Zootopia 2 is the best Disney movie in years, a reminder that character-driven films from its Animation Studio which focus on telling strong narratives, with positive messages and with gorgeously designed colourful animation are still the best Disney of all.
Zootopia 2 picks up the story from the first film where Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) are now partners at the police department. When their capabilities are doubted by the chief, they embark on a mission to track a thieving snake, Gary (Ke Huy Quan) and unwittingly uncover the secret history of Zooptia along the way.
The screenplay is written by Jared Bush, who also wrote the first Zootpia (2016) and is currently the CEO of Disney Animation Studios. He co-directed the film with Byron Howard, who also directed the first Zooptia (2016), as well as Tangled (2010) and Encanto (2021).
The story for Zootopia 2 is one of the strongest narratives that Disney has delivered in years, and that’s because it returns to the core tenet of placing its character first. Nick and Judy’s relationship, and all of the ways in which they complement each other, or conflict with each other’s personalities is the driving force between every decision and turning point in the film. This means that the story is emotionally compelling, because the character-driven arc of Nick and Duty makes you feel for both of their fears and desires throughout the film.
It’s a testament to how wonderful the first film was that these characters feel so incredibly well fleshed-out. We feel as though we know exactly what’s going through their head, which makes us root for them even more when the inevitable twists and villains come along to put them into tough situations with difficult decisions to make.
In addition to its character-driven focus, the reason Zootopia 2 is able to deliver a great narrative is because it actually has a moral motivation behind its story. As with the first film, Nick and Judy must uncover corruption in Zootopia, which eventually leads them to the truth about the power dynamics and secrets of the city’s history.
The reason this works is because it doesn’t rely on an empty story with only spectacle and no actual heart. Rather, the villains of Zootopia are inexplicably evil, and their corrupt actions elicit a gut reaction of anger from the audience because of how unjust they choices are. To achieve this, screenwriter Jared Bush returns to the core themes of the first film, which weave corruption with ideas of social exclusion and prejudice to draw clever metaphors about racism and economic inequality.
In the film, the story about reptiles and other creatures who are systematically excluded from Zootopia paints overt analogies about how Indigenous people and slave populations were exiled from the cities they were built and erased from their own history. Importantly, while not all ages will pick up such themes, the core ideas here are simple enough that they can be appreciated by children too. In the end, the message about fairness and the right for everyone to share a place where they can live in harmony is a positive and worthwhile one.
Finally, the animation style of Zootopia is gorgeously colourful, and the designs of different location feel vast, intricately detailed and unique to each different place. As Nick and Judy make their way into different neighbourhoods, they interact with different kinds of animals that inhabit those places.
One of the many joys of a Disney Animation Studios film is that it feels like a distinctly different world to our own, and the escapism afforded by a totally imagined fantasy world is unmatched by something more grounded or live action.
Animation should be fantastical, it should be colourful, and it should feel like making a trip to Disneyland where each shopfront, object, and street is filled with surprises and novelties that excite your imagination. Here, the cartoonish elements that Disney Animation fans love are front and centre, making this a delightful world to escape to.
Zootopia 2 is the best Disney Animation movie in years specifically because it blends well-developed characters with colourful and fun animation to tell a story with a powerful and emotional message. This one is easily worth your time, and a worthy sequel to one of Disney’s best films of the past 20 years.
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