Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, Zootopia 2 follows rookie animal cops Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) who go on a make-or-break mission that has them coming face-to-face with mysterious pit viper Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), whose arrival disrupts the balance of the metropolis. To solve the case while contending with the Zootopia Police Department and other parties, they must go undercover to new parts of town, testing their partnership while dealing with a conspiracy regarding the other reptiles near Zootopia.
The first Zootopia was an unexpectedly amazing surprise from Walt Disney Animation Studios that caught me off guard and stood out hugely compared to others from the same studio for multiple reasons. So when they announced there was going to be a sequel to this film, I actually felt very excited for it, especially when there was way more they could explore with these characters and the world they inhabit in unique ways. Was this sequel that took almost 10 years to make worth the wait? In my personal view it certainly was.
Zootopia 2 maintains the fun charm and clever humor of its predecessor while also organically evolving the impactful emotions and relevant themes presented to us through colorful characters and animation. While I wouldn’t necessarily consider this the best animated sequel I have seen, I personally feel it is the best sequel in the modern Disney Animation library, as it had a major edge over certain sequels like Frozen 2 and Moana 2. It is joyful, funny, smart, thrilling, visually gorgeous and heartfelt in all the right ways making for a proper sequel that will satisfy fans of the original and deliver a good time for families.
The voice cast consists of returning voices, new voices, and a massive amount of cameo voices that further flesh out the world of Zootopia with their performances that all felt extremely fitting for their respective characters. Judy and Nick, reprised wonderfully by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, remain the central characters of the film and both of them have very compelling arcs as they struggle to work together to solve this conspiracy. We are aware that the two are fully capable of working together and have great chemistry but they both have their own personal issues that surface over the course of their adventure that they need to deal with.
After her successful first case in the first film, Judy feels the need to continue proving herself due to her own self-doubt that still looms over her despite being a really good cop, but this eagerness ends up putting her at odds with Nick. She has to learn that she doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone and that the only one that truly matters to her is her partner, who she should be there for no matter what.
Nick on the other hand feels extremely protective of her since he cares a lot about her to the point that he doesn’t care about anything else given that he’s been lonely most of his life. He has a hard time admitting it, which makes him come across as selfish to Judy but once he opens himself up to her their bond becomes stronger. The voice performances for both characters are beautifully done by both cast members, nailing the emotional and humorous moments of the duo perfectly.
Returning cast members such as Idris Elba, Shakira, Nate Torrence, Maurice LaMarche, and others are all fantastic as they were in the first film, but I felt the new cast members stood out this time around, with Ke Huy Quan being the biggest stand out of them all with his performance as Gary De’Snake. Ke Huy Quan’s energetic and wholesome personality fits so perfectly for this character, making for a truly compelling individual that you can’t help but feel immense sympathy for as he is hated and pursued by everyone just for being a snake. Snakes, as well as all reptiles in general, unfortunately get a bad rap in the real world as is, but seeing it get explored in a very different way in this film through this character, his arc and the allegorical themes of racism makes for a truly special narrative that I feel is important for kids and adults to take to heart given the way the world is now. Gary is an absolute spotlight stealing gem in this film, much like the man that plays him, and is a truly wonderful addition to the world of Zootopia.
Another wonderful addition to the cast is Fortune Feimster as Nibbles Maplestick, a beaver podcast and conspiracy theorist host living in Marsh Market who encounters Judy and Nick to help them in their case. Nibbles is a hilariously odd character that wonderfully fits with the odd pairing of Judy and Nick, bringing endless laughs wherever she goes as a result of Feimster’s funny delivery with her.
Also delivering some great laughs and goofy moments is Patrick Warburton as Mayor Brian Winddancer, a stallion who is a former actor and the current Mayor of Zootopia who succeeds Leodore Lionheart and Dawn Bellwether. Patrick Warburton and his iconic voice has been notably absent from Disney animated projects for a very long time so having him be a part of this film felt like the grand return of royalty and he certainly makes the most of it as this ridiculous character that gives all the Kronk vibes that I couldn’t help but love.
As for the villains of this film, we get a dangerous and deadly family of Lynxes known as the Lynxley family, led by the patriarch Milton Lynxley, voiced amazingly by David Strathairn. Unlike the surprise yet kind of predictable twist villain we got in the first film, Milton Lynxley proves to be a far more menacing and interesting villain for our heroes to go up against, not only for his mass corruption of the politics, media and people of Zootopia but for his horrific actions against other species he deems “lesser” than him. This is the kind of highly relevant villain that is fitting for the highly relevant themes of this film, giving us a more mature threat that doesn’t screw around and doesn’t hesitate to do what he deems as necessary to achieve his goals, including killing Nick, Judy, Gary and anyone else that he sees as a threat.
Other new cast members such as Andy Samberg, Quinta Brunson, Danny Trejo, Michelle Gomez, David Fane and other various celebrities also deliver some memorable performances as various animals of all shapes and sizes, making the world of Zootopia feel far richer and more expansive than it has ever been before.
The film’s narrative follows some similar patterns to the first film in terms of being a family aimed conspiracy case thriller but there are some notable differences and improvements that are added in to make it feel like an organic continuation of the first film rather than a repeat. We get some amazing world building as we get to see major expansions on some sections of Zootopia we saw in the first film while also introducing whole new ones that have their own unique environments and species living within them.
And just like the first film, this film features a ton of animal related inside jokes and references to other Disney properties as well as occasional references to various pop culture that may not be as subtle as the first film but are still brilliant and funny nonetheless. The last film had an entire scene dedicated to referencing Breaking Bad in its third act while this film has a scene referencing one of my favorite horrors of all time in a hilarious way that I think lots of people will get a kick out of, especially for how it commits to the reference visually through the animation and audibly with the score.
But by far the most notable narrative element of this film that stands out the most is its expansion on the allegory of racism that started in the first film. This film dives deep into revisionism of history, violent colonial theft of land and total erasure of culture through these colorful characters and world that results in some truly powerful and emotional moments I didn’t expect this sequel to deliver so masterfully. This may be a family aimed film but it did not hold back on going big and bold with its timely messages in a time where we are witnessing these exact horrors in real time in our world. I applaud the directors and writers for expanding upon the themes they started with in the first film rather than hold back and deliver a generically repetitive sequel that is too afraid to go further with such relevant topics. This sequel’s narrative proves there is a lot more story to tell in a creative way and based on the big tease in the secret post credits scene the filmmakers are definitely not done yet with telling more stories from this world.
From a technical perspective this film is pretty much perfect in every single way, from the animation and the cinematography to the action and the visual creativity. The creative designs for characters based on whatever animals they are adds so much unique flair to the comedy and the action, making the world feel so vibrant and alive, especially when it is all set in such gorgeous environments. Zootopia as a place always looked like a phenomenal wonderland for animals the first time we saw it years ago in the first film and it looks even more phenomenal now.
Adding on to the beautiful looks is equally beautiful music, with Michael Giacchino delivering another solid score and Shakira delivering another super solid song that fits perfectly for this film.
Zootopia 2 is a damn good sequel that satisfied me far more compared to the recent Disney sequels that have come out lately and I am honestly open to seeing more of these characters and this world if they keep going in the current direction they are on. Definitely catch this film in theaters whenever you can as it truly is worth the time. I’m going to give Zootopia 2 an A = 97.
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