Before officially stepping away from his role as CEO, Bob Iger has taken on something completely new—an acting role.
Disney Animation’s Zootopia, released in 2016, became a major hit with critics and audiences, earning over $1 billion worldwide and sparking the Disney+ series Zootopia+. With strong fan anticipation over the years, its follow-up, Zootopia 2 (2025), arrives as one of Disney’s most highly anticipated sequels.
The sequel sends Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on a hunt for a mysterious reptile who shakes up the entire city. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman return, joined by Ke Huy Quan as Gary De’Snake. His arrival adds new energy to the detective duo.
Zootopia 2 opened strong with $10.2 million in Tuesday previews—the second-highest ever for Disney Animation Studios behind Moana 2’s $13.8 million. Industry projections placed its five-day Thanksgiving box office between $135 million and $150 million, with some tracking it even higher at $130 million to $160 million. Its Wednesday haul came in at $39.5 million, signaling intense early momentum.
The film is also positioned to dominate internationally with forecasts between $135 million and $145 million. In China, it scored $33.7 million—ranking as the 10th-highest opening day ever for a U.S. release. Korea reported the second-highest opening day this year for a Hollywood film. On Rotten Tomatoes, Zootopia 2 holds a 93% score, driven by strong word-of-mouth and demand for family entertainment.
Disney fans also get something unexpected: Bob Iger himself steps into the world of animation with his first-ever voice role. He plays Bob Tiger, a tiger weatherman who delivers a quick in-film forecast. Though he’s been seen on camera across documentaries and specials, this is his first animated performance.
That cameo actually links to Iger’s past. Long before leading Disney, he began his career as a local TV weatherman in Ithaca, New York. Casting him as a tiger forecaster serves as a playful callback to his original broadcasting days. In 2021, he even delivered the forecast for KABC, Disney’s ABC affiliate in Los Angeles, just before stepping away from the company. Now, his return as an animated feline feels like a full-circle moment with a touch of Disney flair.
According to Zootopia 2 director Jared Bush, Iger has been pursuing this for quite some time. Bush joked that Iger had been requesting a cameo in a Disney animated film “for years” (per Laughing Place). With his contract set to conclude at the end of 2026, the cameo arrives at a meaningful time in his career and acts as both tribute and send-off to the animation legacy he helped grow.
With Zootopia expanding as a key franchise, Iger’s appearance—both as CEO and as a tiger—adds an extra chapter to Disney history. Zootopia 2 arrives with a forecast of excitement, and this time, the weather report comes from the top.
How do you feel about Bob Iger stepping down from his role as Disney CEO? Did you catch his cameo in Zootopia 2 this Thanksgiving weekend? Let us know in the comments down below!
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