Disney has been at the top of the animation game for nearly a century now. Despite that pedigree though, recent offerings from the Walt Disney Animation studio have left a lot of people underwhelmed. Wish and Strange World were massive box office disappointments, and while it made a ton of money Moana 2 left a lot to be desired. That recent stretch of less than stellar offerings had me not overly excited for Zootopia 2 despite how much I love the first film. Thankfully, Disney stepped up their game with this one, offering not just one of their better sequels but their best film of the 2020s thus far.
Zootopia 2 is set roughly a week after the events of the first film. Despite riding the high of cracking the first film's big case, Nick (Jason Bateman) and Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) are struggling to work as partners due to their clashing personalities. Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) opts to send the two to partner counseling and keep them off of the streets after the two botch the investigation of a smuggling ring. Despite being put on the sidelines, Judy's need to do good puts the pair right in the middle of a mystery as a snake named Gary steals a prized journal that may hold answers to why Zootopia houses next to no reptiles.
This was just such a good time. Zootopia 2 doesn't necessarily break new ground from the first film, but it follows it up in a way that naturally fleshes out the world and characters in a meaningful way. The creativity in the worldbuilding of the first film is one of the best parts of it, and this dives into its history and areas we never saw previously. One awesome addition was the Marsh Market, an area where most of the aquatic mammals live which has its own identity separate from the areas shown in the first film. This is a visually vibrant watch and the attention to detail really just makes the world feel more lived in which allows the story to be more effective.
One thing I wasn't expecting to be wowed by was how fascinating the politics of this film are. The first movie does a great job of crafting a portrayal of otherness and discrimination in a way that's accessible for kids. Zootopia 2 doubles down on those ideas but with a bit more ferocity, while also showcasing the danger of prejudiced individuals holding high places of power. It's easy to draw parallels to our own world, but above all else the politics here are fascinating. It's still a movie intended for kids with a ton of fun, but its a pretty tense watch at times and I was shocked by how gripped I was pretty much from start to finish.
In terms of the voice cast it's hard not to love all these performances. Goodwin and Bateman are simply perfect as their characters, nailing Nick and Judy as individuals but also delivering terrific chemistry as a duo. Elba's character isn't in the film too much, but his deep voice works perfect for the character, similarly to David Straithairn as Milton Lynxley, the patriarch of one of Zootopia's big families. Along Straithairn the big additions are no doubt Ke Huy Quan as Gary de Snake, and Andy Samberg as Milton's nephew Pawbert. There are times where it's a bit too obvious that you're hearing Samberg's voice, but he does suit the character well. Ke Huy Quan is perfectly cast as Gary, bringing a touching sense of gentleness that really makes the character work.
On top of the great characters and exciting mystery, this is also a hilarious movie. All that great worldbuilding allows for some hilarious gags, and Nick's sense of humour is concerningly close to mine so the stupidest of his jokes still get a chuckle out of me. There's also a magnificently out of place reference to a certain Kubrick movie that genuinely had me laughing out loud. Honestly could not recommend this one more, go see it this weekend. 4/5
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