Zootopia 3 Release Timeline Addressed By Disney Boss After 9-Year Sequel Wait

Published Nov 15, 2026, 3:43 PM EST Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Zootopia 3's future gets an official update. The Zootopia franchise began in 2016 with the release of the first movie created by directors Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush. The filmmakers spent a year researching real animals throughout Disney's Animal Kingdom in Kenya and built the franchise around a mammal metropolis where predators and prey coexist. Since it debuted, the franchise has exploded in popularity with sequels, games, theme park attractions, and streaming series. Now, a third installment is making its way into theaters. Zootopia 3 is currently in development and there has been little announced about what to expect from the third installment of the beloved animated franchise. In an interview with Collider, Bush explored what fans of the movies can expect from Zootopia 3, as well as sharing a big update on the release schedule following a nine-year wait between Zootopia and its sequel Zootopia 2. When asked about the development process for the third movie, Bush shared: Bush: This is something that is going to take a lot of time to get right. I think with any movie set in the world of Zootopia, Judy and Nick are going to be at the very center of that. I think people know at this point that we are going to introduce birds into the world of Zootopia, and I think this may be the first time that we travel outside the bounds of Zootopia City itself. Collider: Has this moved up the chart? Because I think you have a 10-year schedule or a five-year schedule. Bush: Yeah. It has previously been announced that birds will make their way into Zootopia, which has never been shown before during the animated franchise. Nick and Judy will continue to be the main characters spearheading the upcoming installment, with fans still hoping for a romance between the two characters. When asked about how long fans can expect to wait for Zootopia 3 like sticking to a 10-year to five-year schedule, Bush stated: Bush: Here’s something that I’ve found, being at Disney Animation. When a movie is ready, that’s when it goes out into the world. And so I think that we have general ideas of when something might be ready, but until you’re in there, until everyone’s watching the movie and we all go, “This is the very best that we can make this. Now it’s ready to go out into the world,” that’s really what determines our release schedule. Roughly, we have to have a sense of a musical to a nonmusical so we’re not bunching those up, or an original to a sequel story. We like to vary those quite a bit. So, there’s math that goes into that. Types of stories are important. But honestly, it’s when something is ready, and when we all feel that it is great. Zootopia 3 is in early development and was announced during the D23 Expo in August 2026, and will take the story outside of Zootopia City for the first time. While there is no official release date for the upcoming sequel, it is likely looking towards a 2029 or 2039 release window for the animated movie. Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and their friend the pit vipers Gary De'Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) will all be returning to the fascinating world. The Zootopia franchise has grossed over $2.89 billion worldwide across its two theatrical releases and is known as one of Walt Disney Animation Studios' highest-earning and most successful properties. Zootopia 2 toppled records previously set by the first installment and reached nearly $2 billion at the global box office with both movies also finding a whole new appreciation on Disney+ and dominating the streaming charts consistently. Zootopia 2 became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time in Hollywood, surpassing Pixar's Inside Out 2, and the second-highest-grossing animated movie globally, closely behind China's Ne Zha 2. With Academy Award Nominations and many awards already won, fans are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Zootopia 3. Director Byron Howard Producers Jared Bush Cast Ginnifer Goodwin Judy Hopps (voice) Jason Bateman Nick Wilde (voice)