By India McCarty
ZOOTOPIA 2 just hit a pretty impressive milestone — the animated movie is now the highest-grossing domestic release of 2025.
“After 13 weekends in the top 10 on domestic charts, ZOOTOPIA 2 has officially pulled a hair ahead [of A MINECRAFT MOVIE] with $424.2 million in North America,” Variety reported.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE previously held the record with $424.08 million.
Related: ZOOTOPIA 2 Hops to the Highest-Grossing Animated Movie Ever
ZOOTOPIA 2 was a massive hit at the box office, earning $559 million worldwide in its opening weekend. It was the fourth-biggest worldwide debut in box office history and became the fastest PG release ever to reach $1 billion worldwide.
Movieguide® reviewed ZOOTOPIA 2 positively, praising the movie for its “strong allegorical Christian, moral worldview,” adding, “It stresses doing the right thing, even if it means sacrificing your life, working together, seeking truth and justice, and overcoming differences through love.”
ZOOTOPIA 2 was also nominated for Best Movie For Children at this year’s Movieguide® Awards Gala.
“The really nice thing is that it really does center on personal relationships,” co-director Byron Howard told Geeks of Color of the movie’s message. “The films that we enjoy the most can be these heavy stories but they always have something very personal and very relatable.”
Co-director Jared Bush added, “I think when we jump into any new movies we really look at human nature and human nature repeats all the time. So the hope of this movie is that it’s really a story about Nick and Judy, these very different animals, trying to bridge those differences. And that holds true for today as it did 5 years ago, 10 years, ago, etc. And hopefully into the future because I think innately we sometimes see these differences and are worried about them. And sometimes the simple path forward is just having a simple interaction getting to know somebody.”
In another joint interview with Cartoon Brew, the co-directors stressed their commitment to putting “universal human truths” into the story.
“Something we always challenge ourselves with is finding those truths, because then the story feels bigger than any single moment in time,” Bush explained. “It feels like we’re talking about human nature. And when we tell these stories at our best, we’re diving into human nature so it always feels relevant.”
Howard added, “I think the movies that we love the most are huge, epic stories told through very personal lenses. If that personal part isn’t there, then it falls short for us — so that’s really been our priority on both films.”
See if ZOOTOPIA 2 takes home the Movieguide® Award for Best Movie For Children March 5 on Great American Family!
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