Zootopia 2's Ending Has An Indiana Jones Easter Egg You Probably Missed

This article contains spoilers for "Zootopia 2."

Jared Bush's and Byron Howard's 2025 animated film "Zootopia 2" has already been more successful than one might've predicted. Worldwide, it's already made almost $1.66 billion, making it the second highest-grossing film of its year behind only the Chinese animated epic "Ne Zha 2." That figure also currently makes it the 12th highest-grossing film of all time, having already beaten "The Avengers." And even when counting only its domestic grosses, "Zootopia 2" is the third highest-grossing film of 2025.

The film's success may be due to its cute animal designs, as its lead characters — the fox Nick (Jason Bateman) and the bunny Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) — are fuzzy and adorable. Part of the film's success may also be attributable to its universal themes of racism and prejudice. The "Zootopia" movies take place in the title city, a multi-species metropolis that uses high-tech environmental controls to ensure any and all animals will be able to access their natural biomes while living inside its walls. But while Zootopia is a utopia, there are still lingering prejudices that must be overcome. "Zootopia 2" is explicitly about redlining. It seems there was a scheme during Zootopia's planning phases years ago to push reptiles out of the city and build mammal shopping centers in their old neighborhoods. 

The main reptile character of "Zootopia 2" is Gary, a snake played by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan. Quan, of course, rose to fame back in 1984 when he starred in Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" when he was only 13. The makers of "Zootopia 2," wanting to pay homage to Quan's appearance in "Temple," cleverly inserted some snake characters that resembled Quan's and Harrison Ford's characters from that film. It's one Easter egg of many. 

To remind readers, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was one of the bigger hits of 1984, and is still watched to this day, despite a reputation of being one of the lesser Indiana Jones movies. Ke Huy Quan played Short Round, a 12-year-old kid who, for reasons that are never fully explained, fell into the company of the title character, agreeing to help him in tight spots and serve as a freelance driver. Quan was incredibly charismatic in the role, and has been remembered for decades. As an adult, Quan stepped away from acting and studied editing, filmmaking, and martial arts. He returned in the 2020s, and quickly won an Oscar for "Everything Everywhere All at Once." 

In "Zootopia 2," Quan voiced Gary De'Snake, a snake who seems, initially, like he may be up to no good. He steals an old book that may contain a secret he aims to reveal. I won't fully reveal here what's in the book, but it does involve the fate of Gary's snake family, currently living in exile outside of Zootopia. Because this is a lighthearted talking-animal film produced by Disney, the drama, of course, reaches a happy conclusion, and it's only a matter of time before we see Gary's happy family. 

When we do see them, the film's animators included a fun little "Temple of Doom" reference. One member of Gary's family is seen wearing a fedora, identical to the one Harrison Ford wears in "Temple of Doom." Additionally, a child snake character is wearing a baseball cap, the same one Short Round wore. 

It's brief, but it's in there. "Zootopia 2" will be on Disney+ soon enough, so keep an eye out for it.