Zootopia 2 Honors Late Actor Tiny Lister With Special Dedication

Why Zootopia 2 Is Dedicated To Tiny Lister Tiny Lister in Battle of the BonesImage by Everett Collection By  Shawn S. Lealos Published 2 minutes ago

Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant,  CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.  

Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor. He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.  

To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net.

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Zootopia 2 has a dedication in the movie for Tiny Lister, and there is more to it than just honoring the actor. Zootopia 2 brought back most of the cast from the original film, including Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde and Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps. Many supporting stars also returned, including Shakira, Tommy Chong, and Idris Elba.

Another actor who "returned" was Tiny Lister, but it was a little different in his case. While people watching Zootopia 2 will hear Lister's voice in the movie, the actor actually didn't return for the sequel. However, the filmmakers still found a way to keep his character in the film and honor him at the same time.

Zootopia 2's Dedication Honors An Original Actor Who Passed Away

Tiny Lister as Zeus in No Holds Barred

Tony Lister was a beloved character actor who was best known for his right eye, which gave him a unique look, and his tendency to play often deranged villains or antiheroes in movies. He enjoyed his breakout performance in the Hulk Hogan movie No Holds Barred, which led to him actually working in WWE as his fictional character, Zeus.

After that, he built up a cult status with roles in TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Star Trek: Enterprise, where he played Klaang. He also starred in movies like Friday, where he played Deebo, and The Fifth Element, where he played President Lindberg. He also had a role in the comic book blockbuster The Dark Knight.

Lister also voiced a character in Zootopia. He voiced Finnick, the small fennec fox who worked as a conman with Nick Wilde. He pretended to be a baby to help Nick get elephant-sized Popsicles early on, but was actually a con-artist who had a loud booming voice, showing he was much older than he looked.

Sadly, Tommy "Tiny" Lister died in 2020. He was 62 and died shortly after a second bout with COVID-19. His official cause of death was hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This is why Zootopia 2 honored him with a tribute in the new movie.

How Tiny Lister Still Appears In Zootopia 2

Finnick with a bat in Zootopia voiced by Tiny Lister

Fans can still hear Tony Lister in Zootopia 2, even though the movie was made after his death. Disney went to Tiny Lister's family and gained permission to utilize unused recordings from the first Zootopia to bring his character back for the sequel. This time around, his character goes undercover as a baby, repeating the first movie's gag.

In an X post, co-director Jared Bush wrote, "With his family’s blessing, we are so grateful to feature the voice of Tiny Lister, reprising his role as Finnick in Zootopia 2, working with recordings from the first film. Thank you to his family. Thank you, Tiny."

With Zootopia 2 paying tribute to Tiny Lister in the end credits as well, it was a great chance to give his fans one more chance to hear his iconic voice, while paying tribute to a beloved actor.

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