It looks like Zootopia 2 and Moana have something in common after all as an animator behind the new sequel reveals that the sequel “borrowed” an item from the Disney princess movie.
During the Zootopia 2 post-credits scene, we see a single feather fall beside Judy Hopps’ carrot-shaped pen, all but confirming that birds exist in the Zootopia universe. However, it sounds like the feather was a pretty last-minute addition, as the animators had to borrow it from another Disney movie altogether.
“A little trivia about this image. For this moment, we didn’t have time to build a bird, so the shadow that passes and this feather was borrowed from Moana,” said Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Zootopia 2 co-director Jared Bush on Twitter. “What character from Moana cast that shadow? Hawk Maui.” Take a closer look at the image below.
Okay, #zootopia2 Q&A starts… NOW. First up… a little trivia about this image. For this moment we didn’t have time to build a bird, so the shadow that passes and this feather was borrowed from Moana. What character from Moana cast that shadow? Hawk Maui. https://t.co/k1XybvHxt6January 19, 2026
That’s right, the feather in Zootopia 2 actually belongs to Hawk Maui, AKA the giant bird that demi-God Maui turns into when his magic hook is repaired and he finally gets his power of transformation back at the end of Moana. Now, this isn’t to say that the feather actually belongs to Hawk Maui within the Zootopia universe, or that he will show up in future films. But it is funny to think that the mythological bird may be causing havoc over in the mammal metropolis.
Aside from the source of the feather, the post-credits scene left fans with many questions. Birds have never appeared in the world of Zootopia, and fans assumed that those types of creatures just don’t exist in that realm. Plus, part way through the movie, we see a post-it note stuck on ZPD’s WIFI box which reads, “P@Rt3izFr&BrdZr2.” After decoding the message, it seems to read: “Part 3 is for real, and birds are too. With that, it looks like Zootopia 3 may introduce birds to the mix, just as the sequel did with reptiles.
For more, check out our guide to the best animated Disney movies, and keep up with upcoming Disney movies heading your way.
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