Hideo Kojima will have a cameo role in Zootopia 2’s Japanese dub, replacing a Hollywood star
Kojima says the film’s director personally asked him to play the role
Hideo Kojima has confirmed that he voices one of the characters in the Japanese dub of Zootopia 2.
The film released in numerous countries on November 28 (including the UK, where it was renamed Zootropolis 2 much like the first movie), and is set to hit Japanese cinemas on December 5.
When it does, Japanese viewers may notice that the character Paul Moldebrandt – a mole working at the Zootopia Police Department – is voiced by Kojima.
In the English language dub of the film, the character is instead played by Josh Gad, better known to Disney fans as the voice of Olaf the snowman in Frozen.
According to Famitsu, Kojima was personally asked to play the role by the film’s director Jared Bush, and happily accepted the offer.
“I have plenty of experience with cameo appearances in live-action films and games, but this was my first time dubbing an animated feature film,” he said (via machine translation).
“And it’s from Disney! And for the sequel to Zootopia, my favourite Disney movie! What’s more, because the offer came directly from director Jared Bush, I was incredibly honoured and accepted without hesitation.”
Kojima explained that recording the scene – even for a relatively small role – helped him to appreciate how the voice acting process feels from the side of the voice artist.
“I only participate in a few scenes, but even at the time of recording, the production was truly impressive,” he said. “Already having the animation made the recording go smoothly. Since I’m usually on the directing side, actually performing myself was a great learning experience. I was reminded of how much attention voice actors pay to even basic details like turning pages and minimising noise.”
Kojima says that he saw the first Zootopia in the cinema with his child, who was young at the time. “. It was a Disney animation that reached a certain pinnacle – one where social themes were subtly woven in, where everyone from adults to children could laugh and enjoy themselves, and leave the theater feeling hopeful,” he said.
“Based on the recording session, I’m absolutely convinced this will be a new Zootopia that surpasses the original. My child is older now, so we don’t go to see the Japanese versions of movies as often, but this time I want to experience it in theaters with the Japanese dub.”
