sometimes they want to create something that’s a wholesale original new story. And sometimes, I think, like us in this movie, we love this world.”

“I think people sometimes misunderstand why we would do this. We love it. There’s no sort of edict of ‘sequel, not sequel,’” Bush continued. “I think we’ve been dying to get back into this world and continue these stories for a very long time, and that’s really, really fun.”

And, while Bush acknowledged the studio is “always going to need original stories,” he also said it’s “important” for Disney to listen to audiences who are saying, “Hey, we want to spend time with these characters that we love.”

While many fans love to see a sequel, Bush revealed to Collider that there were three people who were adamant about not seeing any follow-ups — his children.

“They didn’t know we were working on MOANA 2 and ZOOTOPIA 2,” he laughed. “They sat me down and said, ‘Just don’t do a sequel.’ And I was like, ‘We’re doing both of them.’ They went, ‘What?!’”

Bush continued, “But then, the best part is that you have to win them over. That was really fun thing, when MOANA 2 came out, and I think this one is something they’re really looking forward to.”

In an interview with The Wrap, Bush shared the difficulties that go into making a sequel to a beloved movie.

“These movies are never easy,” he explained. “I think the idea is that you’re trying to make a movie that’s going to stand the test of time. It’s just really hard.”

When it comes to what he wants audiences to take away from ZOOTOPIA 2, Bush he wants viewers to “have a great time” but also be “surprised” by different moments.

“We’d rather have a challenge than not have a challenge,” he explained. “As storytellers, if it feels easy, then that’s not as interesting as you going through the process. Sometimes the difficulty of the puzzle is what makes it so fun.”

Fans of the franchise don’t have too long to wait; ZOOTOPIA 2 hits theaters Nov. 26!

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