ZOOTOPIA 2 – Review by Valerie Kalfrin
Arriving almost ten years after the original Zootopia tackled prejudice and racial profiling in an animated Disney package, Zootopia 2 loses none of its guts or its bite. Again tackling heady themes within a shady land-grab conspiracy right at home in Chinatown, Zootopia 2 still brings all the fun, fur, and feels.
As with the 2016 film, the marvel of Zootopia 2 is how it holds together so well, serving up lessons about tolerance and inclusivity without being clumsy or heavy-handed. Credit screenwriter Jared Bush, as well as the vibrant animation, zippy action scenes, goofy humor, and winning cast.
The film opens with the odd couple of Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin, Superkitties) and her newly inducted partner, former ne’er-do-well Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit), struggling to earn respect on the city police force. Judy, a rabbit, and Nick, a fox, have earned kudos for exposing the plot of the earlier film’s mayor to frame certain carnivores for trouble in the sprawling yet coexisting animal-run metropolis of Zootopia.
Judy has always jumped at the chance to prove she can be as tough as the police force’s zebras and rhinos. Now, she’s chomping at the bit to show her and Nick’s crime-solving savvy wasn’t just dumb luck. After she and Nick bungle a bust while clashing over tactics, Chief Bogo (Idris Elba, A House of Dynamite), a water buffalo, urges them to cool it, noting that Judy’s missteps make it especially hard for any hare wanting to follow in her footprints.
The dogged and observant Judy soon sniffs out trouble around a gala marking the 100th anniversary of Zootopia’s “weather walls,” barriers between boroughs that allow its diverse population to go home to their proper climates. When a snake—an animal long banned in Zootopia—crashes the gala to swipe a journal from Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn, A Man on the Inside), a descendant of the lynx who invented the weather walls, Judy and Nick discover a larger plot: a crime that tarnished the snakes’ reputation and a colonialist expansion that threatens to freeze out the remaining reptiles.
This is heavy stuff for an animated film, but Bush, returning as codirector with Bryon Howard, keeps it enjoyable and easy to follow. Zootopia is a feast of wordplay and sight gags, from Ewe Tube to Gnu Jersey, revealing new places such as a mountaintop manor and a swampy sector home to an underwater café for otters and a basilisk (Danny Trejo, The Wrecker) fond of a pool bar serving Bug Lite.
Beyond references to films both Disney and not (The Shining?), the animators create intricate chases and action sequences that make amusing use of the characters’ designs. One should never pull on a bunny’s ears, but Nick can’t help it when losing his balance, let alone how the snake wriggles and skedaddles.
The characters’ designs and interactions are wonderfully expressive. Judy wears her heart in her big purple eyes, full of excitement or disappointment, and her ears, which perk up or droop depending on her mood. (Props to whomever thought of styling them in an updo.) Nick’s loose necktie and laconic grin match his rakish, easygoing style. Mayor Winddancer (Patrick Warburton, Family Guy) is a stallion with a flowing mane known for his action films (The Neighsayer, anyone?) while pop star Gazelle shakes her hips as she sings, just like her performer, Colombian recording artist Shakira.
The snake, Gary (Ke Huy Quan, Love Hurts), is a delight, all blue scales, yellow eyes, and emotive body language, from his pained eyebrows and shrugging coils to using his tail to boop someone’s nose. The Oscar-winner gives Gary such earnestness and sincerity that Judy can’t help but listen to him the moment he opens his mouth. I’ve never wanted to hug an animated snake so much in my life, especially when he asks for permission to offer one himself.
The mystery is involving enough, but Judy and Nick’s evolving partnership makes Zootopia 2 worthwhile. Nick doubts how far to help Gary, considering he’s seen times when sticking one’s neck out doesn’t make much difference. Judy, meanwhile, thinks the world will never change until someone cares enough to do the right thing.
Their conflict and concern for each other gives voice to the hope and hopelessness we all feel in troubling times. In the end, Zootopia 2 concludes that it might be a jungle out there, but it’s a matter of working together to survive it.
