Never-before-seen behind-the-scenes reveal shows how Zootopia 2 became Disney’s most ambitious animation

Zootopia 2 became Disney’s biggest animated movie of all time shortly after release, and just this weekend scooped the BAFTA for Best Animated Film, but how was it made? Offering some insights is a new video, just released, of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, showing why this movie is more than numbers, but also pure artistic passion.

Zootopia itself is a vibrant, fully realized world, a reflection of our own society but with animals at its heart. Producer Yvett Merino explains, “Zootopia is such a fun world. It really reflects the human world that we live in. But it’s a world full of animals. And so you can connect to that, no matter who you are. The idea that anyone can be anything in Zootopia really applies here.”

For Merino, who started as a temp almost 30 years ago, working on such a massive production is a full-circle moment: “Zootopia 2 is one of the most ambitious films we’ve made here at Disney Animation.”

Zootopia 2 screens — (Image credit: Walt Disney Animation)

A huge project

The production’s scale is staggering. Bustamante reveals that the film comprises roughly 2,055 shots across 42 sequences, well above Disney’s usual average of around 1,600 shots per film. Chris O’Connell, Environment Modelling Supervisor, highlights the complexity of the new worlds: “There’s a whole bunch of new environments introduced. They are very large and complex. We are modelling all the elements. And there were over 8,000 elements. So there were a lot of elements.”

Central to this effort was Autodesk Maya. “For animation software, we definitely need something that’s very well-rounded and quick,” Bustamante notes. “Maya does a really great job being intuitive.” O’Connell adds, “We use it, obviously, to model out the assets. But we also use it for building our sets. We used Maya to create new, large environments in Zootopia 2. And it’s kind of like the connection tool between all the departments. Disney is always trying to push themselves.”

Among the most challenging sequences was the Marsh Market environment. Bustamante admits, “The sequence that pushed us the hardest was the Marsh Market environment.”

O’Connell emphasises its scale: “Maya enables us to grow as a studio with the ability to create these vast sets.” Every stall, every creature, every prop had to be designed, modelled, and tracked. Merino explains the unique demands of animation: “In animation, it’s different than live action. We can’t just go out and buy a table and chairs. We need to design them. We need to model them. And we need to actually track them and where they’re at.”

Keeping such a massive production organised requires precision management, Merino continues: “Our amazing production management teams all use Flow Production Tracking to communicate with the artists, making sure they know what they need to be working on. And the artists are using it to keep organized, like, ‘Oh, this is what I have to do. This is what is expected of me.’ It really is such an important tool that we use to help get these films done. These films are super challenging. There are moments where we’re like, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to finish,’ or ‘I don’t know if we can do this.’”

An artistic achievement

Despite the complexity, the results speak for themselves. “In the very beginning, I would see these things that were so rough. And then when you see the end product, you’re just blown away because you see that the process works,” says O’Connell.

Merino echoes the sentiment: “To watch it go from an idea that’s talked about to a sketch, to a model, and into a final frame, we continue to push technology, we continue to evolve, and try to see what else we can do. And it’s really exciting.”

Zootopia 2 went on to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time and earned a well-deserved BAFTA for Best Animated Film, cementing its place in animation history. For fans, the behind-the-scenes footage is more than just a peek at production; it’s a testament to the patience, skill, and innovation required to bring a beloved world back to life.

Inspired? Read our guide to the best animation software and, if keen, upgrade to one of the best laptops for animation.

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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

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