Jared Bush is good at writing companions who cannot agree, and we recommend his strongest films. His conversations are often more individual than his plots; the sequels make that weakness harder to overlook.
Fi1m perspective
In Zootopia 2 (2025), Judy Hopps rushes at a problem and Nick Wilde hangs back, so the department sends them to Dr. Fuzzby to talk about their partnership. Jared Bush’s script sensibly leaves them with something to learn about each other. We enjoyed being back with them because Ginnifer Goodwin’s stubborn optimism and Jason Bateman’s weary timing still make that disagreement funny. Bush is at his surest when the characters have to put up with one another.
His feature breakthrough was Zootopia (2016), made with directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore and fellow screenwriter Phil Johnston. It is a funny, thoughtful police comedy, set in a city worth exploring. The difficulty comes when the screenplay asks predators and prey to explain human prejudice: their biological differences complicate the comparison. Bush and Johnston are more persuasive when showing how readily someone’s appearance becomes an excuse to misjudge them.
For Moana (2016), Bush gives the heroine lively exchanges with Maui, then asks her to follow a familiar route through the adventure. The father-daughter friction is predictable, and the question of whether Moana can become the person she wants to be seldom feels open. Some childish jokes are unnecessary once a scene has already earned its smile. Yet the voices, songs and affection between generations make this another easy family recommendation, despite the screenplay’s reliance on the expected.
Family and generational concerns continue in Encanto (2021), which Bush co-wrote and co-directed, again working with Howard. The subsequent sequels expose a less dependable side of his writing. On Moana 2 (2024), he shares the screenplay with Dana Ledoux Miller, and the film’s beginnings as a television series remain apparent in the thin adventure. It is kindly and well drawn, but danger is repeatedly announced without becoming convincing, and the return to the ocean gives us little reason to care.
Zootopia 2, which Bush directs with Howard, is a better return, though its conspiracy plot is too crowded. Judy and Nick’s unfinished business gives their scenes a purpose, and their partnership remains the strongest reason to watch. Start with Zootopia and Moana; liking both need not commit an evening to each follow-up.
Biography
Jared Bush is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He has served as chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2024. He was born on 12 June 1974 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and graduated from Harvard University.
Bush co-wrote and co-directed Zootopia (2016) and directed and wrote Zootopia 2 (2025). He wrote the screenplays for Moana (2016) and Moana 2 (2024), and directed and co-wrote Encanto (2021), which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He co-created and executive produced the Disney XD series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014–2017).
