Disney’s “Zootopia 2” is expanding. Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song have joined the cast of the highly anticipated sequel from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
They will play the Lynxleys, an old family in Zootopia who are responsible for building the weather walls that help the various biomes function.
According to the synopsis, Samberg is Pawbert Lynxley, the easy-going runt of the powerful Lynxley family; Strathairn is Milton Lynxley, a distinguished business-mammal and the patriarch of one of Zootopia’s oldest and most prestigious families; Culkin is Cattrick Lynxley, the ambitious eldest son of the Lynxley family; and Song is Kitty Lynxley, the sharp-tongued daughter of the Lynxley family.
The new cast members join returning characters voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin (as rabbit cop Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (as fox Nick Wilde, now a police officer), Idris Elba (as Chief Bogo, the water buffalo chief of police), Nate Torrence (as cheetah cop Clawhauser) and Shakira (as pop star Gazelle). New characters for the sequel include those voiced by Ke Huy Quan as Gary, a mysterious snake; Fortune Feimster as Nibbles Maplestick, a helpful beaver; Quinta Brunson as Dr. Fuzzby, a police therapist; and Patrick Warburton as Mayor Winddancer, an action star-turned-politician.
Other returning cast members include Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Jenny Slate, Tommy Chong, Raymond S. Persi and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ lucky charm Alan Tudyk.
“Zootopia 2” is directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, with Bush also writing the screenplay. Both Bush and Howard worked on the original film; Bush as a writer and Howard as a director. Bush is also the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Composer Michael Giacchino also returns for the sequel. Yvett Merino produces the sequel.
The original “Zootopia” film, released in 2016, was a box office smash, making more than $1 billion at the global box office. It also won the Best Animated Feature Oscar and has inspired a series of Disney+ shorts and an entire theme park land at the Shanghai Disneyland resort. A 3D attraction is set to open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World outside of Orlando on Nov. 7.
“Zootopia 2” hits theaters on Nov. 26.
