Hilarious Zootopia 2 behind-the-scenes videos show how animators did their own stunts

We've seen lots of Zootopia 2 behind-the-scenes features focusing on sketches, character design and animating in Maya (see the best animation software). But making an animated Disney movie isn't all drawing, modelling and rigging. Animators also have to be actors.

One Disney animator has shared videos from the making of Zootopia 2 showing how he even performed stunts to provide action references for the movie – with a giant beanbag for safety.

David Badgerow created animation for key scenes in Zootopia 2, including some featuring Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Jesus the Basilisk. He's shared a series of "Ref vs. Final" videos on Instagram showing how he acted out the scenes he was to animate.

That included shooting real slow-motion footage of him and fellow animator Chatrasal Singh running, jumping and pushing each other to explore how the mechanics and contact would feel at quarter speed.

"One of the most challenging bits was just creating a lyrical motion for Judy’s ears that felt both natural and visually interesting," he writes.

The presence of a DreamWorks backpack in the recording of references for a Disney movie hasn't gone unnoticed among fans on Instagram (speaking of which, make sure you check out DreamWorks' Forgotten Island trailer).

Other "ref vs final" videos shared by David show reference recordings for interactions between Judy and Nick (below) and a scene with Jesus the Basilisk (above).

In the latter, we see how David's original gesture is toned down for the movie.

The videos are a great insight into the craft that goes into every scene, and a reminder of how animators can also benefit from acting skills.

For a movie like Zootopia 2, where the animal characters are anthropomorphic, it's important to capture natural and realistic human gestures and movements to convince us of their emotions. Animators are responsible for the whole performance, even if the characters are animated digitally.

We've also seen some entertaining animation references for KPop Demon Hunters

If you're inspired, see our guide to choosing the best laptop for animation.