Why Zootopia 2 is the Best Disney Animated Sequel

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Zootopia 2 is the new Disney animated movie directed by Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, and Ke Huy Quan. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are officially partners at the Zootopia Police Department, but they risk being separated if they keep messing up. They pursue Gary De’Snake and learn about Zootopia’s dark, hidden secret from 100 years ago as they try to clear their names. It’s been almost a decade since the first Zootopia came out, and it is considered one of Disney’s best animated movies, with its great balance of humor and taking on serious social themes. There were many jokes that even adults found funnier and understood more than kids. Disney animated sequels most of the time never live up to the previous movie. How does Zootopia 2 hold up?

It’s safe to say Zootopia 2 succeeds where other Disney animated sequels fail. This movie continues the story arc of Judy and Nick, as well as the city of Zootopia, so well. It expands this universe in ways that other Disney sequels struggled to expand their universes. Where other movies would go into uninteresting exposition, Zootopia 2 keeps it fun and interesting while not slowing down. We learn about areas of Zootopia that weren’t explored in the previous movie, as well as animals that weren’t present before, like the reptiles. Similar to Zootopia, we have a group of animals who are looked down upon. It’s explored in a way that was pleasantly and shockingly darker than I expected it to be. The mystery surrounding the founding of Zootopia is intriguing and felt like a much better payoff than other mystery sequels like Frozen II tried to tell with its hidden mystery of the past, but it messed up at telling.

The main strength of Zootopia is that it’s the definition of an animated movie for kids and adults. Like its predecessor, Zootopia 2 doesn’t disappoint in being an animated movie for everyone. There are jokes adults will find funny that kids won’t understand. There are pop culture references that adults will understand, but kids might not. For example, in the third act, there is a reference to The Shining. Zootopia 2 brings back Mr. Big, a parody of Vito Corleone from The Godfather. Zootopia has a new mayor voiced by Patrick Warburton, who is a parody of actors and celebrities who get into politics. The references and Easter Eggs to Disney IPs with animal puns almost get annoying after a couple of times, but luckily, it’s only a few times and doesn’t overdo it like Ralph Breaks the Internet did.

Judy and Nick’s friendship and partnership are the heart and soul of the movie. Both characters are well-voiced, and both have their strengths and weaknesses. No one feels superior to the other, and you feel these two care about one another without having a generic romance plot that the writers could have easily done but mess up. They’re partners and close friends who have each other’s backs. The new character, Gary, voiced by Ke Huy Quan, is a welcome addition who has a charming innocence and sweetness. There’s another new character named Nibbles Maplestick, voiced by Fortune Feimster, who is a beaver that hosts her own podcast and is a parody of conspiracy theorists who could have been easily annoying throughout the movie, but is actually funny and contributes to the plot.

Zootopia 2 continues its themes of social commentary, but like the first movie, it does so in a way that is surrounded by humor and does not sound like it’s pandering to the audience. A complaint people have with movies with social themes and commentary has been the way it’s handled. Zootopia 2 handles it well. Zootopia 2 also knows how to follow a serious moment with a joke and not take away from the serious moment.

My own issue with Zootopia 2 is that it repeats the twist villain trope of Zootopia and other previous Disney movies. When Bellwether was revealed as the twist villain of Zootopia, I felt it took me out of the movie for a little bit. Here, the twist villain is handled worse and nearly throws me off. The character they picked for it had so much potential, and I think it would have been more unique if that character weren’t a twist villain. There are other villains in Zootopia 2 that were great, so a twist villain wasn’t even necessary. While I enjoyed the many references Zootopia 2 had, not everyone will love them. Some might find them annoying.

Despite a messy twist villain trope, Zootopia 2 still tops all the other Disney animated sequels that have come out in recent years. Expanding the world of Zootopia is handled well. The new characters are welcome additions, and our characters from the first movie are still great. All the voice actors do well. The songs are great, and the animation looks incredible. The balance of humor and tackling social themes in a serious way works.

My final grade for Zootopia 2 is an A-. If you’re a fan of Zootopia, I highly recommend you check it out. What are your thoughts on Zootopia 2? Let us know in the comments below.