Movie Review: Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps Elevate Lightweight and Only Mildly Political "Zootopia 2"
8/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars
Oh, 2016. A year where an animated talking animal police procedural romp from Disney could veer into a thinly veiled metaphor about racial tension and feel lightly revolutionary. Zootopia was a rare original in a decade that the mouse house mostly spent re-inventing their formula for musicals about princesses and churning out Marvel movies. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) were two crackerjack leads whose electric chemistry saw them grow from snarky adversaries to deeply bonded partners who accepted each other in a world that underestimated them. It is no surprise that the film’s fandom has only grown in the ensuing decade, leading us to Zootopia 2. Going in, I had to wonder if it would retreat into easy animal puns and zany action sequences without trying to delve into anything that could be perceived as political. Disney has not been shy about wanting to turn their back on things that could make their coveted Thanksgiving weekend slot a bit more awkward for the more sensitive families among us. Thankfully, it seems that the team behind these movies were treated with some semblance of care. This is absolutely a worthy and thoughtful second outing for Nick and Judy, even if it does mostly adhere to formula.
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
We drop in just a week after the original ends. Nick and Judy get ensnared in a case involving slipper snake Gary (Ke Huy Quan) who is trying to steal a journal containing the blueprints to the city’s territorial weather walls from the wealthy Lynxley family. This is particularly distressing to the denizens of Zootopia because reptiles are not integrated into their society at all. If they’re back, they must be up to no good. It all comes to a head at a swanky gala where Gary makes his big move. In the chaos, Nick and Judy get embroiled in a misunderstanding, becoming fugitives from the law. Now separated from anyone who can help them, they must delve into the reptile underworld to discover the truth behind their motivations.
The chemistry between Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman hasn’t missed a beat. The bickering between Nick and Judy has evolved a bit, entirely rooted in care that both are struggling to express. This comes out in their differing approaches to the case itself. Nick does not want to stir the pot and investigate the gala. Judy is as usual determined and unflappable in her conviction to uncover the truth. It is a classic dynamic that at times feels so lived in that you forget that you’re looking at animals, even if there's ultimately a bit less variety in their interactions this time around. We’re mostly listening to them repeat some variation of the same argument in every scene they share until it’s time to unload their takeaways from the adventure. I yearned to see them a bit more in sync during the film’s many hectic chase sequences that mostly veer into chaotic autopilot. The two are also separated for a long portion of the second act and waiting for them to come back together is a bit tedious.
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
Our supporting cast is a bit more well rounded than the original. The Lynxley family are delightful baddies. David Stratharin brings an intensity to the patriarch that we haven’t seen from him since The Bourne Ultimatum. Andy Samberg gives a typical but still charming turn as the family’s black sheep. Meanwhile, Ke Huy Quan brings a soft touch to Gary that instantly helps us understand that there’s more to him than meets the eye. He’s certainly more plot device than character, but the ultimate backstory of the reptiles is compelling and he shoulders it well. I do wish that people like Idris Elba, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson and Danny Trejo among others had a bit more to do but I do appreciate how focussed this story is.
I don’t feel as much for Zootopia 2 as I did for the original. While it does have some incisive commentary about displacement of vulnerable groups by land hungry oligarchs, it is far more zeroed in on being a lightweight blockbuster that bounds from set piece to set piece. However, in an age where family entertainment is only going veer further and further into the video game brain rot of Sonic, Mario and Minecraft - films that are determined to bring nothing to the table but catchphrases and CGI - I’ll take anything with a script, a soul, and a handful of laugh-out-loud sight gags. Nick and Judy are certainly one of the iconic animated pairings of our time and I hope that in another decade, we’ll see them crack another case. Perhaps they should kiss next time.