It has been announced that voice actor Hiro Shimono will voice the new character Gary the snake in the Japanese version of Disney Animation's "Zootopia 2" (directed by Jared Bush, due for release on December 5th). This will be Shimono's first time appearing in a Disney production. The announcement was made at an event held in Tokyo on October 15th, the day of the Snake in 2025 (the Year of the Snake). Shimono made a surprise appearance at the event, eliciting huge cheers from the approximately 1,000 people in attendance.
Also appearing at the event was Toshiyuki Morikawa, the voice actor for Nick in the Japanese version, who also appeared in the previous film. He congratulated Shimono by presenting him with a script and a bouquet of flowers. Gary, played by Shimono, is a key character in the latest film, a snake who suddenly appears in Zootopia, a place where only mammals are supposed to live. Judy and Nick follow Gary, which leads them to a secret place in Zootopia.
"Zootopia" is set in Zootopia, a world where animals live in a high-tech civilized society like humans, and tells the story of Judy meeting Nick, overcoming many challenges together as she grows into a fine police officer. Released in 2016, it was the first Disney animation film since "Frozen" to surpass $1 billion in global box office revenue. It was also a huge hit in Japan, grossing over 7.6 billion yen.
In the sequel, Nick, who has successfully graduated from police academy and become a police officer, and Judy, the first rabbit police officer to do her job, are teaming up again to embark on an epic adventure.
