‘Zootopia II’, ‘Boong’ Win Big @ BAFTA

‘Zootopia II’ and ‘Boong’ both emerged victorious at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), held on February 22, at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

Feature animation ‘Zootopia II’ won the Best Animated Film Award, knocking out contenders such as ‘Elio’ and ‘Little Amelie’.

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and produced by Yvett Merino, the animation sees the return of the prequel’s protagonist, Officer Judy Hoops (Ginnifer Goodwin), with her partner and now officer, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). This time, they are on the slithery trail of a mysterious new reptile in town, Gary De’Snake.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Shakira, Macaulay Culkin, Fortune Feimster, Patrick Warburton, Dwayne Johnson, and Ke Huy Quan as Gary De’Snake, Zootopia II (aka ‘Zootropolis II’ in the US) was released theatrically on November 28, 2025.

‘Boong’ won the Best Children’s & Family Film category at the BAFTA, beating out ‘Zootopia II’, Ugo Bienvenu’s ‘Arco’, and Dean Fleischer Camp and Jonathan Eirich’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’.

Written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, ‘Boong’ is a 2024 Indian Manipuri-language coming-of-age drama that follows a schoolboy, Boong, as he navigates racial tensions and border challenges in Manipur. He is driven by resilience and determination to reunite his divided family.

The film stars Gugun Kipgen (Boong), Bala Hijam Ningthoujam, Angom Sanamatum, and Jenny Khurai, among others. The film won the Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film at the 55th International Film Festival of India, the Best Youth Film at the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2024 in Australia, and the Best Male Actor at the 2025 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.