By the D23 Team
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 picks up directly after the conclusion of the last film: Rookie cops Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) are trying to make their new partnership work despite some growing pains. But just as they’re discovering their strengths (and differences) as a team, they’re swept up in a decades-old mystery involving Zootopia’s most prominent family, the Lynxleys, coupled with the arrival of the first snake to be seen in the animal metropolis for 100 years: Gary De’Snake (voiced by Oscar® winner Ke Huy Quan). When Judy and Nick infiltrate the Zootennial gala—the most glamorous party in town, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the city’s weather walls—they start to unravel Zootopia’s biggest secret.
With the premiere of the film just around the corner, D23 recently sat down with Bateman to chat exclusively about revisiting to Zootopia’s bustling metropolis; what attracted him to the role in the first place, back in 2016; a recent favorite Disney film; and so much more.
D23: What was it like returning to Zootopia, and to the role of Nick Wilde?
Jason Bateman (JB): It was great to get the call. Great things are worth waiting for, y’know? I was glad to get another chance to voice an animated character. [Playing Nick in 2016’s Zootopia] wasn’t my first time doing that, but it was certainly the most in-depth and largest animated role I've done. And it was a real learning experience that first time—hopefully I got a little bit better at it with this second one.
D23: Can you tell us about the state of Nick’s life—and his career—at the start of this film?
JB: Well, he’s moved on a little bit—gotten a little smarter after his experience with Judy—and she's helped him become a better fox. But they still have stuff to learn from one another, otherwise we wouldn't have a sequel! They're not perfect yet, and hopefully they never will be.
D23: Did you approach portraying Nick differently this time around?
JB: I think he values Judy’s partnership and her presence in his life a little bit more. He’s trying to really embrace this one-plus-one-makes-three thing... letting her smarten him up a little bit and help create a better way to go through the complicated world they've got there.
D23: What attracted you to the role of Nick in the first place? And do you see any of yourself in him?
JB: I was attracted to this because I'm just such a big fan of what Disney does—their animation and their company and the way in which they go about everything. It was a real pleasure and honor to get such a good front row seat to see how they do their stuff. It's been incredible. As for Nick himself... I mean, he's obviously got a pretty dry, sarcastic sense of humor—which, I've had my whole life. My mother's British, so there was always a very dry humor around the house. And fortunately that works here, in this combination with Judy's optimism and eagerness and “glass is always half full” kind of thing. It creates this classic “two-hander.”
D23: Can you talk a little about working with the directors of Zootopia 2, Jared Bush and Byron Howard?
JB: You’re in great hands with them—they're leading you around and letting you know what the relevance of each scene is and helping you pick the right emotion and intent before each line... The way in which we record, you have maybe five or six individual scenes that are separated by 10, 20, 30 pages each. They're just floating out there in space without a lot of context—so you’re looking to Jared and Byron for guidance, and they couldn't be nicer about it. They really couldn't be better partners. You know you're really in good hands, as far as how you should be reading each scene. They know what they're doing.
D23: Since we’re big Disney fans around here, we’ve got to know—did you have a favorite Disney film or favorite Disney character growing up?
JB: Well, recently, I really loved The Princess and the Frog. That was something I watched repeatedly with my eldest, who’s now 18. My 13-year-old, she really enjoyed it as well. The music from that film –Randy Newman was the composer—we listened to that in the car all the time, going to school. That's one that immediately jumps to mind.
I was recently looking through the list of movies that I have in my library, that I purchased, and it was entirely Disney films. You watch with the family; with each other. I'm pretty impressed how they constantly make films that are incredibly enjoyable and fulfilling for their main demo, which is children, but there's always a layer in there for the adults that are sitting in the theater, watching it with them... As I said, it’s been an honor to have a seat so close to the “front row,” to see how it all works.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 premieres in theaters across the U.S. on November 26!