Before we begin this review, I have a confession to make.
I, Andy Lagopus, am a massive fan of Zootopia.
Shocker, I know.
But genuinely, that is something that needs to be addressed before proceeding with this review. Zootopia is one of my favorite films of all time. I have dedicated large amounts of my time over the course of nearly a decade to Zootopia. I am deeply connected to its fandom and community. I have lost count of how many times I have seen it, and yet still find new things to discover in it on every watch. I’ve theorized about it, written about it, even had some dreams about it. Zootopia means so much to me. It’s more than a movie, it’s a community, a shared ideal, a passion.
But on the other side of the coin, my exceedingly high esteem for the first movie affects my perception of the sequel. I went into it with the highest possible expectations. This is what we have been waiting for for years- most of my adult life. And I’ll be frank, of the sequels that Disney has produced in the intervening time, most of them have been… good at best. Ralph Breaks the Internet failed to re-capture the charm of the original, and actively made the characters break the established rules of the world. Frozen 2 was good, but the ending left more confusion over what we had just seen than satisfaction. Moana 2 was originally supposed to be a TV show, but when that didn’t work they jammed a few episodes together and tried to make it a movie. Overall, rather disappointing. I even wrote an article a few years ago detailing what I consider to be “The Laws of Good Sequels” and how they apply to Zootopia. So if Zootopia 2 were also disappointing, it wouldn’t just be “another letdown of a movie”- it would be devastating.
However, if there’s one team at Disney that I know I can trust, it’s Byron Howard and Jared Bush. The last film they co-directed, Encanto, was fantastic, and as a team, they have yet to miss. Everything we had seen leading up to the release, from the teaser trailer, to the presentation at Annecy, to the later trailers and TV spots, showed that this was a movie that the Walt Disney Animation Studios team was putting their heart and soul into, which left me optimistic about it. However, I was still a little nervous as I went into the theater. The publicity team had done a great job of keeping almost all of the promotional material to the first half of the movie, and refused to elaborate on the second half, so despite seeing everything they released up to now, I was still going in mostly unspoiled. The parts I knew about were great. The parts I didn’t know about could make it break the whole thing.
I wasn’t expecting perfection- there is no such thing as a perfect movie. But I was hoping and praying that it would at least live up to the standard set by the first movie, which was very close to perfection- a 98/100 in my books. At best, I expected that the sequel would be at least close to it in terms of quality. Maybe a 93 or a 95.
So, with that preamble in mind, I am ready to give my overall review for Zootopia 2.
… Somehow, the team at Walt Disney Animation Studios has made a movie that takes something near perfection, and improves on it. Not only did it meet the incredibly high bar set by the first movie, it exceeded it.
I give Zootopia 2 a 99/100 rating.
Is it absolutely perfect? No. Is it weaker than the first in some small areas? Yes. But does it make up for it by being stronger in other areas? Also yes.
I went into it with so many questions. Why are we only now seeing reptiles in Zootopia? Were they there all along, or did they just emerge? How are they connected to the city’s history? What role do the Lynxleys play? Why did Judy go along with Gary so quickly? How do Nick and Judy grow as partners? Will Judy acknowledge her recklessness? Will Nick open up to her more? Will they end up in a relationship? Would they both choose to dramatically change the whole city again rather than go to therapy?
All of these questions, and more, were answered satisfactorily.
Not only that, but it actually passed every one of the Laws of Good Sequels. It expands and extrapolates on the rules of the world as established in the original, but never breaks them. It shows the consequences of events in the original, but does not repeat them. It tells a new story and introduces new characters, but does not diminish the main characters or the growth they experienced in the original. Rather, it builds on all of these, and leaves you not only satisfied, but wanting more.
Furthermore, it is stunningly beautiful. There are many moments that I want to print out and hang on my wall as a standalone piece of art. If someone were to just paint over screenshots, you could fill an entire art gallery with gorgeous moments. I thought I couldn’t love the city of Zootopia more than what I saw in the first movie, but somehow it’s even more alive and vibrant here. It’s actually a little jarring to see the two side-by-side, as while it is subtle, you can definitely tell how far Disney Animation has come in the intervening years.
And the voice acting. The voice acting! The cast is absolutely packed with cameos and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it characters, and yet somehow none of them are distracting or take you out of the experience. They all fit their characters. Of course, Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin knock it out of the park as Nick and Judy. Returning cast members, such as Raybond Persi, Maurice LaMarche, and Leah Latham do an amazing job, as do as new major characters such as Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, and so many more.
And while I’m not even qualified to talk about the music, a special shoutout to both Shakira and Michael Giacchino is in order! The soundtrack to this movie will be playing on repeat as I go about my daily life, much like the first, and I couldn’t help but dance when Zoo started to play.
To acknowledge the minor flaws that it does have, the pacing is somehow even more breakneck than the first. I thought Zootopia was a movie that didn’t waste a single second of screentime, but Zootopia 2 doesn’t waste a frame. Things happen very rapidly here, and I was not prepared for just how much would be packed into 1 hour and 47 minutes. It’s a lot to digest in one sitting. And it is clear where, in the opening two minutes, they reuse footage from the first- as I said, side-by-side, it is a little jarring. There is a continuity error that happens here, but it is very small and easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it- but that’s not unique to the sequel: I only just discovered a similarly small continuity error in the first movie. So I give that a pass.
Overall, this is a true triumph for Disney Animation. A return to the city we all love, and a return by the studio that made us love it. Bravo!
Before I wrap up, I will say- make sure you stay after ALL the credits. There IS a post-credits scene, coming in after even the copyright notices, and you’re not going to want to miss it. Also, make sure to give a round of applause when you see Carlos Benavides’ credit- he’s the MVP of the studio!
So, until next time (when I start digging into spoilers) this has been Andy Lagopus, reminding you, as always…
Try Everything!
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