Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2 (a follow-up to Zootopia (2016)) follows the cop duo Judy (the do-good bunny) and Nick (the shifty fox) as they navigate their new partnership, make friends along the way, and uncover hidden secrets. But, at what cost???

I just came out of the film, and I thought it was great!

The film picks up right where Zootopia (2016) left off, with Judy and Nick-still semi-fresh from saving the city-now working as a police duo trying to find their footing in the department, all while discovering that things aren't always what they seem. The film does a great job jumping right into the story and action! I think the film's appeal, like the original's, really comes from the mystery, the humor, the character chemistry, and the overall message of accepting others for who they are-all while gearing itself toward kids, families, and a general audience. The film also did a great job expanding the world-building and introducing new characters, all the while keeping me invested and on the edge of my seat. I thought the sequel delivered on all those fronts.

While the mystery was a standout, what truly hooked me was the character development between Judy and Nick. You really get to see more of their partnership here, and the film does a great job showing their different perspectives, the tensions, the needs, and the tougher moments that come with being partners-many of which adults will appreciate more than kids. I found myself just as invested in their relationship as I was in the overarching mystery, and honestly, their relationship really became the highlight of the film for me.

The cast performances were great! Returning voices Ginnifer Goodwin (as Judy, the bunny) and Jason Bateman (as Nick, the fox) both really carried the movie for me. I also loved the new additions of Ke Huy Quan (as the Snake), Andy Samberg (as Pawbert), and Fortune Feimster (the crazy beaver), along with the supporting cast, who all helped elevate the film. The film also brought back a few familiar voices from Zootopia (2016) that were fun additions/callbacks, along with some new cameos. I also thought Shakira's new number, "Zoo," was well done.

My only caveat was that after seeing the trailers, I felt like right at the beginning of the movie I had already guessed the plot, which ended with me not being very satisfied with the payoff. I still got surprised by a twist or two, but for the most part, I felt like the movie was predictable. I also thought the beginning of the film was well written, but near the end, I felt like some of the suspense dissipates due to the delivery being rushed. Saying all that, I still enjoyed the film tremendously!!

As a side note, I think the attention to detail was great-especially the many nods to Disney's own self-awareness. There was a weatherman named Bob Tiger (a nod to Disney's CEO Bob Iger), and a news channel called ZNN (referencing CNN), along with many others. I just thought they were fun pokes at Disney, by Disney.

Overall, Zootopia 2 delivers a good sequel thanks to its story, character development, and humor (it was pun-ny), all wrapped in stunning animation while delivering a great message! I would recommend it for kids, families, and really any viewer alike. And don't fur-get to stay until the end of the credits... _ *Content: The film does have one LGBTQ+ scene (brief), along with some suggestive material, and light profanity (two vain references to Deity).

As an adult who hasn't watched disney movie for a while, i gotta say that i didn't expect much from this movie. However, this movie exceeded my expectations by adding the issues on childhood trauma and personality disorders into the script. The details, music, and several hidden references along with a pretty solid plot are combined beautifully.

The pacing is not too rush or too slow. It's a good sequel as we can see the next steps for nick&judy's relationship and character development. Overall, this movie does bring me joy :)

I'm going to be honest, I haven't been impressed with Disney's performance lately. I was concerned that they'd screw this up. My fears were unfounded. It's not common to find a movie which is as much fun to watch as it feels like the cast and crew had making it. Zootopia 2 is a movie about reconciling differences and discusses our modern society without getting preachy. It's a love letter to past Disney films and the art with references and cameos galore.

The pacing was excellent, characters' actions and motives are believable, visuals are excellent, and the humor stands on its own, not having to resort to cheap potty humor. It is also notable that the stakes are raised in this sequel, and the sequel, while it picks up where the first movie left off, is not merely riding on the popularity of the original (like so many sequels and remakes), but matches the original in quality.

This isn't a children's movie, but a true family film, enjoyable by all ages.

Never thought that the sequel would be better than original. Sequel have everything, incredible world expansion (like it's MASSIVE), jokes are funnier and the relationship between Nick and Judy is the best part, also i absolutely love a new characters like Garry, Nibbles, Mayor Winddancer and ofc the Lynxley family (All of them). The movie references was perfect and especially one for an all time horror classic, if you're a fan of the first one ran as fast as you can to see it.

"Zootopia 2" is the sequel to the 2016 animated Disney film "Zootopia". Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and once again featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, it is another fun buddy pair up of its two lead characters that should keep fans of the original happy.

One week after the events of the first film, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) have been working for the Zootopia Police Department (ZPD) as partners, though their contrasting personalities cause numerous problems for those around them. After the pair mess up a case, Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba) forces the two to attend a therapy class to control their reckless natures, otherwise he will separate them permanently. However, during the duo's bungled case, Judy believes that a snake has somehow entered Zootopia for the first time in over a hundred years due to her discovering a piece of snakeskin at the scene, and finds clues that point to the reptilian creature appearing at the upcoming Zootenial Gala. Going against Chief Bogo's orders, Judy and Nick sneak their way into the Gala where they meet Gary De'Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), a pit viper who reveals to the pair that the entire history of Zootopia's founding is based around a terrible lie.

