Zootopia was easily one of Disney’s biggest hits of the 2010s. Grossing over a billion dollars at the box office and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature over critically acclaimed films such as Moana and Kubo and the Two Strings (with both earning more Oscar nominations than Zootopia), it’s hard to find a bigger success than the 2016 Disney crime film. Because of that, Zootopia 2 had a lot of pressure on it to succeed, but somehow, the film manages to live up to expectations.

The film once again follows Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), as full-time partners at the Zootopia Police Department. Their next case is perhaps their most dangerous one yet as they pursue Gary (Ke Huy Quan), a mysterious snake out to steal a book about the birth of Zootopia. Judy and Nick’s journey in solving the case takes them to different environments in the city as well as tests their partnership in ways they never expected.

Zootopia 2 flourishes in nearly all the ways that the first film did. Immersive world-building, frenetic pacing, and laugh-out-loud jokes carry over from the first film, reminding audiences why they fell in love with the original movie. The film once again plays as an ode to older buddy cop films and TV shows, with the intro poking fun at the “Last Time on…” that many crime shows used to do. It also acts as a clever way to recap what happened in the first film, as the nine year gap between films is bound to have audiences forget what happened in the last outing. 

Nick and Judy’s relationship is just as strong, if not more so, in their newest film. Their relationship truly proves how opposites attract, with Judy’s hard-working attitude and Nick’s unserious, relaxed manner making for many hilarious moments. Their differences are not only depicted through comedy, but are also seen as the characters’ main progressions. Throughout Zootopia 2, Nick and Judy are stubborn to their characteristics, unable to understand each other’s viewpoints, and seeing them learn to communicate and understand each other makes for many emotional and well-written sequences in the film, courtesy of writer and co-director (with Byron Howard) Jared Bush.

Most of the new characters don’t offer as much charisma and nuance as Nick and Judy, with Andy Samberg voicing a more awkward version of himself as Pawbert Lynxley and Fortune Feimster playing a crazed podcaster and conspiracy theorist Nibbles Maplestick, but the true standout is Gary De’Snake. Although his character is written in an extremely empathetic manner, Quan adds so much sentiment to the role that allows audiences to root for his success from his first line of dialogue. Much like Quan himself, Gary is quirky and lovable, and perhaps the cutest snake ever depicted in film. Seeing him in any sort of danger, whether it’s him shivering in the cold or evading capture, brings many moments of heightened tension as the film makes the audience care about the character so much. Expect children to be asking for stuffed animals of Gary for Christmas, as he is bound to be a new favorite Disney character.

Many Disney animated films utilize frenetic pacing and comedy in their films, but what made Zootopia stand out so much in their dense catalogue is their depiction of serious worldwide issues. The way the film tackled racism and drug use through the predator vs. prey and poisoned berry storyline was shockingly brilliant, especially for a big budget, studio children’s film. Zootopia 2 has just as strong thematics as the first film, perhaps more so due to the film’s timeliness. The film delves into themes of immigration and forced displacement, with the main antagonists attempting to erase an entire history of species. The way Nick and Judy come to terms with this makes for a surprisingly compelling drama, with Nick afraid to push back against the forced displacement due to the amount of power the antagonists have while Judy is driven by her moral compass to always do the right thing. To once again see a major animated film, especially in the current political climate, tackle these ideas is an achievement, and the fact that the filmmakers were able to seamlessly blend these ideas within the buddy cop genre makes for what is easily the most well-rounded animated film of the year.

Although Zootopia 2 brings a lot of new ideas to the table, it plays out a little too similarly to the first film. It once again sees Judy trying to prove her worth to the police force, making for an occasionally redundant experience. There is also a third-act twist that not only came across as predictable, but didn’t add anything to the overall narrative rather than a moment of brief shock. 

Minor issues aside, Zootopia 2 is an extremely worthy successor to the first film and one of the best Disney sequels in years. Equally as funny as its predecessor  with sharp social commentary, the film easily ranks as one of the best animated films of the year that will be deserving of its large box office performance come Thanksgiving time. 

Zootopia 2 will be in theaters nationwide on November 26.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• This is a sure-fire nomination for Best Animated Feature, and has a chance to win if the audience goes out for the movie at the box office and if the critics rate it as unanimously positive as I believe it will be. Disney sequels rarely win the category, but because the competition doesn’t appear as strong outside of Kpop Demon Hunters, there is a shot at this taking home the gold.