Welcome Back to Zootopia: Disney Animation Wows Annecy with Sequel Sneak Peek and Surprise Return of Ron Clements

Walt Disney Animation Studios returned to Annecy Festival with an emotional, energetic showcase headlined by Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush. This year’s presentation celebrated legacy, honored veteran filmmaker Ron Clements, and gave fans a deep look at the upcoming sequel Zootopia 2, which hits theaters this November.

The event opened with a warm return to the festival for Disney Legend Ron Clements, whose handprints will be immortalized in the festival’s upcoming hall of fame. He was joined by Jared Bush, making his first-ever appearance at Annecy. In a candid sit-down with Variety's Peter Debruge, Bush reflected on the legacy he now stewards at Disney Animation. “There’s this amazing 100-year tradition," Bush said, recalling the moment he became CCO. “You’re carrying stories that generations have grown up with while continuing to push boundaries."

Clements, who co-directed classics such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, shared stories of his early days working with Disney’s Nine Old Men, especially mentor Frank Thomas, who instilled in him the importance of performance and character emotion in animation.

Bush later revealed that Clements, who retired after Moana, has officially returned to the studio as a mentor to the next generation of Disney filmmakers. He then took the audience through an extensive first look at Zootopia 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2016 Oscar-winning film. “If the first movie was like their honeymoon, this movie is what moving in feels like," Bush teased.

Picking up right where the original left off, Zootopia 2 sees Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as official partners on the ZPD force. But their very different approaches to law enforcement land them in mandatory partner therapy, where they meet the eccentric Dr. Fuzby, a therapy quokka voiced by Quinta Brunson. Annecy audiences were the first to see this hilarious sequence in motion, with other dysfunctional ZPD pairings including an elephant and a mouse, an armadillo and a bear, as well as a deer and Karen, the honey badger.

The film introduces Gary, a venomous pit viper with a mysterious agenda, voiced by Ke Huy Quan, who was cast after Bush saw him appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His arrival coincides with a plot to steal an ancient book that holds the secret to Zootopia’s weather infrastructure, and a deeper truth about reptilian discrimination.

We saw concept art of Nick and Judy attending an upscale gala where a treasured book, containing the original sketches for Zootopia’s weather wall, is on display. Both characters are dressed to the nines, with Judy in an elegant yellow dress. But when Gary attempts to steal the book, Judy helps him escape after hearing his reasons for doing so. That moment turns her and Nick into fugitives.

They seek help from a familiar underworld contact, Mr. Big. In a fully animated clip, Mr. Big’s daughter FruFru now co-runs the family business and is busy supervising polar bears making pink handbags of all sizes for Zootopia’s residents. FruFru, now a mother, insists that everyone show proper respect to her daughter Judith, who wears a candy ring she expects others to kiss. Mr. Big’s operation provides Nick and Judy with new identities.

Next, the story takes us to a previously unseen part of Zootopia, the Marsh Market. This segregated neighborhood has become a haven for reptiles and outlaws. There, the duo meets Nibbles Maplestick, a quirky reptile expert and conspiracy podcaster voiced by Fortune Feimster. Nibbles agrees to help them reach a lizard contact who may hold answers about the stolen book and Gary’s whereabouts. Some of this footage had previously been shown, but the full context brought new clarity to the role Marsh Market plays in the story.

The presentation concluded with a thrilling chase scene Bush described as “one of the most exciting ever in animation." Nick and Judy spot Gary and race after him through Marsh Market. The chase includes a breathless series of boat jumps, shaky docks, and even navigating over walrus heads. They eventually reach a network of pressurized transfer tubes and follow Gary into the perilous red line, one not designed for mammals.

Old favorites return, including Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, Flash the sloth, Gazelle, Mr. Big, and Duke Weaselton. Among the new additions:

Bush described the film as an "emotional fun-filled animal bonanza" that grapples with trust, prejudice, and partnership, all while being wildly entertaining. “We’re not trying to make something good," Bush said of the studio’s creative philosophy. “Not even something great. When we do it right, we create something timeless."

As Disney Animation looks toward its second century, Bush closed the presentation with a heartfelt message about joy, collaboration, and courage. His own creative journey, from home movies with Disney soundtracks to running the studio, mirrored the kind of dream he now helps others realize.

Zootopia 2 arrives in theaters on November 26th, promising laughs, heart, and a thrilling mystery that challenges the very foundations of Zootopia itself.

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