Disney has confirmed development of a third installment in the Zootopia franchise during its D23 fan event. The announcement was made by Disney Animation head Jared Bush, with returning cast members Ginnifer Goodwin and Ke Huy Quan present at the event.
The original Zootopia debuted in 2016 and earned over $1 billion worldwide. Its sequel, released last year, surpassed that performance to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, accumulating $1.87 billion at the global box office. The franchise follows rookie police officers Judy Hopps, an optimistic rabbit portrayed by Goodwin, and Nick Wilde, a cunning fox played by Jason Bateman, as they navigate crimes within the animal metropolis of Zootopia.
Bush indicated the new film will bring back the franchise’s established characters while introducing a storyline centered on avian characters. The decision to move forward with a third film comes as no surprise, given previous statements from the creative team about their intentions. At the November 2025 premiere of Zootopia 2, Goodwin expressed her desire for continuation of the series on an accelerated timeline, while Bush and co-director Byron Howard highlighted the vast creative potential remaining within the franchise’s world, noting that only one city on one continent on one planet had been explored thus far.
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