Disney Readies Zootopia 2 For Launch With a Special New Series

Ahead of Zootopia 2's debut this year, Disney and Dynamite Comics are teaming up to deliver a new comic series that follows Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde’s police career. Crushing together the seriousness of a crime thriller with the aesthetic of Zootopia, the series’ creator hopes to create a humorous slice-of-life that expands on the lives of Judy and Nick. The process behind the series’ creation, however, has been tricky.

In an interview with AIPT Comics, the Zootopia series’ lead writer Jeff Parker opened up about the process behind creating this series as well as the challenges of creating a Disney comic. Parker is the same creative talent behind the Batman ‘66 comic series which adapted the original Batman television show starring Adam West.

Already an expert at adapting big-screen media to the pages of a comic, Zootopia is sure to be just as charming as the original film. Fortunately for fans of the movie series, Parker has admitted that navigating Disney’s scrupulous standards ultimately created a smarter product.

The Zootopia Comic's Writer Explains Why The Book Strongly Adheres To The Original Film

Zootopia #1 – Written By Jeff Parker; Art By Alessandro Ranaldi; Color By Dearbhla Kelly; Lettering By Jeff Eckleberry; Cover Art By Trish Forstner

As Jeff Parker explained:

“Disney has a team that reviews everything, but they’ve been surprisingly hands-off. They gave me notes here and there, but nothing that made me throw a hissy fit. At one point, I made up a new area, and they were like, ‘We never said that exists. I had to adjust. I wish I could pitch my own ideas for the map, but it all has to come from the top. I started to write a dog character before realizing, ‘Wait, dogs don’t exist here because wolves were never domesticated. It’s a world where every choice makes sense, even if those rules are never explicitly explained. You just pick them up as you watch or, in my case, write.”

Nobody has ever argued that Disney doesn’t uphold its content to the highest standards. When nearly everything about a franchise produced by the company is considered canon, writers and artists have to work around a very delicate preexisting line. While Parker admits that it was originally a creative struggle to have many of his ideas shot down, he ultimately enjoyed the challenge of working within the rubric. He credits much of the series’ pre-launch success to artist Alessandro Ranaldi. Parker praises his creative partner’s dedication to the character’s expressive personalities featured in the film.

Parker further elaborated:

“Alessandro is doing what it took hundreds of animators to do in the movie — by himself. He captures the characters’ expressions and body language perfectly. It’s like watching the movie unfold again. You’ll see scenes like Chief Bogo handing out assignments, with Judy immediately arguing hers, of course. You’ll also get to see more undercover work, chase sequences, and low-level crooks — classic procedural storytelling.”

From the series' first issue, it is clear that the creative team succeeded in what they were hoping to accomplish; this comic already feels like a genuine sequel to the movie. The characters’ body language and facial expressions are as spot-on as they can be, capturing their animated counterparts’ unique charm. Likewise, the city of Zootopia itself has also been allowed to grow. Part of why Zootopia thrived is because everything in it feels like a fantastical reflection of real-world society. This is something that Parker explicitly wanted to capture.

Dnamite's Zootopia's Comic Delights In Following Through On Author Jeff Parker's Promises

Expect An Adventure As Dynamic As The Movie

Summing up his commitment to the franchise, Jeff Parker stated:

“What I loved about Zootopia was its ability to suggest deeper, heavier ideas beneath the humor. We’re carrying that forward. It’s character-driven, showcasing how Judy and Nick’s personalities mesh in their work.”

As Judy and Nick take on their first assignment, they are caught racing around the sprawling cityscape of Zootopia. Through numerous establishing shots and expressive backgrounds, readers can see glimpses of the familiar yet fantastical society. However, it’s the ridiculous nature of the plot that really sells the first issue. Just like in the first film, Judy, now partnered with Nick, is given a straight-and-simple assignment from Chief Bogo that immediately goes awry, when the duo is thrust into a nefarious crime of exaggerated proportion.

Following are a series of explosions, hardened investigations, and a conspiracy begging to be unraveled, all contrasted against the bright and goofy aesthetic of the cartoon animals. Overall, the first issue is already as delightful as Jeff Parker has promised that the series would be. Whether the plot of the comic will officially tie into the sequel film or not is currently unknown. Regardless, the issue is a delightful introduction to the bustling world of Dynamite Comics' Zootopia, a series that successfully recreates the charm and mystery of the original film.

Source: AIPT Comics

Zootopia #1 is available now from Dynamite Comics.