Every zoo has its star attraction, but in “Zootopia,” the true stars are the everyday animals saving their city.
The first movie of the franchise was a massive hit, grossing over $1 billion. The 2016 Oscar-winning animated Disney film featured a clear storyline with rookie cop rabbit Judy Hopps and con artist fox Nick Wilde banding together to solve the mystery of missing predators across the imaginary land of Zootopia. The duo delivered comedic dialogue while having an underlying message that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, ultimately solving the mystery against all odds.
With such a compelling first movie, I was hesitant to believe the second addition to the franchise could even come close to being as entertaining as the first. However, to my surprise, I can confidently say “Zootopia 2” is a beautiful expansion on the world of Zootopia and is my favorite of the two.
The movie picks up a week after Hopps and Wilde are named partners at the Zootopia Police Department. The two are eager to prove themselves once again, which leads them to jump into the scene of an act of illegal smuggling, even without orders to do so. While pursuing a case that quickly goes wrong, another mystery begins to unfold as reptile scales are spotted, which haven’t been seen in 100 years. Hopps and Wilde find themselves in trouble for destroying the case and are forced to partake in “partners counseling” while also trying to right their wrongdoings from their botched case.
Here, the movie introduces the overarching theme of adapting to accommodate those around you. I found myself intrigued by each scene, illustrating how their personalities clashed repeatedly while trying to solve this newfound mystery about the forgotten reptiles. The movie does an amazing job of setting itself apart from the first by adapting a fresh storyline and providing a deeper exploration into the duo’s dynamic, serving as a standalone that doesn’t require prior knowledge to watch.
Being just a little over an hour and a half, the film is packed with an abundance of jokes and twists that will keep viewers laughing and on the edge of their seats. Rotten Tomatoes’ critic and viewer ratings are exceptionally high, with both being greater than 90%. The movie has also surpassed the original in box office sales, accumulating over $1.7 billion and becoming the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Overall, “Zootopia 2” is a solid 8/10 film that is perfect for anyone looking to have a fun, laid-back movie night and is curious to know how Judy and Nick prevail in this new challenge to protect their city from corruption. Once it leaves theaters, the movie will be a Disney+ exclusive, opening doors to those who want to watch the movie from the comfort of their home.
