Zootopia 2 Review

Zootopia, released in 2016, was a huge success with a massive cultural impact. It grossed more than $1 billion USD worldwide, won an Oscar in 2017 for Best Animated Feature Film, and its message influenced audiences of children and adults alike. With this in mind, I had very high expectations going to watch its sequel, Zootopia 2. It was released in theaters on November 26 of this year, directed by the same people as the original, and the expectation was that it would perform just as strongly, if not better, than the first one.

It did not disappoint.

I will preface this by saying: I basically like every movie I watch; I’m not much of a critic. But being as objective as I can (which is always hard when it comes to any movie), I can assert that I enjoyed Zootopia 2 just as much as the first Zootopia–which is a tremendous amount. When it comes to sequels, the general consensus is often that no matter how good it is, it cannot compare to the original. However, I would argue that this movie has the same fun energy, excellent visuals, and captivating storyline that the first one did.

The main advertised difference between the two movies was the introduction of a variety of new characters: Gary De’Snake, voiced by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan, Nibbles Maplestick, voiced by comedian Fortune Feimster, and a new powerful and antagonistic family named the Lynxleys. The last of the three proves reminiscent of the first movie, as it had a similar plotline of corruption demonstrated by the city’s mayor, Mayor Bellwether. 

We learn from the trailer that the main conflict of the movie is the exclusion of reptiles in the city of Zootopia, represented by Gary, the misunderstood pit viper. This also echoes the first movie in a sense, wherein certain animals were misconceived because they were poisoned to become rabid and violent, and subsequently ostracized.

While Zootopia 2 evidently shares similar storylines with Zootopia, it did not seem tiring or overdone to me at all. Both movies contained a major plot twist towards the end, and I did not expect it either time. This might be a personal fault of mine, and I’m sure that others would have expected the twist in the new movie–but when it happened, I was genuinely shocked. Astonished. Gobsmacked. I do think that if I was looking for it, though, I would have been able to predict it.

Another facet that made me enjoy this movie so much was the emotional aspect of it. Again, I have very low standards when it comes to movies, and I am very subject to crying during movies. Zootopia 2 was definitely not an exception–I was bawling during its climax. This movie did an excellent job of getting viewers intensely invested in the characters’ relationships with one another and used that to their advantage to create a strong basis for emotional impact. 

All in all, I believe that Zootopia 2 was a major success and a positive look for sequels in general. In my opinion, it could easily be just as strong as a standalone movie as it was as a followup, but the fact that there was already a strong opinion of the franchise only helped the movie to flourish. It has a strong message of inclusivity and compassion–one that benefits all viewers–and I would undoubtedly recommend it to anyone and everyone I come across.