Zootopia 2 (2025)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/zootopia-2-movie-review-disney-proves-it-can-still-make-sequels-with-soul-and-purpose/

Rating: A-

"Zootopia 2 asserts itself as a worthy and even necessary sequel, overcoming the natural loss of the novelty factor with a narrative that dares to dig deeper into the imperfect foundations of its utopia.

Although the mystery doesn't reach the suspenseful peaks of its predecessor, the film makes up for it with dazzling visual evolution, a voice cast in a state of grace, and a mature exploration of the partnership between Judy and Nick. It's a movie that entertains as much as it provokes thought, refusing to offer easy answers to complex problems like historical erasure and social exclusion.

More than just a simple animated adventure, this is a story about the responsibility to remember and correct, inspiring us to believe that building a better world requires the courage to look back so we can, finally, move forward together."

Very short: Zootopia 2 is lovely and has as many little details about the world and everyone within it as the first one. If you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one.

Longer:
Zootopia 2 basically does what the first one already did: Using the story of a police case to teach people, inside and outside of the movie, that prejudice and stereotypes we learned to believe are often wrong and even more often dangerous. In addition, it also features other themes like stolen land, and that ultimately what makes "you" is your decisions in the situations you're dealt.

(Important) moral of the story aside: Zootopia 2 is as beautiful, maybe even more, as the first one. Such beautiful colors, so many moving parts and animals, such great detail on soft surfaces and, of course, fur.
Thanks to that, Judy (and the others) look even more beautiful and detailed with so many individual hairs and such awesome effects when things get wet.
The same applies to stuff like water in general, snow and sand.

Like in the first movie, so many little details are shown in the world: How different species work together, how different sizes and skills are used and how buildings and facilities are built to accommodate all the different species.

Emotionally the movie is also as lovely as the first one: Many jokes, Judy's overly positive optimism and Nick's cynicism do the same job as in the first one. Only this time the movie actually goes and deals with how both of these traits of them are also used to mask their emotional weakness and how they deal with them. (Although I personally feel Judy gets off the hook a little easy, but well, details.)

And, as is proper after the first one, there's also at least one tear-jerking emotional part.

So, I recommend that movie. The "police story" in it, I think I actually preferred the case from the first movie. But that little bit aside, characters and details are equally as lovely.

I recommend it, and I'm looking forward to Zootopia 3!

Things are not looking so hot for this animal equivalent of “Dempsey and Makepeace” after one of their clandestine operation goes especially pear-shaped and the boss threatens to split up “Hopps” and “Wilde”. The former is probably the more professional of the two and after discovering something distinctly scaly at a grand civic reception that goes wrong, allies with her foxy partner to get to the bottom of a secret that might involve a grandma, a patent and a seemingly harmless metal-covered journal. Meantime, the local bigwig lynxes seem determined to thwart these detective activities, so we have to assume that their status as town grandees isn’t what it seems - but with everyone sceptical about our dynamic duo, what chance they can get to the truth? Aside from just being quite an enjoyably paced adventure, this also has a bit more substance as a story that shines some light on prejudice and stereotyping. That’s done in an entertaining and under-the-radar fashion, but it’s still quite clearly illustrating the “never judge a book by it’s cover” philosophy as well as taking a pop at good, old-fashioned, greed. The detail in the production is often the source of more for the adults amongst the audience, and there’s quite a bit of humour for all ages from the dialogue and the tea-time menace that gradually accumulates amidst the snowy mountain tops. The quality of the animation, particularly the facial expressions but also the acrobatics, is entertainingly colourful with plenty of daft antics to test the loyalties of friends old and new. Maybe “Zootopia” isn’t quite as it seems? Maybe it never was? Good fun.

It's very rare that the 2nd movie is better than the 1st and in this case it's true. Not as good as the 1st but actually it stood on it's own. Had a good story apart from the 1st movie and held it's own. Not as funny or clever plot bit more predictable but enjoyable.