Hideo Kojima has spent decades hiding behind stealth icons, codec calls, and fourth wall breaking gags, but his latest cameo takes him somewhere few expected: the colorful streets of Zootopia. In the Japanese version of Zootopia 2, the legendary creator of Metal Gear and Death Stranding lends his voice to a mole working at the Zootopia Police Department, a tiny but instantly memorable role that turns a background character into a sly in joke for both film fans and gamers.
The character, Officer Paul Moledebrandt, is a bespectacled mole who fits right into the bustling chaos of the ZPD bullpen. 
In the western release he is voiced by Josh Gad, but in Japan the same role goes to Kojima, effectively making him Josh Gad by way of a Japanese dub. Some fans initially thought he was playing a totally new character, leading to a bit of confusion and accusations of clickbait, yet the reality is more interesting: it shows just how far Kojima has crossed into mainstream pop culture that Disney wanted his voice on a character who might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
From stealth missions to cartoon cops
Kojima is no stranger to showing up in his own work. Late Metal Gear Solid games were packed with developer names, in jokes, and cameos that rewarded obsessive players who checked every corner of the codec and credits. He has also popped up in live action films and projects outside gaming, usually as a quick wink to those who know his face. Zootopia 2, however, marks his first time stepping fully into an animated feature as a voice actor, and that shift from director to performer is part of what makes this cameo stand out even amid his long history of self references.
Importantly, this is not a stunt that emerged from a random marketing meeting. The invitation came directly from Jared Bush, the movie director and chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. For Kojima, who has often spoken about his love of cinema and animation, a personal offer from the director of a Disney sequel he already counts among his favorite films was an easy yes. Fans were quick to point out that the mole even looks a bit like him, turning Moledebrandt into an instant meme and earning him the affectionate nickname Molejima online.
Inside Kojima’s first big animated dubbing session
While the role is small, Kojima approached the recording with the same attention to detail that defines his game direction. He has described how impressed he was with the precision of the production even for a short scene, from the careful storyboarded illustrations to the way the booth team guided timing and tone. Usually the one calling the shots, he suddenly found himself learning from veteran voice actors about tiny craft details that most viewers never think about.
He has talked about being surprised by how much discipline goes into the fundamentals: how quietly actors handle script pages, how they control breathing and mouth sounds, how they keep consistency across multiple takes for the same reaction. For someone who has directed performances for decades, actually standing in front of a microphone on a Disney stage offered a different perspective on collaboration. That sense of Kojima the student, not just Kojima the auteur, is part of what gives this cameo more weight than a simple celebrity drop in.
Japanese dub versus western version
One of the first reactions online came from fans clarifying that Kojima is not replacing any character in the international cut, but rather dubbing Josh Gad’s role for Japan. In other words, Officer Moledebrandt is the same mole, just wearing a different voice depending on where you buy your ticket. Some people grumbled that headlines framing it as a huge new character felt a bit misleading, yet once that dust settled, most agreed it is a fun, very Kojima kind of surprise.
The visual design of the mole was clearly built to be memorable in a few seconds of screen time, and that is exactly the type of character Kojima tends to gravitate toward: oddball side figures who steal a scene with a single line or expression. With the Japanese dub, he gets to stamp his personality on a character that western audiences associate with Gad’s energetic delivery, while Japanese viewers will instead hear a slightly nerdier, more deadpan tone that plays well against the rest of the ZPD cast.
Zootopia 2 is already a global heavyweight
This playful cameo lands in a sequel that is not just creatively ambitious but also a runaway commercial success. Zootopia 2 roared into theaters with an enormous global opening of about 556 million dollars. Roughly 156 million of that came from domestic audiences over the extended Thanksgiving holiday frame, but it is overseas where the movie truly exploded, pulling in around 400 million, with China alone responsible for more than half of that international haul.
Those numbers put Zootopia 2 in extremely rare company. Its opening ranks as the fourth biggest global debut of all time, sitting just behind giant Marvel Cinematic Universe tentpoles like Avengers Endgame, Avengers Infinity War, and Spider Man No Way Home. Looking at that trajectory, industry watchers already see a clear path to the film crossing the billion dollar mark, cementing Zootopia as one of Disney’s most powerful modern animation brands.
A sequel that still has something to say
Of course, box office alone does not guarantee that fans will embrace a sequel, but early critical response has been strongly positive. Reviews, including an 8 out of 10 score from IGN, praise the way Zootopia 2 sends its unlikely bunny and fox detective duo back into a world that tackles surprisingly heavy social topics without losing the playful animal gags that made the first film so beloved. The movie continues to explore prejudice, institutional inertia, and how communities deal with fear, but wraps those ideas in kinetic chases, bright visuals, and sharp one liners.
Within that context, a tiny character like Officer Moledebrandt becomes another texture in a dense world rather than a distraction. Viewers who do not know who Kojima is will simply see a slightly grumpy mole officer doing his job, while gamers who have followed his career for decades will catch an extra layer of meaning when they recognise his voice. It is the kind of multi level gag that fits perfectly in a franchise that already asks kids to laugh at puns while adults follow the satire underneath.
Where and when to hear Molejima
For anyone who wants to experience Kojima’s performance specifically, there is one catch: you need to watch the Japanese version of Zootopia 2. While international audiences meet Officer Moledebrandt through Josh Gad’s boisterous delivery, Kojima’s take is reserved for Japan, where the sequel opens on December 5. That regional exclusivity immediately turned the role into a collectible experience for hardcore fans, some of whom are already planning trips or waiting patiently for home release options that include the Japanese audio track.
In the end, the cameo itself may be only a brief moment in a two hour film, but it neatly sums up where Kojima and modern pop culture are right now. A once niche game director, famous mainly among hardcore stealth fans, can now stroll into a Disney recording booth and voice a cartoon mole in one of the biggest animated sequels ever made. For moviegoers, it is a small, funny touch in a confident follow up. For Kojima fans, it is one more Easter egg to hunt down, another strange crossover to add to a career built on blurring the boundaries between games, film, and everything in between.