Disney Headlines for December 2nd, 2025

This past week, Walt Disney Animation Studios released its 64^th film.

Currently, the biggest Headlines involve the sequel’s jaw-dropping success, especially internationally.

The people in charge of Disney are savoring this victory, but they’re also planning for what comes next.

Right now, Disney is looking forward as it embraces the now…and that applies to its real estate, too.

Yes, the legacy of Walt Disney is driving all of the latest Disney Headlines. Let’s discuss the highlights.

An Epic Achievement

History will remember 2019 as the pinnacle of Disney’s dominance as a movie studio.

Disney released seven different billion-dollar blockbusters this year, and that’s not counting Spider-Man.

If we include the character Disney owns, the total soars to eight of the nine billion-dollar movies released in 2019.

We’re in December of 2025, and the entirety of Hollywood has released exactly one such hit.

That film, Lilo & Stitch, will soon have a friend join it in the billion-dollar club.

I say with confidence that Zootopia 2 will earn $1 billion at the box office…and then some.

After the film’s Thanksgiving Week performance, how could it not?

Zootopia 2 absolutely eviscerated expectations, which were already set quite high.

The new movie, which I loved, has done the unthinkable in China by earning $100 million in a single day.

Even Avengers: Endgame couldn’t do that, although it came close at $97.5 million.

Since then, Hollywood has struggled mightily in China, as the country has cracked down on American releases.

During the pandemic, gaining a theatrical release for such titles proved nearly impossible.

Since then, the Hollywood titles that have played in China haven’t done well.

I’m not being overly hyperbolic to say that Zootopia 2 will earn more there than the last ten films combined.

Disney fans shouldn’t be surprised by this, as Shanghai Disneyland added a Zootopia-themed land first.

That strategy spoke to the popularity of these characters and this world in China.

Still, NOBODY was predicting this sort of dominance from Zootopia 2 in light of recent trends.

What Comes Next for Disney

Combined with an excellent performance domestically, the sequel has already soared past $500 million.

So, Zootopia 2 will likely cross $1 billion by mid-December, thereby doubling this year’s list of billion-dollar hits.

At this point, it’s a foregone conclusion to become the number one film of the year…for a bit.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash debuting later this month, it may yet surpass Zootopia 2.

Still, at this moment, Disney appears likely to have the only three billion-dollar Hollywood films this year.

That would be in the wake of Disney having the only three billion-dollar films in 2024.

While the company’s 2025 hasn’t gone as planned, it’s still doing better than everyone else.

Even so, critics have lambasted the company for a lack of creativity, a misguided argument.

People complain that Disney is leaning heavily on IP rather than telling new stories.

They overlook the fact that Disney told new stories with Wish and Strange World, and…well, it didn’t go great.

The reality is that movie-goers aren’t showing up in droves for new stories.

Still, more is expected of Disney, which explains why Jared Bush performed this interview.

As the new Chief Creative Officer for Disney Animation, it’s Bush’s task now to tell new stories.

Bush has taken over for Jennifer Lee of Frozen, so he’s in charge of a 102-year-old franchise.

The history of Disney animation is storied and well-chronicled by now. Bush must write its future.

During the interview, the creator of Zootopia hinted that 2028 will be an inflection point for Disney animation.

The Next Evolution for Disney Animation

Bush states that Disney will release a very different kind of animated film. Here’s the quote:

“It’s not a human world. It’s a very different style than we usually do.”

The interviewer speculates in the article that it’s anime, which would align with pop culture’s current tastes.

However, such a change would be WILDLY different for Disney, so I’m skeptical.

Still, Bush clearly believes that this title will disrupt Disney’s existing practices. It’s not the only thing, either.

As the article indicates, Disney has altered its approach to animated movies.

“Mr. Bush has changed the feedback process for unfinished films, holding regular studio-wide screenings and asking everyone to use an online tool called Noteworthy to give frank assessments. The findings are compiled and presented to the whole studio, usually the next week.”

Rather than waiting for reviews right at the end, Disney is opening up the process much earlier.

Now, should the reviews indicate reluctance, the filmmakers can course-correct.

Given how some Disney and Pixar films like Elio and Wish needed dramatic changes, that move makes sense.

Disney seems to be learning from its recent missteps, and the success of Zootopia 2 should cure many ills.

For all the criticisms directed at Disney, the studio has released Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Lilo & Stitch, and Zootopia 2 in two years.

Of course, some of you will read that and think, “They really have no new ideas.”

Even though people have voted with their wallets against Wish, Strange Planet, and Elio, Disney still takes the hit for sequels and reboots.

That inconsistency must be maddening to Bush and his team, but the results speak volumes.

Zootopia 2 has given Disney precisely the kind of blockbuster hit the studio needs right now.

More Walt Than Disney

Finally, I’ll direct your attention to another not-quite timely Headline this week.

Somebody just told The Guardian about Storybook Living by Disney and the Cotino community.

The online publication published an article about their experience at Cotino.

Even though The Guardian feels late to the story, it’s still added some useful intel.

According to their report, homes start at $2.5 million for The Grand Collection, homes that are 3,000 square feet.

For $3.2 million, Disney fans can step up to the Estate Collection and get 5,000 square feet.

I cannot imagine having that kind of space, as my house feels cavernous at 2,200 square feet.

Well, Disney is marketing to people like me as well…okay, slightly richer people like me.

The Cottage Collection’s homes start in the mid-$1 million range for 2,200 square feet.

I could buy three houses in my neighborhood for that price, but fans are paying for the Disney difference.

Something The Guardian notes, almost in a surprised tone, is the understated nature of Cotino.

According to them, this community feels less like Disney the brand and more like Walt Disney himself.

As the writer notes, the Coachella Valley in California was Uncle Walt’s Happiest Place on Earth.

So, Disney has designed a neighborhood less like the theme parks and more like a place where he could have lived.

I hadn’t really thought of Cotino in those terms, and I quite like the comparison.

The article is worth reading in full if you want a non-Disney fan’s perspective of the project.

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Feature Photo: Disney