Note: This review contains spoilers.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” which was released to theaters on Nov. 26, is a promising sequel that carries the heart of the original “Zootopia” movie while also revealing new faces of the city and diving deeper into the relationship between Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). Though the movie introduced new characters like Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster) and Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg), we also had many fan-favorites return such as Gazelle (Shakira).
The movie follows Judy and Nick as they are now official partners at the Zootopia Police Department (ZPD) and are considered heroes in Zootopia for solving their first case and saving the city.
Following the city’s restored peace, it is now the 100th anniversary of the founding of the city and creation of the Weather Walls, which maintain temperatures in different parts of Zootopia. In order to celebrate, the city hosts the Zootennial Gala, but clues suggest a harmful snake might be roaming the city.
A great facet of the movie is that it builds upon the greater Zootopia world, answering one of the greater questions posed by the movie: why are there no reptiles? What sacrifices have other creatures had to make for the current Zootopia? In the first movie, we understood that most predatory animals, such as foxes, were perceived as “lesser.” In “Zootopia 2,” the culprits are snakes and reptiles as a whole who were forced to flee from the city. As a result, most reptiles relocated to the forgotten Marsh Market, finding comfort in their own communities. Through this, the movie presents a larger truth that is also evident in our current nation: social progress is often built on the exclusion of marginalized groups and the exploitation of minorities.
Another major theme is conveyed through the Lynxley family, who serve as the primary antagonists of the movie, revealing how the histories of underprivileged families can be erased through urban redevelopment, as Gary’s family has been. Now, with the Lynxleys’ expanding Tundratown, they want to conquer this Marsh for themselves. While the movie may be for kids, its deeper themes of gentrification and social inequality make it emotionally impactful.
This mirrors real-life patterns today, where wealthier individuals transform low-income neighborhoods and push long-standing communities out to profit. “Zootopia 2” reflects on these debates between progress and preservation, and its themes are extremely relevant as gentrification and displacement continue to impact many families every day.
Alongside its various applicable themes, unlike other sequels that aim for a big jump between movies to show character growth, “Zootopia 2” takes place only a week after the events of “Zootopia 1,” allowing viewers to journey with Nick and Judy as they explore their partnership and make peace with the differences in their personalities.
In reality, despite their successful adventure in the first movie, Judy and Nick’s relationship isn’t as harmonious as it seems. Judy struggles with the constant need to prove herself, which puts the duo in danger. For example, after Gary steals the Weather Wall Journal at the gala in order to reveal the truth about the real creator of the Weather Walls, Judy chases after him into a water tunnel passageway, despite knowing she will lose oxygen, just to prove that she belongs as an officer. This clashes with Nick’s personality and overall disbelief in justice, as he would much rather escape the city and live under a fake identity than attempt to save Zootopia.
Judy and Nick’s differing ideals ultimately collapse as the two get separated, both ideologically and physically, as the mountain lodge they’re investigating physically breaks in half. Judy follows Pawbert and Gary, continuing the mission, whilst Nick gets caught. Now, he must choose whether to keep the security and privacy he’s found comfort in or follow Judy into her missions that push her beyond her limits. In addition, he’s forced to work with an unlikely partner, Nibbles, whom he reconnects with in prison, putting his own beliefs aside to find his way back to Judy. Meanwhile, Judy is forced to reflect on her own tendencies to overcompensate and overprepare, which can cause her to overlook her partner.
Ultimately, the two choose each other, finding their way back to their partner with plenty of fun and adventure in between. The crux of “Zootopia 2” is the climax, which shows the growth in both their individual personalities and duo dynamic. Judy learns to control her impulsiveness by trusting her partner, and Nick realizes that communication is key and he shouldn’t be afraid to voice his opinions. Together, they are able to confront the Lynxleys and reveal the true creator behind the Weather Walls and founder of the city: Agnes De’Snake.
This reinforces another major theme in “Zootopia 2” — the way minority groups are discredited and overlooked despite their many accomplishments. Agnes’s contributions to the city were buried in order to benefit the Lynxleys, revealing real-world patterns of erasure. The movie subtly mentions how even today, marginalized groups continue to fight for recognition and ownership of their achievements.
The film doesn’t fail in comedy either. The constant jokes that Nick delivers and his unpredictable dynamics with other characters, like Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche), brought back the charm that defined the original movie. Both the return of Flash Slothmore (Raymond S. Persi) also added the same comedy as the first film, and the constant parallels to “Zootopia 1” gave viewers a satisfying sense of community that they felt with the original movie. At the same time, new characters like Nibbles also offered fresh comedic energy that kept the movie lively.
The movie also contained many references to other films, which were like Easter eggs. Finding them made viewers feel more connected to this animal world, with callbacks to iconic movies such as “Ratatouille” and “Tangled.” The creators understood that the wait time of nine years between the first movie and the second might cause the franchise to lose momentum, but the inclusion of these Easter eggs and fan-favorite characters allowed the older audience to connect with the film.
This makes the movie fun for the whole family while also highlighting the passion of the many animators and artists involved. With the rise of AI taking over the jobs of creators, “Zootopia 2” is a prominent reminder that human art can never be replaced.
Though the storyline of “Zootopia 2” might be extremely similar to the first film, it still expands on the world in meaningful ways. The movie uncovers new parts of the city, introduces new species like reptiles and even hints at future species that may be presented like birds. It also dives deeper into Judy and Nick’s evolving relationship, balancing major themes like gentrification and disempowerment with the same lighthearted humor that made the first film so beloved.
