‘Zootopia 2’ a delightful return to form for Disney
Published 11:54 am Friday, November 28, 2025
This image released by Disney shows Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from “Zootopia 2.” (Disney via AP)
When “Zootopia” was released in 2016, it was a wonderfully creative entry from Walt Disney that went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated film.
Now nearly a decade later, “Zootopia 2” arrives, picking up right where the original left off. This is once again a delightful film full of creativity that is smart enough to play to the adults, but simple enough for even the youngest family members to enjoy.
“Zootopia 2” finds idealistic Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and fast-talking Nick Wilde (voiced by Justin Bateman) now rookie partners on the Zootopia police force. Judy is eager to make an impact, but after a botched attempted bust their superior Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba) threatens to separate the two.
Despite being on thing ice Judy convinces Nick to investigate the possibility that there is a snake in Zootopia for the first time since being banished years ago.
The investigation leads the duo to be framed for a crime, forced to go on the run while they try to uncover what is going on — with the snake, Gary (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) becoming one of their unlikely allies.
At its core “Zootopia 2” is just a fun spin on the buddy cop comedy, with the unlikely duo learning about themselves as they try to crack the case and clear their names. The basic story is fun and interesting enough to make this a better than average entry into the animated genre.
But where the film goes to another level is in the creativity of co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, working from Bush’s script. This pair have created a fully realized world complete with some very inventive Easter eggs that reward those who pay attention. Those include sight gags ranging from a character watching a podcast on a version of YouTube called EweTube and a camera shot late in the film that is a clear nod to an iconic shot in “The Shining” (not exactly a gag that the children will get).
The script is just as smart with clever dialogue and enough one liners that it almost mandates multiple viewings to fully appreciate everything the filmmakers have packed in here.
“Zootopia 2” does lose a bit of steam in the second half, a small problem that could have been prevented if the 108 minute run time was clipped just a bit to tighten it all up. Still there is so much to appreciate here it’s easy to forgive that one shortcoming since ultimately the film delivers in so many interesting ways.
This is the rare sequel that comes close to matching the lofty bar set by its original.
Grade: B+
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
More by Micheal
