More than nine long years have passed since Zootopia (2016), the hit Oscar-winning animated film that earned nearly 1.4 billion dollars in today’s terms. Unusually for Disney, there was no follow-up to the adventures of eager rabbit-cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and the affable fox-con artist Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). A few supporting characters resurfaced in the anthology series Zootopia+, which premiered on Disney+ in November 2022 and featured six short films.
Given the audience that watched and loved the original, and the one that grew in the years since, the success of Zootopia 2 is assured. Opening-weekend projections hover around half a billion dollars.
That expected success rests not only on momentum from the first film but also on the sequel’s polished and intelligent entertainment. Between the two films, the creative team was trimmed: three directors became two (Byron Howard and Jared Bush). Of the ten credited writers on the original, only one, Bush, remained. In every other respect, the second installment has grown in scale and ambition.
Zootopia 2 packs in a lot of plot, moving at a breathless pace. As in the first film, it touches on the very possibility of a city where nearly every kind of animal lives together. This time it raises questions tied to Zootopia’s own history and what could be called the “original sin” of its founding. To take on that question, the film lays out the full complexity of the city’s ecosystem: the mayor, the police, an organized-crime syndicate, a wealthy family that dominates the city and a range of economic classes. For a moment, it feels like what The Wire might look like if Disney adapted it into an all-ages animated feature. Younger children (and many adults) may struggle to keep track of every detail and connection, but that shouldn’t diminish their enjoyment.
The main characters return, joined by cameo appearances from supporting players in the first film. The plot also introduces a rich new gallery of animal characters. The previous film’s excellence in comic characterization — animals with distinctly human traits — hasn’t faded, even if it’s hard to top Flash the sloth, the painfully slow DMV clerk who stole every scene he was in. New habitats within Zootopia, not shown in the original, are designed with remarkable creativity. The jokes target a wide range of ages: slapstick, wordplay, film references and psychological humor meant only for adults. Not every gag lands in this attempt to hit all audiences, but it likely takes more than one viewing to catch everything.
The events unfold about a week after the end of the original film. Nick the fox is now a police officer and Judy’s partner. Other police pairs consist of two large animals of the same species. A rabbit-and-fox duo is not only improbable, they’re physically smaller than the rest of the force. Even their success in exposing the previous film’s conspiracy hasn’t erased the doubts of the gruff Cape buffalo chief, Bogo (Idris Elba), about their chances. Early in the film, Nick and Judy get into trouble during an attempt to catch a smuggler at Zootopia’s port, prompting the chief to send them to a workshop for partners with “relationship issues.”
The smuggling attempt centers on a snake — an animal that, like other reptiles, is supposed to live only outside the city. The reason ties back to a past incident involving Zootopia’s founding and the technological invention that allowed wildly different climate zones to exist side by side, matched to animals’ needs. The snake, named Gary (Ke Huy Quan), is meant to be seen as “dangerous,” yet he quickly reveals himself to be exceptionally likable.
On the villain’s side stands a family of lynxes whose ancestors developed the climate technology, giving them both wealth and deep influence over city institutions. The family includes patriarch Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn), daughter Kitty (Brenda Song) and son Cattrick (Macaulay Culkin). Under their sway is the new mayor, Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a former actor who flaunts an impeccably groomed mane. Gary the snake claims the climate technology is his own family’s legacy and that the exclusion of reptiles was part of the lynx family’s plot. His ally is Pawbert (Andy Samberg), the lesser-appreciated son of the Lynxley clan. If there was a nod to The Wire earlier, the Lynxleys clearly echo the Roy family from Succession.
This is the jumping-off point for a story in which Nick and Judy try to uncover what’s really happening. They do so first as outcasts within the force and later as officers chased by their own colleagues. While the conspiracy plot is intricate, the bond between the two leads is clear and anchors everything around it. Their back-and-forth recalls a couple from a classic screwball comedy, and despite the setbacks, it’s evident their emotional chemistry is deepening. Near the end of Zootopia 2, they reach a moment of mutual psychological insight they share with each other — a very funny beat of adult-level humor, sophisticated rather than crude.
It’s hard to make a flawless film while trying to satisfy audiences of all kinds. Zootopia 2 isn’t perfect, but it’s crafted with thought and considerable talent. Viewers across a wide age range will find plenty to enjoy.