‘Zootopia 2’: Judy And Nick’s Relationship Focus Of Sequel? Directors Overwhelmed With Box Office Success

Early this month, Zootopia hit the $1 billion worldwide box-office mark, making it the second film to cross the milestone this year after Captain America: Civil War. Zootopia is only the fourth animated film in history to earn $1 billion, following Frozen, Minions, and Toy Story 3. It did not come as a surprise that fans of the film are already waiting for any news about the sequel, Zootopia 2.

In an interview with USA Today, Zootopia directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore revealed that they cannot help but feel overwhelmed with how big the movie has gotten. Earning $1 billion is clearly not an easy feat, especially for an animated film that is not even part of a franchise.

“A billion is such a big number. When we were making the film, I was thinking that I hope the audience loves this world like we do and it really connects with people. To see it happening like this is really gratifying,” Moore said.

Given Zootopia‘s impressive box-office performance, the outlet speculated that a sequel would seem highly plausible. Both Moore and Howard also seemed more than happy to continue the story of Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick (Jason Bateman). Howard shared that the love and support they received from fans make them want to work on Zootopia 2 even more.

“It makes it so much easier to proceed forward when there’s this kind of affection for the film. We want to talk about what these characters would do next. [A sequel] feels like a great possibility.”

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the Zootopia director shared that fans played a big role in making the sequel happen. Howard shared that they all got quite attached to all of the characters that they felt a tinge of disappointment to see the movie come to an end. When they heard that many wanted to see Zootopia 2, Howard held that they will be more than happy to visit the world again, given the opportunity. He thanked the fans for possibly giving them another chance to make Zootopia even bigger than what it was.

Moore and Howard shared that there is a lot of material to revisit should Disney decide to give the green light to Zootopia 2. The directors explained that they had to eliminate several characters in the story to make everything fit into 108 minutes.

“We introduced districts that we talked about that couldn’t fit in, other characters that we eliminated from the movie. There’s a vast potential for this world, so I’d love to see something more come from it,” Howard said.

Apart from introducing new characters and exploring the magical world of Zootopia further, fans are perhaps more excited to know about Judy and Nick’s relationship. In a previous interview with MTV, the directors revealed that their relationship is left intentionally ambiguous.

Moore said that there is an ongoing debate among Zootopia fans regarding the true nature of Judy and Nick’s relationship. Some wanted the two of them to be more than friends, while others insisted that it would be better if their relationship would remain platonic. While it may be fun to keep the fans guessing, Moore assured viewers that the mystery would end in Zootopia 2. He admitted that, one way or another, some would end up getting disappointed.

“If we ever move forward with these characters and these stories, then that’s a debate that we’ll have to weigh in on. It will probably be the main issue we’ll need to address. One side is going to be disappointed, and I don’t know which side that is yet.”

Tell us! Should Judy and Nick remain friends or could there be something more between them? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Facebook/Zootopia]