‘Zootopia 2’ Had a Deleted 4-Minute Scene Paying Tribute to Classic Psychological Horror Thriller

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According to Variety, the directors of ‘Zootopia 2‘, Jared Bush and Byron Howard, were able to include subtle references to classic horror movies such as ‘The Shining’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ in the new film.

Bush shared that a movie’s storyline sparked the concept for the Lynxley family – a group of lynxes consisting of Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn), Cattrick (Macaulay Culkin), Kitty (Brenda Song), and Pawbert (Andy Samberg) – who are all attempting to conceal troubling truths about the city’s history.

Bush explained that the story began with the idea of lynxes as the antagonists, which naturally led to envisioning a large manor house and a sprawling maze behind it.

Early versions of the movie featured a lengthy tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film, “The Shining.” Creating a large, snow-covered maze for the animation was a difficult task.

According to Bush, they decided to use a large snow groomer, or Snowcat, to demolish the scene rather than having the characters Nick and Judy run through it. The visual effects team had to meticulously plan this sequence to ensure the destruction looked realistic and followed a believable path.

Animator Louaye Moulayess, a big fan of the movie “The Shining,” was thrilled to work on the project. He even came to work wearing a t-shirt inspired by the film and insisted on animating a specific scene. Moulayess ended up showing Pawbert limping through a maze, a clear nod to Jack Nicholson’s iconic character. Bush described the result as “completely wild – Pawbert as Jack Nicholson – and just amazing.”

The team also praised composer Michael Giacchino for making the tribute even more impactful with his music. According to Bush, “As soon as you hear that well-known theme, you immediately recognize the reference.” Giacchino combined the iconic melody with the villain’s theme from Lynxley, creating a particularly memorable scene.

Bush and Howard included a nod to “The Silence of the Lambs” in a prison scene, recreating the famous first meeting between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. However, they ultimately cut most of it, worried it would be too obscure or confusing for younger audiences. As Bush explained, they’d meticulously copied the scene dialogue-for-dialogue, but decided it was ultimately excessive.

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Howard emphasized the importance of making the story easy for children to understand. He explained, “Kids need to clearly see that the villain is dangerous and that they should root for the heroes to win.” The directors made sure to mix scary moments with plenty of fun and action – like the giant Snowcat crashing through the maze – to keep younger viewers entertained.

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2025-12-04 13:18