Nine years ago, Disney released what I would consider to be one of the best animated films of the 2010s; a brightly coloured romp about a rabbit and a fox called "Zootopia". As well as providing a great deal of lively entertainment for younger viewers, this film also contained some cleverly woven in social commentary on racial prejudice and stereotypes that older audiences can appreciate on its own. Best of all, the film managed to combine all of these elements together in a way that never made it feel preachy or condescending, allowing it to become popular among audiences of virtually all ages. Almost a decade later, "Zootopia 2" continues the story of these anthropomorphic animals in a sequel that further proves that this mismatched pairing of Judy and Nick are still worth watching.

Picking up just barely a week after the first movie, we see that Judy the rabbit and Nick the fox are still on good terms with each other, partnered together to patrol crime throughout the city of Zootopia as ZPD officers. Despite their good intentions, the pair's differing views on how to keep the citizens safe puts them at odds with each other, with Judy choosing to do things by the book and Nick idealising a more hands-on, forceful approach, almost like a classic "good cop, bad cop" dynamic. Naturally, this all reaches a boiling point once the two of them end up causing a major accident while chasing a van filled with criminals, leading to the threat of their partnership being permanently ended. This is a nice way to remind the audience of the conflicting nature of animals who are predators versus animals who are prey, which in this case is used to show the difficulties of a rabbit and a fox joining forces to bring down a gang of misfits.

From this point forward, the film starts to take on a different tone to the original, focusing on the darker aspects surrounding the history behind Zootopia itself. It is revealed to the audience that reptiles, especially snakes, have not been seen in the city for over a century, leading to mass panic when a pit viper named Gary suddenly turns up at the Zootenial Gala. Unlike his frightening reputation as a snake, Gary is shown to be friendly and wishes to help Judy and Nick remove the stigma his species has so that they can all live happily alongside every other animal in Zootopia. This plays into one of the key things I enjoyed about the original movie; the world-building. Here, we get to see Judy and Nick visit the Marsh Market, a secret community located on the swampy outskirts of Zootopia, where all kinds of reptilian creatures like turtles and lizards congregate. Without revealing too much more, I liked how this place gives off the impression of a neglected slum filled with rejected animals whom society has choosen to look down upon, turning it into a hotspot for crime and corruption.

Much like its predecessor, the film is vibrant and colourful at the best of times, yet isn't afraid to look dark and seedy whenever the plot calls for it. This allows the environments that the characters move through to be just as immersive as before, only this time on a slightly larger scale. The aforementioned Marsh Market features a nice demonstration of the film's creative colour palette, showcasing some sepia-toned lighting whenever Judy and Nick are exploring the interiors of the buildings. In one scene, the pair enter a blues bar filled with amphibian musicians, tortoise bouncers guarding the doors, and a short-tempered sea lion performer who hates being mistaken for a seal. As the duo wander through the decrepit building, they meet with a criminal basilisk named Jesús, who being voiced by Danny Trejo should clue you in to how dangerous he is as a character. What I liked here was how this whole scene played out in the style of a violent crime thriller with a humorously family-friendly tone, something rather difficult to pull off in a movie intended for all ages.

In terms of humour, most of the comedy comes from the same mismatched pairing of Judy and Nick. Judy essentially acts as the straight woman to Nick's sly, wisecracking demeanour, which was a winning formula last time but does occasionally become repetitive here. Similarly, the jokes about each respective animal we see in this movie are very hit-and-miss, with there unfortunately being more misses than hits. Some examples of jokes that I thought worked were of smaller animals terrifying the larger ones, like with a tiny mouse causing a huge elephant to panic and require trauma counselling along with Judy and Nick. Likewise, I was happy to see the extremely slow sloths return in this film, as their meandering antics were one of my favourite jokes in the first movie. On the other hand, ones that didn't tended to drag on longer than they should, like with a group of walruses who only communicate by saying "Yep" over and over. While it was funny at first, the joke didn't need to go on for over five minutes and by the time it finished, it left me feeling more annoyed than humoured.

Yet again demonstrating their solid chemistry, both Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are great fun to watch as Judy and Nick, respectively. As mentioned earlier, Judy is a great straight woman to play off Nick's wisecracks, and Goodwin and Bateman perfectly embody these traits like last time. Even though this film takes place only a week after the first one, it is clear that each of the two have grown considerably in that period. For instance, Judy is still optimistic as she was before yet is now considerably pragmatic in how she approaches her job, whereas Nick retains his street smart attitude towards his position as a cop with a more altruistic inclination towards protecting others. It's nice to see character development like this, even if it seems somewhat minor in regards to the rest of the plot. As for the rest of the cast, Idris Elba got a few chuckles out of me as Chief Bogo and Ke Huy Quan is also a welcome edition as Gary. There are also a few other voiceover cameos that some fans of the original movie might be able to recognise as well, but I won't be spoiling any surprises here.

Although it doesn't contain the same level of freshness as the first movie, "Zootopia 2" is still a mostly enjoyable sequel that caters primarily to fans of the series in general. There's just something satisfying about witnessing the wacky adventures of a peppy rabbit and a sly fox solving crimes together, almost like it's an affectionate nod to Saturday Morning Cartoons many older generations who are now parents themselves likely grew up watching. Without disclosing what actually happens, the film features a post-credits scene that is most definitely hinting towards a third film in the future. Judging by what transpires, things seem to be heading in high and exciting directions.

I rate it 7.5/10.