Zootopia 2 (2025) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjkIOU5PhyQ

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Zootopia was one of Disney’s many phenomenons in the 2010s, so of course there would be a sequel after all its acclaim. Was it worth it? Absolutely.


PLOT


The 2025 sequel takes place only one week after the events of the first film. Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde are ZPD partners, but the continuance of their personalities clashing does complicate their work to the point where Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) demands them to resolve their differences or they’ll be separated. After raiding a smuggling ring, Judy finds a piece of snake skin which is a surprise because snakes have not been part of Zootopia in years. Knowing this, she gets suspicious and attends the Zootennial Gala celebrating the city’s centennial anniversary, hosted by Milton Lynxley, whose grandfather Ebenezer was the city’s founder. She does see a pit viper named Gary De’Snake who steals a locked case containing the journal full of documents involving the creation of the weather walls that regulate Zootopia’s climate zones. Gary kidnaps Milton to unlock the case and just when Judy corners him, the viper claims he’s got evidence to exonerate his family. Milton denies this and demands him to be shot, but she and Nick refuse. When Captain Hogbottom (Michelle Gomez) sees Gary bite Bogo on accident, the Lynxleys frame the bunny fox duo, forcing both parties to escape while Judy takes the journal. Milton even forces the new actor turned mayor, Brian Winddancer to find them all since he supported his election campaign. Conspiracy theorist beaver Nibbles Maplestick guides Nick & Judy to Marsh Market, a secluded area of reptiles, hoping to find Gary. They speak with a basilisk named Jesus (Danny Trejo) who reveals that Reptile Ravine, the original reptile district, was buried during the construction of the Arctic district, Tundratown, which is now going to be a Marsh Market expansion. Just when Hoggbottom catches up to them, they narrowly escape but Gary reappears to take the journal from Judy. When she and Nick end up escaping through a water tunnel, the two argue so much about not taking each other serious still that it leads to them breaking their shared carrot pen that symbolized their friendship. When they later reach an abandoned lodge full of proof that reptiles used to live peacefully in Zootopia, ZPD officers Bûcheron & Chèvre (both voiced by Jean Reno), catch up and arrest Nick, whereas Gary saves her with the assist of Pawbert, Milton’s black sheep of a son. When the chase pauses for the moment, Pawbert and Gary explains to her that the snake’s great grandma Agnes was the original author/founder of Zootopia. At the time, Ebenezer was her investor and out of greed, framed her for murdering her tortoise maid that tried to stop his plagiarism, which in turn resulted in reptiles being exiled and the populace turned against said species. With help from Pawbert & Judy, Gary’s plan is to reach the Desert-Tundratown weather wall that’ll help them find Agnes’ house where the original patent is hidden. Nick gets broken out thanks to Nibbles who too was arrested for aiding him and Judy at Marsh Market. They catch up to Judy after hitching a ride from Flash Slothmore (Raymond S Persi), but then Pawbert reveals his intent to destroy the parent for the sake of earning his family’s respect for once. He injects Judy with venom, tosses Gary into the snow and steals the anti venom. Nick would fight him long enough to get the antidote back for his friend to be saved, causing the Lynxley to fall into the snow. Just when the two reconcile, they follow Pawbert who barely survived the fall continuing to search for Agnes’ house. As they apprehend him with the help of Gary & Nibbles, Winddancer stands up to the Lynxleys by overpowering Milton and his eldest children Cattrick & Kitty (Macaulay Culkin & Brenda Song). Just when Pawbert tries to get the upper hand one last time, Hoggbottom is able arrive and incapacitate him. With evidence submitted of Agnes being Zootopia’s true founder, all the Lynxleys get arrested while Judy & Nick get exonerated. As Bogo recovers, Tundratown’s expansion for Marsh Market cancels and the reptiles reintegrate. As Gary reunites with his family, Nick gifts Judy a repaired carrot pen with a new recording saying that he loves her as a friend. After this gift do they continue their partnership by re-capturing Dawn Bellweather (Jenny Slate) who broke out around the same time as Nick & Nibbles did. Shortly after attending another Gazelle concert, the film ends in a post credit scene where just when Judy replays Nick’s message, a bird feather lands on her windowsill.


