Retreading similar ground.
Zootopia 2 picks up a week after the first film. After Judy and Nick came together and saved the city. putting aside their differences and working as a team. Now officially a team… no one trusts them. Judy still has to prove herself, and in doing so, they end up causing issues for the police. So they are benched. Despite being under orders to stand down, they end up getting involved in a conspiracy involving reptiles, a type of animal that hasn’t lived in Zootopia for a long time. Are they as evil as everyone says, or is there more going on?
I felt this movie had an interesting premise with its reptile conspiracy. It kind of touches on some real-world topics of greed and discrimination. I also did not see the plot twist coming. But like the first movie, we see Judy trying to prove herself, Nick and Judy trying to overcome their differences, and no one believes what they have to say. There was also maybe one too many callbacks that it felt overdone, and some of the jokes fell flat for me.
The animation looks great, it’s a modern Disney movie, and if you have seen the first one, it is more of that but looks even nicer. We get to explore some new areas of Zootopia, which was a fun part of the first film, and get to see some different areas outside it as well. I think some of the new characters introduced were fun, like a beaver that’s an internet conspiracy theorist. I thought it was funny that she had two viewers, and Judy is half her viewership.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. If you liked the first one, you’ll have fun with this as well. I think it comes just short of surpassing it, but it does have some new things to offer. I would have liked a bit more from it, but it did a lot better than some other recent Disney sequels. If you want to see more, check out the trailer below.
-Jared Gomes
