Zootopia 3 Confirmed at D23: Bunny & Fox Return, Bird Plot

Disney didn’t whisper. They announced it loud at D23: Zootopia 3 is officially in production.

Onstage, a familiar energy filled the room. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jonathan Ke Huy Quan joined Walt Disney Animation leader Jared Bush to make it official. Goodwin beamed and declared, "The rabbit and the fox are back!" Bush added that the film will reunite the franchise’s beloved heroes and introduce a storyline centered on a bird.

Fans know the setup well. The series follows Officer Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, a relentlessly optimistic rabbit, and Nick Wilde, the smooth-talking fox voiced by Jason Bateman. They started as unlikely rookie partners navigating the bustling metropolis of Zootopia — a city built on clever worldbuilding and sly social satire. The original 2016 film passed the billion-dollar mark, and last year’s sequel reportedly surged to $1.87 billion worldwide, crowning the franchise as one of animation’s biggest box-office success stories.

Was a third chapter inevitable? Probably. The filmmakers had been sketching future beats even before the sequel rewrote the record books. Goodwin told audiences at the sequel’s release that she was determined to help make a third instalment happen, hoping the wait would be far shorter next time: "All we have to do is get everyone in the world to the theaters," she joked, though you could hear the sincere challenge beneath the laughter.

Jared Bush — who has long steered the creative ship alongside directors like Byron Howard — has openly said he and the team are excited to keep exploring Zootopia. "If things go well, we could spend the rest of our careers in this world," he once mused. It’s an enticing thought. Zootopia, after all, feels less like a single city and more like a doorway to a continent of stories yet unseen.

So what can we expect from a bird-centered plotline? New neighborhoods. New cultures. New mysteries. And, likely, the same sharp blend of humor and heart that turned two characters into icons. The creative team has a map with many blank spaces; filling them in will be the fun — and the challenge.

For now, marking your calendar is the only sensible move. Keep an eye on D23 updates and studio announcements. After all, when a world this rich opens another chapter, it’s best experienced on the biggest screen possible.