Kojima (X) / DisneyHideo Kojima says he’s joining Zootopia 2, marking his first-ever role in an animated feature and lending his voice to the Japanese-dub version of the film.
Kojima told Famitsu that director Jared Bush personally reached out and invited him to take part. The official Japanese Zootopia 2 site also lists Kojima in the cast, confirming he voices Paul Moldebrandt, known as “Mole” in the Japanese dub.
Kojima has made cameo appearances in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and across multiple Kojima Productions titles, but stepping into an animated production is completely new territory for him.
Kojima lands role in Zootopia 2
“I’ve had plenty of experience with cameos in live-action films and games, but this is my first time dubbing an animated feature film,” he told Famitsu. “And it’s from Disney, of all people. And it’s a sequel to my favorite film, too. And it came directly from director Jared Bush, so I was incredibly honored and accepted without hesitation.”
Kojima said the process gave him a fresh appreciation for voice work, even though his appearance is only a brief moment in the film. He explained that Disney’s illustrations helped guide the performance and that the level of polish behind the scenes was clear from the moment he stepped into the booth.
“I only participated in a small scene, but even at the recording stage, the level of detail was impressive. Thanks to the illustrations, the recording went smoothly. I’m usually on the directing side, so I learned a lot from actually acting. I was reminded of how much attention voice actors pay to basic things like turning pages in the script and adding noise.”
Zootopia 2 was released in the United States on November 26 and opened with $556 million worldwide, marking the fourth-biggest global debut of all time.
