Zootopia 2 review: Disney Animation’s sequel pushes visual boundaries

Holiday season means school vacation. School vacation means sensory-seeking hellions with idle time. Snowball fights aren’t what they used to be, and kids are going to want entertainment. They’re probably going to want Zootopia 2. And their instincts are right. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ feeds their wildside with the follow up to 2016’s  Oscar-winning, box-office breaking animal adventure. It’s a buddy-cop movie in a mammal metropolis. Lending their voices again to the odd-couple gumshoes is Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, the bright eyed, bushy tailed self-starter of the duo, and the ying to her yang, sly streetwise Nick Wilde, anchored by Jason Bateman. 

 

Focus on character development crafts audience relatability

Disney took the tasteful turn, not forcing a rushed sequel down audiences throats. Nearly a decade since the first picture, acclaimed writers and directors of animation Jared Bush and Byron Howard, were careful to sidestep the traps many sequels fall into. Unwilling to blemish the impact their first fauna film garnered, they reflected on what makes their favorite part-two’s hold up in the annals of cinema. Cultivating the characters’ development and evolution works to feed viewers’ investment. 

Bulging with 178 different characters, the cast list is literally a zoo, too many notable names to mention. It’s Bateman’s feature in this comedic role that’s much welcomed amidst his recent dramatic performances. His natural temperament and meter infuse Nick with charisma so infectious you want to go adopt a fox. This humanization highlights how he and Judy navigate their new companionship. Interactions feel familiar, watering the seeds of empathy for the characters in audiences’ hearts. Working to find their groove with each other and in their fresh roles as cops, the fox and the hair can’t help but find themselves unraveling a scandalous mystery that could unhinge the Zootopia municipality. 

Star-stacked cast and a herd of laughs

Contrary to the harmonious Shangri-la it presents itself to be, Zootopia didn’t get the inclusivity memo. The city doesn’t allow reptiles, masking the discrimination with slanderous propaganda. Fake news! The trope is pushed by the heavy hand (paw?) of tycoon Milton Lynxley (voiced by David Strathairn), head of the powerful Lynxley family dynasty. His awkward yet endearing son, Pawbert (Andy Samberg), strays from their pack, outgoingly warm when he meets Judy and Nick at an extravagant celebratory gala. Any good party needs crashing, and the stuffy affair is thrown into disarray when Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) slithers in on a mission of truth. Pieces of a puzzle are revealed, and the suspicious scent drags our hairy heroes on a wild goose chase.

Chaperones rejoice. You’re not sitting through the sounds of Raffi or other frivolous tunes. The sound design and music don’t slack one bit, avoiding stunted juvenile accompaniment while remaining appropriate for the story and its’ intended audience. Clear themes of forging and fostering friendship, acceptance and understanding fill the frame of the story. You can’t be mad at that. If that’s not enough, more subtle plotlines hover around political corruption, gentrification, and greed. For an animated children’s picture without a single human in it, Zootopia 2 pulls off subtle social commentary reflecting mankind, while its’ thrills and laughs could charm the most cold -blooded snake.