“Disney’s Always Been a Part of My Life”: Patrick Warburton Talks Zootopia 2
Patrick Warburton’s voice is one of the most recognizable in modern Disney entertainment — from Kronk to Chief Flight Attendant Patrick on Soarin’. With Zootopia 2, Warburton returns to Walt Disney Animation Studios, this time as Mayor Brian Winddancer, a character he describes as “action hero, film star, horse, who's now the mayor.”
Warburton lights up when talking about returning to Disney Animation again. He calls it “just fantastic to be a part of such a spectacular film,” adding that when directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard asked him to join the project, “I was so pleased. I love the character… it just looked like so much fun.” Even after decades of work with the company, Zootopia 2 stands out to him as “one of the spectacular ones.”
Joining a franchise as fully realized as Zootopia comes with a unique kind of responsibility. Warburton notes that stepping into this ensemble meant entering a world already bursting with visual and comedic layers. He points out that “there's just so much happening… so many sight gags, so many different animals and characters,” and that the sequel retains the emotional core that audiences loved, with “heart” and “enough adult humor… that probably goes over the kids' heads.”
Although he plays a politician, Warburton laughs off any suggestion that he sees himself in elected office, stressing that he has “absolutely none” when it comes to political ambitions and that he “stay[s] away from politics, miles away.”
But Winddancer’s charm is his mix of swagger and vulnerability, and Warburton was drawn to this duality. He describes the mayor as “a celebrity… [who] has that air about him,” yet behind closed doors, “you see how intimidated he can be, because I guess all politicians, to a degree, are somewhat bought and paid for.”
For Warburton, working with Disney isn’t just another gig — it’s a throughline of his life. Growing up in a strict household in Huntington Beach, his family only watched two programs: Little House on the Prairie and The Wonderful World of Disney. He remembers that era vividly, recalling how “Disney's always been a part of my life,” and how he would play his old Disney vinyl records on repeat, from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Haunted Mansion.
Disney nostalgia shaped the way he sees the company today: “Disney really resonates with the world. It's always been so much more than theme parks and a movie studio. There's the Disney magic.”
That history makes his modern-day reception by fans feel surreal. Warburton says it has been “fantastic to be just a little part of the Disney legacy,” and he feels “very, very blessed to be a part of Disney, whether it be an attraction like Soarin', the Star Tours [queue], or a Disney film.”
Nearly everyone who has visited a Disney park in the last quarter-century has met Patrick Warburton — even if they didn’t realize it. As Chief Flight Attendant Patrick, he has presided over safety spiels at Disney parks worldwide for nearly 25 years, making him one of the most widely seen Disney performers on the planet. He jokes that he doesn’t get “special treatment on airplanes,” but notes that “almost everybody's been on [Soarin’],” which means he is recognized often — even outside the parks.
Warburton also carries a story that only deepens the irony of his long-standing role as Disney’s on-screen safety ambassador. While narrating the sailing documentary Morning Light for Roy E. Disney — who stood just feet from him during the recording — Warburton decided to break the tension by confessing that as a young man, he once got kicked out of Disneyland for climbing out of the PeopleMover mid-ride. He remembers turning to Roy and asking, “Is my position still safe on [Soarin']?” to which Roy dryly responded, “Yeah, I think so.”
Though The Emperor’s New Groove is now a cult classic, Warburton is quick to remind fans that it “did not do huge in theaters” and wasn’t heavily promoted at the time. But once it reached home video, a new generation embraced it — particularly kids watching DVDs in the backseats of cars. “That's where I think The Emperor's New Groove had its impact… that just started growing.”
Warburton didn’t begin voiceover work until the late ’90s, at his wife’s urging, and Kronk was among his earliest auditions. Disney, he remembers, was highly secretive, giving him only a few pages. He experimented with tone and delivery, ultimately making Kronk “a little bit sweeter,” a choice producers responded to immediately.
Voice acting, he says, is about creativity, not correctness: “There isn't a right way. There's a creative way.” While his characters share his unmistakable vocal presence, he believes they each come “from a different place” — whether Joe on Family Guy or Kronk or now Mayor Winddancer.
When Disney released early artwork of Mayor Winddancer without naming the voice cast, fans quickly guessed Warburton was behind the character. He wasn’t surprised, noting that Disney still animates with an actor’s mannerisms in mind. “Something about the eyes or the face… they sort of integrate it. People were guessing that I did the voice.”
Despite joking that he’d probably make a better water buffalo or wildebeest than a majestic horse, Warburton is proud of how Winddancer turned out — a celebrity-politician both self-assured and hilariously out of his depth.
Warburton is eager for fans to discover Winddancer and Zootopia 2’s expanded world. He joined the production relatively late, explaining that he “didn't even come on until maybe a little over a year ago,” but is “very excited for everyone to see it.”
After decades of work with Disney animation, he still marvels at how the studio blends technique, artistry, and tribute — including how they sometimes borrow elements of an actor’s physicality, just as they did with Kronk.
Most of all, he remains sincerely honored to be invited back into the fold: “You feel honored when you get invited to come play with Disney. They do things on a whole other level.”
Zootopia 2 opens exclusively in theaters on November 26th.