Zootopia 2 picks up where we left Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) almost a decade ago, this time as partners working to uncover the root of the reptile town’s corruption. A charming sequel with a stacked cast made for a familiar story of feel-good family fun. Despite its PG rating, this family comedy is still suitable for a more mature audience. Between the opening action sequence, meticulously detailed animation, and witty one-liners sprinkled throughout, there is plenty to enjoy. However, most relevant is the underlying theme of history being written by the victors.
Going in blind, I anticipated Judy Hopps to uncover another scandal plaguing the mammal metropolis she calls home, but this sequel felt much darker. Sure, there is still a plot where Judy has a hunch where something is not quite right and pursues it despite being warned not to, but instead of predators being stereotyped against, this time it is non-mammals falling victim to colonization.
At the hands of a prominent family of Lynxs the so-called utopia for all animals has been systematically exculding reptiles and amphibians, leading to Gary De’Snake’s plight for justice. Determined to get to the bottom of things and bring the truth to light the two join Gary in his mission to restore his family’s honor. Over 107 minutes, Judy and Nick unravel all the lies.
Beyond the main plot-line, Nick taught Judy how to work together as partners while Judy showed Nick that some causes require risking your life for change.
In classic Disney fashion, Easter eggs were prominent throughout. Personal standouts were a lion’s chef hat being knocked off to reveal a rat holding his mane (an ode to Ratatouille) and a collection of classic Disney titles reimagined as animals: Wrangled, Pig Hero 6, and Wreck-It Rhino.
This cast is absolutely stacked, with many returning characters in addition to a few new ones. An adorable addition, Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), was introduced as a conspiracy podcaster—whose presence was uniquely relevant to 2025—but became an unlikely ally to the cause. Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) was another instantly lovable newcomer. All of the voices were incredibly spot-on to the personalities they depicted. Cameos such as Robert Furwin (Robert Irwin) or Ed Shearin (Ed Sheeran) rounded out this cast incredibly.
4.5/5 Stars.
Zootopia 2 may have been created for children, but not without adults in mind. The clever over-arching theme landed, despite being delivered by a cop duo of a bunny and a fox. Of course, the intense themes of prejudice and colonization wrap up with a joyful performance by Gazelle (Shakira).
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