Movie Review: Zootopia 2

I remember being surprised by just how much I loved the first Zootopia when it came out back in 2016. But 9 years is a long time to wait to release a sequel. Will audiences still care after nearly a decade? Will the story be good enough to feel like it was worth the bother? Luckily, in Zootopia 2, Jared Bush and Byron Howard (who both worked on the original) have shown that answer to be a definitive “yes”, and this burgeoning franchise has pleasantly surprised me yet again.

A mere week since we last saw them, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are now officially partners in the Zootopia Police Department, eager to tackle their next big case. However, Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) is skeptical of their abilities and wants them to take a more observational role. Despite that, they quickly get themselves caught up in what looks to be another major conspiracy, this time involving the first appearance of a snake in Zootopia in generations. The species had been banned decades ago after allegedly causing a high-profile death. But that story might not be as cut-and-dry as it first seems, and the pair may be on the trail of a sinister plot that could shatter the origin story of Zootopia itself.

This is such a rich, fully realized world, that it’s easy to imagine countless storytelling possibilities within it, something I had apparently forgotten over the last few years. A brief post-credits scene indicates that more Zootopia is on the way, and I for one cannot wait. In our current I.P.-focused world, it’s actually surprising that this hasn’t been bled dry by now, but perhaps we’re better off for it.

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Goodwin and Bateman voicing their characters, but the entire voice cast is once again superb and filled with fun cameos to try and spot. Ke Huy Quan and Fortune Feimster both appear as new creatures that stand out and will hopefully make return appearances in whatever comes next for Zootopia. I did feel like the physical design of the snakes felt slightly out of place, as if they were created for a completely different movie, but that may have been intentional.

There is some overt messaging about the ways that those in power can choose a group to mark as “other” and then exploit and abuse them for their own gain that feels very timely. It’s been a pretty common theme in movies of late, so one hopes that it might begin to stick at some point. Likewise, the suggestion that we should all learn to look past our differences and find a way to work together is handled well enough here to actually resonate. That said, more than anything the goal of Zootopia 2 is to entertain, and it certainly does.

Laughs are liberally scattered throughout, varying from groanworthy animal puns to pretty genius sight gags. So much so that this likely qualifies as one of the funniest movies of the year. The core mystery is also compellingly put together, keeping the audience’s attention glued to the screen regardless of age, and even eliciting a surprisingly large gasp from me at one reveal. The whole thing may be a little overstuffed, preventing some parts of the story from having time to breathe, but it’s a minor complaint. Hilarious, suspenseful, gorgeous to look at, and genuinely touching, this is one of the year’s best family films and a must-see this holiday season. ★★★★½