Zootopia 2 might have a secret 'prequel' from over 50 years ago – and you can stream it now on Disney+

I can't blame you if you've already seen Zootopia 2 and it's not enough. I can't even blame you if you're doing a Zootopia double bill and it's not enough. In a world with endless possibilities and charm, I want to be there forever.

Hopefully, we'll get to that stage one day. If I were the head of animation at Disney, I'd be milking the IP for all it was worth – theme park rides, merch, and sequels that match the lineage of Toy Story.

There could easily be a third movie, but unsurprisingly, there's no word on that yet. In the meantime, I asked Disney's actual head of animation, Jared Bush, and producer Yvett Merino what to triple bill both Zootopia movies with on Disney+.

The answer? Well, there are two: a film that served as inspiration for Zootopia, and one from almost 40 years ago that Bush thinks could be a secret prequel.

Stream Robin Hood and The Great Mouse Detective on Disney+ after watching Zootopia 2

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) Trailer | Vincent Price | Barrie Ingham - YouTube

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"That's a really good question," Merino starts. "I think I would have to go with Robin Hood... it's almost like a prequel. Or a great build-up to it. But it's one of Byron Howard's (our other director) favorite movies and one of the initial inspirations for this world."

It's not tricky to see why. Most adults of a certain age will have been introduced to the urban legend of Robin Hood through the Disney classic, with Robin himself turned into a dashing young fox. He might have different ulterior motives from Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), but the charm is certainly shared.

Bush adds, "There's something that I love in this Zootopia 2, which is, we don't just get to see the city. This time, we get to step back in time and see it 100 years ago. So I actually think The Great Mouse Detective would be a really great thing to add into it."

It's a much more underrated choice, but a genius one. Even the above trailer gives me so much nostalgia for watching Disney movies on VHS, astonished at all the little details packed into the experience (much like Zootopia).

In the movie, we follow said mouse detective Basil (Barrie Ingham), who helps another young mouse save his father from a criminal mastermind. Think Judy's (Ginnifer Goodwin) keen spirit, just with a Sherlock Holmes-style cape.

Frankly, I think it makes for the best (and most unexpected) Disney triple bill possible. I mean, who does talking animal movies better than them anyway? We still don't know when Zootopia 2 will hit the streamer yet, but it will definitely be at some point in 2026.

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