Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Idris Elba, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson
Screenplay: Jared Bush
108 mins. Rated PG for action/violence and rude humor.

In long-running buddy-cop franchises, I’m always drawn to the sequels over the original. Sure, I love seeing Riggs and Murtaugh when they frustrate and push each other to their limits, but I’m always way more invested in seeing that bonded friendship, the brotherhood, of two characters protecting each other out there in the dangerous criminal underworld more than anything else. I hadn’t quite thought about that sentiment being applied to animated Disney fare about adorable anthropomorphized animals in a giant cityscape made of every class of animal substituted for thematic conversations about race in America…but look at that, Zootopia 2 just appeared and surprised me.

After foiling the biggest crime in Zootopia history, rookie cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin, Walk the Line) and her now-official partner Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman, Juno) have let is get to their heads. They think that they are untouchable, but when they discover their partnership has more than a few problems, they are sentenced to Partners in Crisis counseling. As their working relationship unravels and they begin to question their viability as partners, they come across a snake in Zootopia for the first time in many years, but can they put themselves together enough to solve it?

The original Zootopia is an inoffensive, likable enough adventure with an opposites-becoming-friends plot and buddy cop overtones. Its themes are both universal and rather simplistic, even when considering its target audience. While Zootopia 2 covers a lot of familiar ground, I also think it’s a better story, using the snake plot to delve into immigration and xenophobia in a way I don’t often see in a traditional family adventure. While the story feels occasionally telegraphed, hitting a number of familiar beats, it’s also a bit of a send-up to a subgenre of action films that does have a lot of those beats, so it’s hard to be upset at it, particularly in regard to Hopps and Wilde solving a major case and letting it get to their heads. For the sequel, we even get to see the cops-framed-as-criminals trope that’s so popular with buddy cop films.

Once again, the voice cast is impressive, and it’s the supporting players that really shine. Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is superb as Gary D’Snake, with a vocal performance that is both adorable and very fitting for the animation style. I also really enjoyed the small voice work from Danny Trejo as Jesus, a plumed basilisk who serves to direct Hopps and Wilde along their journey. I’ve never thought about Trejo as a voice performer, but he’s excellent here.

Zootopia 2 has a terrific world that continues to evolve in the sequel (but c’mon, 2OOTOPIA was right there!), with further imprinting of the animal world on the traditional tropes of our own. I loved the Mayor, a Mare, and simple elements like snakeskin being used as evidence, and a fascinating subplot about the weather machines that allow these animal residents to live in harmony. It has a few plot conveniences, and a third act reveal that doesn’t hold much weight, but it’s definitely a jump up from its predecessor.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe