Fur and scales face off in the world-expanding Zootopia sequel
Nine years ago we were introduced to the Oscar-winning world of Zootopia, where our own human society, including social stigmas, cultural taboos, and bureaucratic flaws were mirrored by anthropomorphized animalia. Zootopia was an excellent family film with plenty adult-oriented jokes, references, and themes. Zootopia 2 kicks off right where the first film left off, expanding its geographical scope while delivering an abundance of zany animal characters, clever banter, and endless sight gags. Even moments of apparent “sequelitis,” where an original work feels the pressure to replicate its initial success while making things bigger and better, don’t detract from the pleasure of discovering more of Zootopia’s inner workings. With the original film’s stellar voice cast returning, and adding a few notable new characters into the mix, Zootopia 2 is another pun-filled adventure with tremendous heart.
Rookie cop partners Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are riding the sudden success of their city-saving crime bust. Judy is anxious to continue proving her worth, ignoring police protocol while pursuing dangerous leads, meanwhile Nick is less eager for validation if it means risk-taking. As their partnership begins to show cracks, the smuggled arrival of a snake, Gary (Ke Huy Quan), portends an unraveling mystery concerning the initial creation of the geographical districts’ weather-walls and the demonization of reptiles. Some of the other new characters Judy and Nick must navigate include a wealthy lynx tycoon, Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn) and his three children Pawbert (Andy Samberg), Cattrick (Macaulay Culkin) and Kitty (Brenda Song), a conspiracy theorist beaver, Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), horse action star turned Zootopia’s Mayor Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), and an elusive basilisk lizard, Jesús (Danny Trejo). Obviously, writer and co-director Jared Bush (Moana; Encanto) had a fun time coming up with names.
It had never really occurred to me that the first Zootopia contained all mammalian characters. Realizing this now, and after seeing Zootopia 2, I can envision many interesting ways that the series can continue exploring the whereabouts and societal status of various unseen species (or an even larger unseen phylum, for you biology nerds). Zootopia’s creators seemingly made this creative decision to simplify the plot mechanics and overall prey-predator narrative of the first film, and leave room for further stories. The plot of Zootopia 2 is a smart exercise in measured world building, and it flows at a good pace, never going a few minutes without a visual gag. Sometimes the action gets a little messy. There are a few occasions where a character from the first Zootopia is shoe-horned in, or a joke will center on a pop culture reference and has no bearing on the plot. These instances are the symptoms of “sequelitis” that Zootopia 2 fails to avoid, but they’re mostly fleeting. The most egregious difference from the first Zootopia is the new film’s geographical awareness, of which Zootopia 2 quickly loses its grasp. Cars and water tubes seem to get characters to their destinations with inconsistent timings, and makes the Zootopia world seem huge in some cases and incredibly small in others (despite giant mountains, vast deserts, and hundreds of miles seemingly in the way).
Zootopia 2 does not suffer so greatly from “sequelitis” that it avoids carrying a heartfelt message. Judy and Nick go through a wonderful journey of self-discovery, and their inevitable reconciliation in the film’s finale is wisely handled and written. There’s also the very distinct thematic parallel between the reptile population and real life displaced minority populations. Through shadowy financing, scare tactics, and generational treachery in order to gain power, wealth and land, Zootopia 2’s villains are classical tropes you’d easily spot in the real world. The thematic material simmering beneath Zootopia 2’s soft animated exterior is not a detriment. Rather, the film’s prescient lessons about friendship, the power of diverse communities, and shedding differences through honest communication, are well-worth children latching onto, whether they realize it or not. Disney would gladly trade a progressive-leaning lesson in exchange for the purchase of movie tickets, toys, a soundtrack (Shakira is back voicing the pop singer Gazelle), and a subscription to Disney+.
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Zootopia 2 opens in theaters on Wednesday, Nov. 26th.
