'Zootopia 2' — Patrick Warburton talks bringing charm, comedy and heart to the sequel

It’s been almost ten years since we’ve seen Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on our screens, but with ‘Zootopia 2’, the furry duo is back as rookie cops, ready to solve crimes once again.

Played by Ginnifer Goodwin (Hopps) and Jason Bateman (Wilde), this sequel to the 2016 Disney smash hit sees Zootopia's first bunny cop and former con man go undercover to unexpected parts of town, with some colorful new characters hitting the scene—including Patrick Warburton’s Brian Winddancer, who is stepping in to political power after the duplicitous Assistant Mayor Bellwether was exposed at the end of the first film.

Winddancer is new to his role in charge of the metropolis, with his previous career as an action star on TV driving his charisma—but maybe not quite so much his wits.

“I love the character,” says Warburton when asked why he wanted to join the project. “And there’s a lot going on in this film, which I also love. A lot of warmth. And I love working with Disney, so it was really an honor to get invited to join this universe.”

The seasoned actor has successfully made his mark in the world of on screen work, but especially with animation, with roles like Joe Swanson in ‘Family Guy’ and Kronk in ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’, the latter of which was another result of Disney’s department.

“For me, animation has changed a lot in the process,” Warburton continues. “ The Emperor’s New Groove was almost Warner Brothers-ish. It was very different 25 years ago. But this... this is by far one the coolest film I've gotten to be in.”

“Zootopia 2” picks up where the first film left off, with Judy and Nick finding their way as new police partners. The initial plot was about seeing the friendship grow between the duo, but this second film leans more into how a relationship blossoms into a real partnership the more you find out about a person. Equally, in this sequel, we see a mysterious reptile: Gary De’Snake, a pit viper (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), come in and turn the city’s ecosystem on its head. But there seems to be more to the story on why the community essentially erased reptiles from its history that needs to be uncovered.

‘Zootopia’ (which notably won an Academy Award in 2017), follows suit with the Disney company's recipe for heart tucked into all of its storytelling.

The plot of the original film highlighted how biases shape perceptions and behavior, and more or less, how class systems can exist—even in this made-up fantasy world of animals. The villain in the first film, Bellwether, used fear to manipulate the public, and even though Warburton’s daft but lovable iteration of a man in power isn’t quite the same, he notes the importance of being able to drive a message home in a “kids” film.

“There’s a responsibility within it,” he explains. “You don't want to go 'Oh God, this is a message movie.' But, the message helps you find the heart and soul. We want it to be entertainment from beginning to end, but at the same time, there’s substance to it, and it actually enhances the film. As opposed to it just being a job, it helps inspire the film and the story.”

With 'Zootopia 2', the story not only expands, but so does everything behind the scenes. In total, there were 697 crew members, 178 unique characters representing 67 different species, and 71 voice cast members involved, including talent like Fortune Feimster, Idris Elba, Shakira, Andy Samburg, Quinta Brunson, Brenda Song, Josh Gad, Dwayne Johnson, and a long list of others with prime roles, or popping in for cameos.

Warburton notes aside from his own character, he was most excited to see Mr. Big (voiced by Canadian-American voice actor Maurice LaMarche) come to life on screen.

“There is so much talent, and the cameos... this film has the most cameos in an animated feature ever,” says Warburton. “Nobody does it quite like Disney. There are a multitude of things happening on screen that are all equally clever—something will grab you from the background and make you laugh, and there’s even so much humor in the action. "

As Warburton noted, in true Disney fashion, there are a lot of Easter eggs in this film. Audiences might find nods to the year that the Walt Disney company was founded, or even some hat tips to films like ‘Tangled’ or ‘Toy Story', or play on words that fans will catch if they are familiar with some of WD’s past filmography.

“My earliest memories of my childhood had to do with watching the Wonderful World of Disney with my three younger sisters.  My parents were strict, and that was one of two things I could watch. There's a quality and just a thoughtfulness within all Disney projects from top to bottom, " finishes Warburton.

"And for fans of the first film," he adds, "you're really going to appreciate this [sequel.] It's hugely entertaining and a lovely message and overall, a lovely story.”

'Zootopia 2' hits theaters  Nov. 26.