Zootopia 2’s Ke Huy Quan & Ginnifer Goodwin Talk Sequel, Favorite Disney Movies | Interview

ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim recently sat down with Zootopia 2 stars Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time, He’s Just Not That Into You) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies) to discuss their roles as Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake in Disney’s new animated buddy cop adventure.

“Detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who turns the mammal metropolis of Zootopia upside down,” reads the synopsis. “Testing their growing partnership like never before, they go undercover in new parts of town to crack the case.”

Jonathan Sim: Congratulations to you both on Zootopia 2 and this amazing Disney movie. I’m wondering: when you were growing up, what were the Disney movies that made you fall in love with Disney and want to work with them on Zootopia 2?

Ginnifer Goodwin: I’ll talk briefly because his story is way better. I grew up with all of the princess films. I always say Winnie the Pooh was my first boyfriend because I watched Winnie the Pooh on repeat. I don’t think I missed a Disney film in theaters, whether it was a re-release from the archives. My parents would buy all the VHS tapes when they came out of the vault. I remember the whole thing about them being “in the vault.”

And I do remember going through a phase where I called animation “cartoons,” and I thought I was too “big girl” for cartoons. And then I remember my little sister came in with the VHS of The Little Mermaid because I hadn’t seen it in theaters and she put it in and left the room. I wept through it. I fell back in love with animation all over again.

Ke Huy Quan: I grew up watching Disney cartoons with my little brother on weekends. We’d always watch them over breakfast; that’s where we bonded and became best friends. I also loved watching Disney animated films. Tarzan was a big one. I remember trying to do the scream as he swings across the jungle. The list goes on and on—Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast. I loved them all. I never thought I would one day become a Disney animated character. To be part of this incredible Zootopia family is a dream come true.

It’s amazing to get to see you as these characters. I’ve loved Judy Hopps ever since I watched Zootopia when I was a teenager, and now I’m seeing the wonderful addition of Gary De’Snake. When you’re recording your voices in the booth, do you do anything physically with your bodies to help assist the vocal performance?

Ginnifer Goodwin: We have to, because every breath matters, and sound is so affected by movement. I’m actually more physically active in the booth than in live action. In live action everything has to be contained; we have to add layers because cameras come unusually close, so we have to adjust to the frame. In animation, all we have is our voice, so everything is expressed more fully.

Ke Huy Quan: It’s actually more physically demanding than I anticipated. I’m kind of the new kid when it comes to voice acting. Let me give you a visual: there’s a microphone, a stand where you put your script, and literally a handlebar bolted into the concrete. To get some of the effects, you grab onto it and move, shake, jump, and pull to get your voice a certain way. It takes a lot of imagination because you’re trying to mimic how your character would move on screen. At the end of those three-hour sessions, I’m covered in sweat every single time.

That’s amazing. It sounds like a workout.

Ke Huy Quan: Oh, it was like going to the gym.

You don’t need the gym—you’re voicing Gary De’Snake!

Now, I imagine you both get recognized when you go out. When children or adults approach you, are there any lines of dialogue they like to repeat back to you?

Ke Huy Quan: That’s the story of my life. For 40 years, people I meet quote great lines I was lucky enough to say—whether it’s Indiana Jones like “Hang on, lady, we’re going for a ride,” or “We’re setting booby traps.” What’s really interesting is that I started out as a child actor, and I thought I’d grown, matured, my voice is different, but a lot of times it’s my voice that gives it away. They hear it and go, “Oh my gosh, you’re the kid from Indiana Jones or The Goonies.”

Yeah, now they’ll know you from Zootopia 2 as Gary De’Snake.

Ginnifer Goodwin: I do get recognized, but I’m surprised by how much I get recognized for Judy. I would’ve thought there’d be more of a separation. Even though we’re doing a lot of publicity to promote the film, our names are never on the posters. When they’re putting out those trailers, you don’t see our names. Social media’s a whole other thing now, but that’s one of the things I’ve loved about Disney. They’re not selling it on the actors; they’re selling it on the story. I’ve always found that confident and impressive. So I’ve been surprised at how often I’m stopped for being Judy. Usually it’s adults, and then they try to explain it to their kids, who get confused, like, “Mom, she doesn’t have rabbit ears.” Then I find myself overcompensating by trying to prove to these children it’s me, saying things like “Anyone can be anything.”

Ke Huy Quan: Children have a great ear. When I moved into my current neighborhood, my neighbor had a four-year-old son. One day they were out in the yard, and we’d never met, we said hi to each other. The next day the neighbor said, “My son told me you’re Data from The Goonies.” He’d only seen the movie a couple of times but recognized my voice right away and said, “That’s Data!”. Kids will hear you and say, “Mom, that’s Judy Hopps.”

Ginnifer Goodwin: It’s my favorite thing to get recognized for.

Source: Comingsoon.net