Korean creators discuss identity and craft in Zootopia 2

“More than 700 people worked on ‘Zootopia 2,’ and they came from different races, ages and genders,” she said. “Even during the monitoring sessions, one group would laugh at a scene while another would not. Everyone reacted differently.”

Disney’s “Zootopia 2” has posted the highest global opening week box office revenue in animation history, earning about 560 million U.S. dollars, or roughly 822.4 billion won. In a virtual interview on the 2nd, Lee Sook-hee, who served as set extension supervisor, said, “The fact that such a diverse group of people coexisted on the production team aligns with the message of the film,” adding that she believes “that diversity helped create a movie that resonates with a wide audience.” A set extension supervisor enhances storytelling by building backgrounds and environments using digital tools.

Alongside Lee, many Korean staff members contributed to “Zootopia 2,” including animators Lee Hyun-min and Choi Young-jae. Working at Disney’s headquarters in California, they said they strongly identified with the lead character Judy as Koreans who are a minority in the United States. Judy is a rabbit character who appears fragile but becomes a police officer. Lee said, “As a Korean woman, I felt both the pressure to prove myself and the pride of knowing I was succeeding.”

Released domestically on Nov. 26, the film has drawn more than 2.26 million moviegoers so far and remains at the top of the box office. The lifelike quality of the characters has prompted strong reactions from audiences. Choi said, “There is a scene where Judy leans against the doorframe while talking to Nick after visiting him. Even though it is not a dynamic sequence, I redrew it four times to capture their chemistry.”

“Zootopia 2” also includes homages to past Disney animations, such as “Ratatouille,” which appear throughout the film. Choi added, “We wanted audiences to keep discovering new details even if they watched the movie a hundred times,” noting that the team paid meticulous attention to details and to the Easter eggs hidden in the film.


김태언 기자 beborn@donga.com