Zootopia 2 has been a huge hit, reaching $1 billion at the box office after only a few weeks. Yet, this highly anticipated sequel did not just bring back the story of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde; it introduced a whole spectrum of new in-jokes. Which is why eagle-eyed movie buffs seeing Zootopia 2 will likely spy a lot of Easter eggs.
While the Zootopia films are known for their clever animal-related wordplay, like the pawpsicles or Fleetwood Yak, the puns and hidden references abound in the sequel. Here are the biggest ones we noticed, categorized based on the movie. We aren’t including all the myriad pop culture references strewn throughout on posters, signs, etc., or we’d be writing this until Zootopia 3 shows up.
Spoiler alert: spoilers ahead for scenes in Zootopia 2.
Zootopia 2’s Biggest Movie References
A Bug’s Life
When Judy and Nick stop by the Information Technology department at the Zootopia Police Department, there is a familiar image on the back wall of Paul Moldebrandt’s cubicle. There is a white poster featuring a large green leaf. On the leaf are the words “crush the bugs” in the same font as the poster for “A Bug’s Life” from 1998, which also appeared on the same leaf. Not only is this a clever nod, but it also makes sense as the IT department would want to crush bugs (or viruses) for the ZPD.
Babe
Another mid-90’s reference appeared in the film when ZPD Captain Hogbottom (a boar) tells her partner Truffler (also a boar), “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.” This is a direct reference to the famous line, word for word, from the 1995 film Babe. Farmer Hogget (James Cromwell) says the same thing to little Babe the pig after he successfully finishes a sheep dog competition—because pigs can be sheep dogs too.
Lady and the Tramp
This reference is a little more nuanced than some of the others. Nibbles Maplestick takes Judy and Nick to Marsh Market to aid in their investigation of the snake smuggling and introduces them to Russ. Russ is a walrus who also acts as a taxi service. As the trio rides on Russ’s stomach, he mistakenly thinks Judy and Nick are celebrating a romantic anniversary (not a work-related one) and starts singing “Bella Notte.” That song is what Tony and Joe perform for Lady and the Tramp in the namesake film.
Ratatouille / Everything Everywhere All At Once
This reference, on closer inspection, is a double whammy. During a kitchen chase scene, a lion is seen carefully plating ratatouille. Suddenly, his toque falls off to reveal a rat holding his hair and controlling him as Remy does to Linguine in Ratatouille. But the scene gets another Easter egg too, as the chef standing beside the lion is a raccoon, a nod to the Raccacoonie scene from Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ke Huy Quan, who voices Gary De’Snake in Zootopia 2, co-starred in that film as well.
The Shining
Zootopia 2 co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard told Variety that the movie gave them a chance to reference The Shining (as well as The Silence of the Lambs), films they both love. That’s when they decided to build the shrub maze behind the Lynxley family manor. Creating the maze was a complex task for the animators, Bush told the outlet, but it got even more complicated when they decided it needed to also be destroyed.
On top of animating all the leaves, snow, and the eventual destruction of the maze, composer Michael Giacchino set the scene with his music, taking a cue from The Shining. “He took that theme which is so famous, and the second you hear it, you know exactly where you’re at,” Bush told the outlet. “Marry that with his incredible score and his Lynxley villain theme…when we were on the scoring stage for that, the lower brass asked, ‘How hard do you want us to hit this?’ And he was like, ‘Everything you got.’”
The Silence of the Lambs
Dawn Bellwether, a sheep, who is now in prison following the conclusion of the first film, was a perfect way to incorporate Bush and Howard’s love of The Silence of the Lambs. Although we see her in a cell designed after Hannibal Lecter’s from the film, the version seen in theaters is just a snippet of what it used to be.
That scene used to be four minutes long,” Bush told Variety. “We did word by word the first scene when Hannibal Lecter meets Clarice, all the way down to the guard saying, ‘All the way down the left, stay to the right.’” But they realized it was too much. “That’s where we go, and now we have lost our younger audience members.”
Tangled
Frying pans end up becoming a weapon in Zootopia 2, a nod to Rapunzel in Tangled. This Easter egg was so intentional that Bush told Cinemark the reference went even deeper than just seeing the frying pan. “…for the frying pan hit, we used the same sound effect from Tangled for that,” he told the outlet. “So, sonically, it’s the exact same frying pan.”
These were only a handful of the references made throughout Zootopia 2. What were some of your favorite moments? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
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