Disney’s track record with sequels isn’t great, but it made sense to make Zootopia 2, considering how successful the first one was. This sequel does a good job of juggling different themes and tropes while creating a movie that can entertain adults as well as kids.
Following the previous movie, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde aim to prove that they can be a great pair of cops, despite being natural enemies. In true buddy-cop fashion, the film opens with the pair getting in trouble and being forced to reevaluate their partnership.
I hope you like animal puns because this script is full of them, some clever, others groan-worthy. The core of the movie’s humor is centered around the chemistry between Hopps and Wilde, played by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Sudeikis. They do a good job of bouncing off of each other and giving the movie some emotional weight.
Overall, this is a great-looking movie: lively character designs, vibrant colors, and a city that is full of personality. The animation is solid throughout; it doesn’t try to do anything unique or crazy other than just look fluid.
Beneath the surface of conspiracy and talk of different animals living together are the themes of systemic oppression, prejudice, and racial gentrification. There isn’t as much social commentary on police brutality as in the first movie, but it’s good that the script isn’t going back to old wells. The film does a great job of creating hooks that keep the story interesting without overtly hammering the audience with these themes.
Despite those inventive hooks and the broad appeal of its themes, there are still a few annoying tropes. There’s a recent trend in movies where the character that tips the audience off about a devious plot is a podcaster who’s into conspiracy theories. The other is more disappointing.
Stories of conspiracy and mystery live and die with their twists and surprise villains, the heel turn, so to speak. In this age of storytelling, when audiences are so savvy from decades of twists across different media, it’s hard to pull off that surprise in a way that’s satisfying and genuinely unexpected. Zootopia 2 doesn’t accomplish that. The surprise villain can be spotted from the very first scene in which they appear, simply because it follows the trope of “the last person you’d suspect.”
That’s not me tooting my own horn. The twist is likely to catch younger audiences by surprise, but older viewers who know their stuff will catch it from a mile away. It doesn’t ruin the movie by any means, but it adds a new villain to the table when it wasn’t necessary. Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple.
At roughly 90 minutes, the movie doesn’t overstay its welcome. Better yet, its broad appeal makes it a solid watch for pretty much anyone. It’s Disney firing on all cylinders, which is great, because their output hasn’t been the most consistent these days.
Author Bio:
Ulises Duenas is a senior writer and film critic at Highbrow Magazine.
For Highbrow Magazine