When Byron Howard and Rich Moore’s smash hit (and eventual Best Animated Feature winner) “Zootopia” arrived in theaters in early 2016, the energetic and very funny fable turned a clever idea (a world only populated by mammals, but they sure act human!) into an enduring classic with some genuinely moving lessons to spare. How enduring? Well, nine years on, and the fervor around the film‘s long-awaited first sequel has in no way diminished. Fans are, well, they’re feral for it.
They may also be feral for some similarly long-awaited retconning and clarifications. As smart and savvy as the film’s original premise is, it came with plenty of unanswered questions, like “why just mammals” and “where the heck are the birds and reptiles” and “what’s the deal with the crackling romantic chemistry between our two leads, who happen to be different species.” And while directors Jared Bush (who co-wrote the first film and became chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2024) and the returning Howard don’t answer all of these queries, they address many of them, and still manage to come away with a sparkling and inventive sequel.
The film’s opening sequence provides a very light catch-up on the events of the first film, reminding us of the bond between our leads (plucky bunny cop Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and her unlikely best pal, the former criminal fox Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman) and their big! unexpected! win! from the first film. Designed as a buddy cop outing, the first “Zootopia” saw the pair team up to take down a vast conspiracy that threatened the harmony of their home (and offered a sterling set of messages about the need for equality and understanding over racism and fear).
But despite Nick and Judy’s success — major enough that former con artist Nick has now officially joined the Zootopia Police Department to work alongside his zippy BFF — things just keep on moving in Zootopia. Taking place only a week after the events of the first film (the magic of animation!), questions already abound regarding the sustainability of Judy and Nick’s partnership. And partnership, as Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba) tells us and them, “is the cornerstone of success.”
Are Nick and Judy really too different to succeed? A brand-new case offers some help. And, of course, plenty of hindrances. (At 108 minutes, the film does occasionally feel a bit too long, though the constant introduction of new locales and whiz-bang jokes manages to prop up most moments of flailing interest.)
Bush and Howard waste no time expanding the world of Zootopia, which is busy celebrating its “Zootennial,” a hundred years of harmony and prosperity within its heralded walls. And it’s those walls we’re about to hear plenty about, as Zootopia only really exists because of the clever construction of a series of “weather walls” that allow the numerous climates (and their mammal inhabitants) to co-exist side-by-side. Thank the powerful Lynxley family for such a gift, as everyone in Zootopia has long believed that Ebeneezer Lynxley was the one responsible for such a smart idea, and Zootopia itself.
There is, however, one kind of weird thing about all that. Reptiles! Miss ’em? The population of Zootopia doesn’t, as legend has long held that Ebeneezer was nearly offed by a vicious viper just as he was preparing Zootopia and its weather walls. That viper even killed a beloved Lynxley family maid, a crime so heinous and so horrible that it led to the immediate banishment of every reptile in Zootopia, not just the snakes. See? That’s why there are no reptiles in Zootopia.
Except, well, Judy and Nick have maybe just found one. Judy, hellbent as ever on do-gooding and crime-fighting, even follows their slinky new potential baddie all the way to the Lynxley mansion during a massive gala (yes, the Shakira-voiced pop star Gazelle is also there, and she’s stunning), during which the blue pit viper makes off with Ebeneezer’s journal, which holds all of the early plans for the much-ballyhooed weather walls. Intent on proving the viability of their partnership, Judy and Nick alight on yet another case that puts the health and happiness of every Zootopia inhabitant on the line.
Following the proud lineage of films like “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” and “Step Up Revolution,” the real baddie of “Zootopia 2” is out-of-control property development and evil business tycoons. The Lynxley family may be responsible for the existence of Zootopia (emphasis on the may), but does that entitle them to bulldoze through whatever they want? All of Zootopia might be thrilled about the upcoming expansion of Tundratown, but no one seems at all concerned about what needs to be destroyed to make that happen. Not Chief Bogo, not newly installed handsome horse mayor Brian Winddancer (voiced by Patrick Warburton), not even the Big family, little Arctic shrew mafiosos who know a thing or two about being hunted.
But Judy cares. And that means Nick has to care, too. But as they zip through Zootopia, encountering new friends (like the Fortune Feimster-voiced beaver Nibbles Maplestick, obsessed with conspiracy theories) and new locations (like Marsh Market, a Disney-fied mash-up of Florida and New Orleans) along the way, their differences become more pronounced. And when that pit viper, who we soon learn is named Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), keeps popping up with a very new version of Zootopia’s history, even Judy and Nick seem breakable.
That’s not to imply that “Zootopia 2” isn’t funny, zippy, and highly enjoyable — it is indeed — but it’s also got the kind of heart that has too long seemed to be missing from other Disney animated offerings. There’s a weight to the messaging of the film. There’s real care behind the bond between Nick and Judy. There’s an absolutely incredible “The Shining” montage that will delight parents and terrify children for decades to come. Worth the wait? Yes, and we can’t wait for the next one to take wing (wink).
Grade: B+
Disney will release “Zootopia 2” in theaters on Wednesday, November 26.
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