Review: Zootopia 2 is a fang-tastic squeak-quel (and is full of such animal puns)

Disney Animation has had a rough few years, and hasn't had an actually good movie since Encanto. After last year's botched, lifeless Moana 2 assaulted our ears with the most forgettable songs in Disney history, I found myself a bit worried about Zootopia 2. What if the Mouse House was never going to be able to reclaim their magic? Was this doomed to be another sequel that should've been relegated to a Disney+ spin-off that no one bothered to watch?

It ends up there was no reason to fear: Zootopia 2 is a wonderful sequel, and worthy of its predecessor (which stands as a pinnacle of Disney's modern age). This is a world that has so much room to expand and contains so many stories that could be told. And, with the addition of reptiles in this entry, and a post-credits tease at what to expect in the next one, it seems like Disney has it figured out. Basically, we're taking the Z-O-M-B-I-E-S approach to this franchise, where we can just keep introducing new species/sectors of the animal kingdom to make the world bigger, more vibrant, and more fun.

And if there's one thing Zootopia 2 is, it's fun. This movie is bright, colorful, energetic, and hilariously funny. As a big fan of puns, I appreciate the machine-gun rate of animal puns that get deployed here. I swear every other line has some king of pun, whether it's a car called a "hog rod" or a drink called a "piña koala." Sure, a lot of them are dumb, obvious, low-hanging fruit, but when they're deployed to liberally and earnestly, most of them at least warrant a chuckle. It makes me think of on My Little Pony, when the characters say words like "anypony" and "everypony." For me, that kind of thing doesn't get old.

This sequel, despite releasing nearly a decade after its predecessor, picks up shortly after the end of that one. Nick, the one-time scheming crook of a fox, has now become an official police officer alongside his partner, the indomitably positive and eager Judy Hopps. The pair are having some growing pains, both within their relationship and in the department at large. They're go-getters, often throwing themselves into cases that haven't been assigned to them, much to the chagrin of the more seasoned veterans on the force. 

One such instance leads to a startling discovery: a bit of shed snakeskin, despite reptiles having been absent from Zootopia for many, many years (most of the animals living there have likely never seen a reptile in person). Nick and Judy end up meeting Gary De'Snake (voiced by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan), who is after an old journal that may be the key to clearing reptiles' bad name (venomous fangs, etc.) in the eyes of Zootopia's citizens, and allow all the creepy-crawlies to finally reclaim their place in the city. 

The main mystery of the story is a lot of fun, and takes our heroes to new neighborhoods such as the watery marshland, where we see aquatic mammals and, yes, some more reptiles. It's always fun to see how Zootopia characterizes these animals, with so many clever sight gags, creative architecture, and fun dialogue bringing them to vibrant life. Alongside many returning characters like Gazelle and Flash, this movie is chock-full of fun new additions, my favorite being conspiracy theorist podcaster beaver Nibbles Maplestick, an endless well of comedic perfection voiced by the wonderful Fortune Feimster. I hope she pops back up in Zootopia 3.

Of course, part of what made the original movie so great was its social commentary, and I wondered if part two would manage to expand on that commentary, or would end up repeating itself. I was duly impressed by how Zootopia 2 finds ways to naturally expand on the themes of the first film while digging deeper, and feeling more relevant than ever. Here, we see animals in power demonizing and othering other species, fear-mongering in order to gain more power. As an American, the parallels to the ways politicians in this country (and many others) do this kind of thing with minority populations like immigrants or trans people are clear, well-stated, and damning. The film is a call for recognizing and celebrating difference rather than letting those differences drive wedges between us.

Another strength here is the evolving relationship between Nick and Judy, whose different approaches to their work, and wider worldviews, come into play. Nick is used to being a solitary animal, and he wonders if some cases are worth pursuing when the stakes are so high, so dangerous. Judy, on the other hand, has such a laser focus on justice and truth that it sometimes leads her to putting herself and others around her at risk. The film does a lovely job of allowing these two characters to grow into better animals, and better partners to each other. (For anyone who ships these two, there is a lot of fodder for you. We're eating well!)

With its bright animation, memorable characters, propulsive story, and resonant themes, Zootopia 2 proves that Disney has still got it, and that this franchise could (and arguably should) be one of their major pillars going forward. I just hope that ongoing series like this and Frozen help ensure that we also get more original movies, like next year's Hexed, in between the tentpoles.