THOUGHTS


It’s definitely hard right now for Disney to keep things interesting for all the they’ve made while still not trying to come off like they’re forcing the same flavor to taste as good as first time around. Even though there were billion dollar successes for Frozen II & Moana 2, audiences see the quality differences compared to the predecessors which is why the pressure was on for Zootopia 2. Not only did it become a billion dollar success, but it straight up lives up to the hype. I can go and on with Joe beautiful visual effects are for newer landscapes and how the mix of new/returning characters look dazzling from one another, but the biggest strength here is gonna go to the comedy. They sure played the hits with Judy’s parents still not comfortable with her job & having obnoxiously loud antelope neighbors, Weaselton (Alan Tudyk) still selling bootlegged movies and Mr Big (Maurice LaMarche) offering Judy services to hide before getting help from Nibbles, but it just gets better from there. You get the warmest smiles with Michael J Fox playing an actual incarcerated Fox or famous zookeeper Robert Irwin play a koala in between louder moments of laughter. I don’t even know what’s more meta casting with John Leguizamo voicing the smuggling anteater Antony that reminded me of Sid the Sloth from from Ice Age, or Quinta Brunson voicing the quokka psychotherapist Dr. Fuzzby, reminding me how clingy her Abbott Elementary character is when it comes to solving problems. It’s then hard to know what’s funnier between Dwayne Johnson playing a dik-dik stuck in a tuba or Ed Sheeran as a sheep that gets a botched makeover, but then the laughs get louder after. I could exaggerate saying I lost it over Dawn having a Hannibal Lecter stance or Pawbert’s rush through the hedge maze was big nod to The Shining or a lion chef being puppeteer-ed by a rat just like in Ratatouille, but I lost it over Josh Gad being a mole IT expert for ZPD named Paul Moldebrandt, who lacks energy compared to how Nate Torrence portrays Benjamin Clawhauser. Where did I lose it per se? It’s going to be how Paul gets launched by a soda can which was a big accident on Nick’s end. Then I can’t help point out the irony between the Zebros Gene Zebraxton & Zebrowksi, played by pro wrestlers Roman Reigns & CM Punk, due to how they were feuding in the ring at the time of production as they voiced two characters on the same page. All they do is shout ‘ZEBROS!” in sync and they’re a vibe the whole time, which is where I laugh each time. Overall, I do think the main reason this sequel stands out apart from all the laughs has to be the way it continues discussing the importance of embracing diversity & overcoming prejudice. If you don’t put an effort in making change let alone continue said efforts, then those aspirations aren’t going to come to fruition. Apart from picking up on this through the song ‘Zoo’ by Shakira’s Gazelle, Ginnifer Goodwin brings that emphasis as Judy who continues to be as dedicated & optimistic to do the right thing no matter the stakes, and although things work out at the end, she does realize her impulsiveness does lead to danger. Jason Bateman remains a great polar opposite as Nick since he not only admits he uses sarcasm to cope with past trauma, he’s still grounded to know there are limits for everyone’s capabilities no matter how good hearted one chooses to be. Their heart to heart in the climax was a great way for them to be simultaneously authentic for once, but it really was the new characters they meet that help them remain on the same page as things progressed. While Fortune Feimster made Nibbles a hilarious standout for bringing in the energy the duo were arguably missing from one another, Ke Huy Quan brings in a bigger heart of gold as Gary because he has his own resilience & devotion for the sake of reuniting with his family. Judy immediately clicks with that because she’s past the part of her life to judge people by their species. Sadly, it was optimism that became a weakness for them both. They both bought into Pawbert’s neglect because they’ve been neglected as well all their lives, but didn’t anticipate that relation to be used against them. Andy Samberg definitely sold the aspect in going from an awkward runt to downright treacherous. It was already intense to see David Straiharn portray Milton to be the origin of an abusive elitist, but Pawbert desperately trying to overcome his insecurity in ruthless style is arguably worse than what Bellweather was doing, which makes it a relief this family was defeated. Lastly, you can never go wrong with Patrick Warburton voicing any character, but I had a soft spot for Winddancer as well since he was mostly oblivious to his surroundings, but when push come to shove, he was able to be the hero he used to pretend to be. I do give credit to Nick & Judy’s determination they share because if they didn’t stand up to the Lynxleys first, I don’t think Brian would either. And since diversity was restored for both predators & reptiles, it does become exciting to see what can be done to see how they encounter birds for the first time by the third movie. I don’t kid when I say this movie is a real good time, but there are still some things that make me end up preferring the first film. Like for starters, I really doubt Nibbles’ video is 9 years old and only had one view before Judy checked it out. I honestly expect a bunch of reptiles to share similar conspiracies the way people have with past US presidents. The Lynxleys didn’t even have to threaten Judy & Nick if Gary had already been incapacitated after he already attacked first. I mean that was just asking to expose your true colors. Milton also could’ve killed Nick the moment he was captured rather than gloat on the idea of killing him and Judy at once. The Lynxleys shouldn’t even need an old school mailroom if they got email and don’t want to risk their secret to come out the way it would. It was one thing for Gary & Pawbert to have an obsession wall for their plan at the lodge, but it’s a bit forced for Jesus to have one for himself in his local bar. Hell, if Milton even knew where the original patent was, he should’ve gotten rid of it himself rather than wait for someone else to find it for his worries to kick in. I know we need some exposition to know the discrimination towards reptiles, but we didn’t need two different boards to back it. And if I’m gonna complain about the carrot pen, it needs way more than two buttons to do all of its functions as if pause/play, rewind and (re)record to be believable. That’s just more flawed than the prison having an ‘open all cells’ button next to an emergency exit door. It’s also pretty shocking that Chèvre was willing to tranquilize Judy in the midst of her balancing on a freaking plank. It may have been Gary a better chance to catch her, but he could’ve waited for her to cross over if he didn’t want to kill her. It is even pretty cool Nibbles can make a key out of a wooden broom, but Nick definitely looked like he can slip through the bars so I don’t think he needed a key as much as she did. Also, it was kinda funny for Gazelle and the backup tiger dancers to fight off the Zebros to give Judy time, but how is she even sure she’s innocent? The rabbit is accused of stealing an artifact and the only reason she don’t like the Zebros is for how they recklessly bumped into her without hesitation. That’s not valid enough in my opinion to take a risk. Ignore these things however, then you can still say Zootopia 2 earns the Oscar nomination for Animated Feature for still having a big heart with an important message to share, thanks to impressive directing by Jared Bush & Byron Howard. If you loved that from the first one, then it’s a no brainer you’ll love this as well.