Zootopia 2: a worthy sequel

A look at my Zootopia 2 review:

We are going to get sequels to Disney movies whether we like it or not. They have mostly done extremely well at the box office. While I could complain about too many sequels, I’m not going to bother here.

And to be fair, Zootopia 2 is as worthy a sequel as you could hope for. It feels much more like a companion film than many sequels. It maintains the original heart and humor of the first one, while expanding on the characters and world-building. If we’re going to continue getting so many sequels, let’s hope they’re all as good as Zootopia 2.

A sequel makes a lot of sense here because of the format and approach of the Zootopia story. Nick and Judy are now cops/detectives, so it’s natural that more cases might come up for them to solve. And whether on purpose or not, the first movie actually leaves a big question in the world-building of Zooptopia. This movie gets to answer that question.

I also fully expect more Zootopia movies. If you’ve seen this one, you’ll understand why future films actually make sense.

But actually, it turns out I was a bit off here. The first movie doesn’t show us a world where all animals have evolved. It shows us a world of MAMMALS. It turns out there were no reptiles, birds, fish, or amphibians. How did I not notice this before? 

And that’s what the plot of Zootopia 2 focuses on. Nick and Judy are working as partners in the police force, though they struggle at times to handle their differences in how they approach the work. At the same time, the 100th anniversary of Zootopia is coming up. We learn that the Lynxleys, a wealthy family also involved in the crime world, founded Zootopia.

As the Zootopia 100th celebrations approach, Judy is convinced she sees a snake in the city. That’s when we learn Zootopia banned reptiles (especially snakes).

The snake’s name is Gary De’Snake, and through a series of adventures, Nick and Judy end up on the run (both from him at first, and then ultimately with him as they learn that maybe snakes aren’t so bad). But can they help Gary’s family and convince Zootopia that reptiles aren’t as bad as everyone’s always said?

Zootopia 1 had great world-building, and that continues in this movie with expanding the Zootopia universe. We learn the city erected climate walls to allow mammals to live comfortably within Zootopia no matter where they came from – but these walls also turn out to be a way to keep other kinds of animals out.

The humor is great here, especially if you’re a fan of puns (watching EweTube, seeing a sign for Gnu Jersey, the festival Burning Mammal). You’ll find lots of little easter eggs from various Disney and Pixar films – there’s one Ratatouille reference that I particularly enjoyed. Plenty of other types of humor are present too, so there should be something for everyone. All are kid-friendly, though some might go over the heads of the littlest ones:

Nick: “Jokes are a classic defense mechanism for someone with a traumatic childhood.”
Bogo: “Would you like a traumatic adulthood?”

We get a lot of new characters introduced in this movie, and there are some great ones. The actors they got to do the voices of these characters are all a great fit, too. I’m not going to list them all here, but highlight just a few of the major ones: we meet Pawbert (a lynx voiced by Andy Samberg), Nibbles Maplestick (a beaver voiced by Fortune Feimster), Gary De’Snake (a snake voiced by Ke Huy Quan), and Mayor Winddancer (a horse voiced by Patrick Warburton).

Gennifer Goodwin as Judy and Jason Bateman as Nick continue to do a wonderful job. The really nail the nuances of their characters and their distinct personalities. Much of the plot focuses on their relationship, because they are two very different mammals (in more ways than the obvious, of course).

I really liked how they showed the relationship between Nick and Judy, but I am a little concerned that they are setting it up to become a romantic relationship. I truly appreciate the fact that they can just be friends without having it turn into something more. Friendship can be difficult to navigate itself, and having a movie that focuses on that is important. I just don’t want them to get together and fall in love.

Themes in Zootopia 2

Racism & Prejudice

The first film was a pretty obvious message about racism and stereotypes. It’s about not boxing people in based on what they look like or where they come from. Zootopia 2 continues this theme, but it’s a little more nuanced.

Judy, and many of the others, started to see the prejudice that exists against prey by predators. But these same animals don’t (immediately) notice that they are basically doing the same thing to reptiles. I’m glad the movie pointed out that even the best of us, those who want to be better, might not always recognize racism and prejudice at all times. We ourselves might even feel marginalized, but then we can unintentionally do the same to others.

One other thing worth noting is that we do also start to see some of the cracks and flaws within the police force itself. How the police handle things is a very sensitive topic in our country, and a complex issue. There are animals who are trying really hard to do the right thing, but there are others who are corrupt, misguided, or both.

Refugees

The dominant species forced reptiles out of Zootopia, casting them as refugees in this universe. Mammals have unfairly blamed them for something that is inaccurate (you could put misinformation as another theme, I think, because those in Zootopia continue to believe this 100 years later). Because of this, they are exiled.

The animal world works well here, since the parallels don’t come across as too overt. It’s not saying reptiles are Mexican, or Asian, or any specific parallel. It’s showing you the problems and dangers of prejudice itself – you can then apply it to real life.

And I think that’s what we need to do – get kids (and adults) thinking in different ways about these issues. It’s easier to dismiss something when you already have an opinion about it, but if it’s presented in a new light, perhaps it will open some minds a little more to at least ask questions and think.

Relationships

Much of the movie does focus on the relationship between Nick and Judy, and how they work together. I like that they have a nuanced, complex relationship, but at the end of the day they can still be close. I also like that it’s not romantic (at least so far).

But the movie does explore an interesting dynamic, where it highlights some of the differences between them. Judy puts her all into everything. She is dedicated and a hard-worker. That’s not Nick’s style. That doesn’t mean he’s bad at what he does, but she seems to see it that way. He probably could make more of an effort in some places, but they both struggle to reach a happy medium. Their differences get so bad that their supervisor sends them to “couples therapy” (a program for police partners).

It’s great that they are both flawed characters, but both have so many strengths as well. Judy truly believes in Nick, but (at least in the beginning of the movie) she seems to believe that him changing for the better means doing things the way she does them. In so many other areas she is very accepting of those different from her. But she needs to learn to accept Nick for who he is, too.

So how do you handle it when someone you are close with is very different from you? What if they don’t do things the way you would do them? What is okay to compromise on in a relationship, and what isn’t?

For the most part, I think the movie “resolves” this in a lot of ways, but I’m not fully satisfied with the conclusion. Judy strongly believes something, and it’s her “I would die for this cause” moment. Nick doesn’t agree. And this hits Judy hard. She doesn’t know if they can truly be friends if Nick does see why this is important to her – why it’s worth dying for.

Ultimately it concludes with him being vulnerable. Nick explains that it’s because he cares for her so much, and he doesn’t want to see her hurt or die. The honesty is great. It still doesn’t change the fact that Nick isn’t on the same page as her with how strongly her beliefs are. I would like to see them explore that a bit more.

All in all, I thought Zootopia 2 was a great sequel. If Disney is going to keep making sequels, let’s make them like this. I don’t mind Zootopia 3 (or 4) down the road if they keep the quality and heart.

Curious about where the franchise is headed or what the sequels might explore? Stick around for the post-credits scene!