Zootopia 2 was released Nov. 26 and is already a massive success for Disney. With the first movie releasing nearly 10 years ago in 2016, I was extremely excited to jump back into the world of Zootopia.
While most cartoon sequels like this can be a bust as directors can end the first movie with an obvious second plot, Disney did a fantastic job creating a second story that is interesting, entertaining and cohesive.
Oftentimes, movies like these are meant to be standalones, but after crazy success, the producer will force a sequel or two. This leads to the plot feeling forced, the character development taking a backseat and an overall less enjoyable movie.
Disney did a fantastic job staying away from these issues in Zootopia 2. They capitalized on the fact that only mammals were introduced in the first film and elaborated on the lore of the world they created.
With the new plot and the introduction of water mammals and reptiles, I loved the creation and exploration of Marsh Market and how these different mammals compared to what was learned in the first movie. Seeing the development of various places in Zootopia allowed us to see more background in how other species live, eat and get around.
Another issue I find in a lot of forced sequels is the regression or disregard for the character traits developed in the first movie. The character I worried about most was Nick Wilde.
In the first film, Nick was a con artist who was very laid back and easy-going. My fear was that they would make Nick someone who was all in on being a cop, working to crack cases with Judy and just overall a different character than who he originally was.
This was not the case at all, though. Despite his new job, Nick was just the same as before, leading to a clear character and a great, emotionally vulnerable scene later in the movie with Judy.
New characters were also introduced to the story, and they brought a lot of fun characteristics with them.
Nibbles Maplestick, the new beaver, was full of crazy ideas and loud energy. Her sporadic behavior was a good contrast to Nick and his plan of lying low during the movie. Using Judy’s curiosity about the reptile community to introduce a character with a podcast was a really entertaining and effective way to add another character.
Gary De’Snake’s character provided a good contrast against Judy because of his lack of understanding of Zootopia and Judy’s quick willingness to help someone in need.
Between the four of them, they created an exciting and fun dynamic that pushed and pulled with each other, creating interesting scenes and funny interactions for the audience throughout the movie.
Overall, Zootopia 2 was an excellent movie with lots of different dynamic characters that stayed true to who they were and delivered an engaging and well-thought-out plot that could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
10/10
