It was announced on December 2nd that game creator Hideo Kojima will be making a cameo appearance as a voice actor in the Japanese version of Disney Animation's "Zootopia 2" (directed by Jared Bush and others, to be released on December 5th).
This film is the sequel to "Zootopia," which was released in 2016. The previous film, "Zootopia," was set in Zootopia, a world where animals live in a high-tech civilized society like humans, and depicted the story of Judy the rabbit who meets Nick the fox and overcomes many challenges together as he grows into a fine police officer. 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 Japanese version, actress Aya Ueto will voice the rabbit police officer Judy, and voice actor Toshiyuki Morikawa will voice the fox Nick, just like in the previous film. In addition, voice actor Hiro Shimono will voice Gary, the wanted snake who holds the key to Zootopia's biggest mystery.
Voice actor Kenta Miyake, comedian Shigeo Takahashi of the comedy duo "Savannah," singer Dream Ami, and voice actor Kazuhiro Yamaji will reprise their roles from the previous film. Additionally, Ryosuke Yamada will play Paubert, a gentle and sociable lynx heir from the family that founded Zootopia. Other cast members include actors Masahiro Takashima, Akira Emoto, Kumamoto Pro Wrestling of the comedy duo "Beni Shouga," Jumbo Takao of "Rainbow," voice actor Wataru Takagi, actors Tomio Umezawa, and Noriko Eguchi.
Kojima, a world-renowned game creator known for his work on the Metal Gear Solid series and the hugely popular Death Stranding series, is also known as one of the most well-known film connoisseurs in the gaming world. This time, he received a direct offer from Director Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation Studios and one of the film's directors, to make a cameo appearance.
Kojima will play Paul Moldebrandt, a mole who works at the Zootopia Police Department, where Judy and Nick work. This will be Kojima's first time appearing in an animated film, and he expressed his joy, saying, "I've had plenty of experience making cameo appearances in live-action films and games, but this will be my first time dubbing an animated feature film. And it's from Disney, of all people! And it's the sequel to my favorite film, Zootopia! What's more, the offer came directly from director Jared Bush, so I was extremely honored and accepted without hesitation."
He continued, "I only took part in a small scene, but even at the time of recording, the production was incredibly well-crafted. Thanks to the illustrations, the recording went smoothly. I'm usually on the directing side, so I learned a lot from actually experiencing acting. I was reminded of how much attention the voice actors pay to basic things like turning pages in the script and noise." He reflected on the recording from a creator's perspective.
He then gave his stamp of approval, saying, "I went to see the Japanese version of the previous film, Zootopia, with my young child. It had social themes hidden within it, and people of all ages could laugh and enjoy it, leaving the theater with hope. It was a kind of pinnacle of Disney animation. To be honest, I wondered, 'Can they really make a sequel that surpasses that?' But from the feeling I got during the recording, I was convinced that it will definitely be a 'new Zootopia' that surpasses the previous one! Now that my child is older, I don't see the Japanese version as often, but this time I'd like to go to the theater to see the Japanese version."
