By 
Zootopia 2 (2025)
They’re back with a twissst.
When Disney’s Zootopia burst onto screens in 2016, it felt like lightning in a bottle — a whip-smart, candy-colored buddy-cop comedy that dissected prejudice and social bias without ever feeling like homework. It was bold, funny, pointed, and culturally resonant, leaving some pretty big pawprints for any sequel to fill. Now, almost a decade later, Zootopia 2 arrives under returning directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard. And while sequels to beloved hits often play like reheated leftovers, this one genuinely tries to build on what made the original work — sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman slip back into the roles of rabbit cop Judy Hopps and red fox Nick Wilde as if no time has passed, and a batch of new characters helps shake up their dynamic. Structurally, it’s very much a “back on the beat” sequel: familiar faces, new case, bigger stakes — though not always deeper ones.
This time around, Judy and Nick are no longer rookies. They’re fully-fledged cops and still the most unconventional detective duo in the animal metropolis. Their new case centers on a mysterious reptilian outsider: pit viper Gary De’Snake (voiced with earnest charm by Ke Huy Quan), whose sudden arrival throws the city into a spiral — not least because reptiles are a rarity in Zootopia, making his presence both fascinating and unsettling. Their investigation leads them undercover into the murkier district known as the Marsh Market, where shifting alliances, public fear, and Gary’s unclear motives test their partnership as never before.
Nick Wilde realizing this case is getting a little too … foxing intense.
A lot of what’s here really works. First and foremost — Zootopia 2 is fun. The screenplay by Bush, Howard, and Rich Moore moves with a snappy rhythm, keeping Judy and Nick bouncing off each other with the same buddy-cop energy that made them irresistible the first time. Their banter gives the adventure a lively momentum, even when the emotional beats drift toward the sentimental. The central mystery — who Gary is, what he represents, and how quickly fear can distort public opinion — provides a solid backbone.
One of the original film’s greatest strengths was its willingness to explore bias and social injustice within a bright, family-friendly package. Zootopia 2 tries to tap into some of that same soil, especially through Gary’s outsider story and the city’s response. But here, the stakes feel softer — more personal than systemic. The film occasionally dips its toes into big social themes like prejudice, systemic exclusion, the fear-driven marginalization of minorities, and the uneasy coexistence of species, but it often retreats to character-focused conflicts before fully engaging with them. It feels as if the filmmakers were wary of complicating the breezier comedic tone. Instead of challenging the audience, the movie leans on gentler moral lessons and emotional vulnerability, which is fine — but the bite that made the original feel both relevant and brave is largely missing.
Gary De’Snake, shedding light on Zootopia’s newest mystery.
Moreso, the sequel isn’t quite as polished or wide-ranging as the original. In 2016, Zootopia felt huge — a bustling, intricately imagined metropolis where every district had its own culture, ecosystem, and identity. This time around, the world feels noticeably smaller. The new Marsh Market district, clearly intended to broaden the city’s scope, never fully clicks into place. It’s atmospheric, sure, but it doesn’t have the same detailed, lived-in complexity that made areas like Tundratown or Little Rodentia so memorable. Instead, it often plays like a story-specific backdrop — a cool location the plot needs, rather than a thoughtfully integrated part of Zootopia’s broader world.
Another area where the sequel stumbles is character load. The core voice cast is uniformly strong — Ginnifer Goodwin as the ever-optimistic Judy Hopps, Jason Bateman as the sly fox Nick Wilde, and Ke Huy Quan as newcomer Gary De’Snake anchor the film beautifully — but the decision to bring back so many side characters from the first movie ends up backfiring. Dawn Bellwether (voiced by Jenny Slate, returning as the former assistant-mayor-turned-villain), Flash the sloth (voiced by Raymond S. Persi, still the DMV’s painfully slow sloth), Gazelle (voiced once again by Shakira, reprising her pop-star persona), and several other familiar faces all pop up in ways that range from mildly amusing to completely unnecessary. Idris Elba, as the no-nonsense African buffalo Chief Bogo, remains fun — but even he contributes to the sense of overcrowding. These aren’t clever cameos so much as dropped-in reminders of “Hey, remember this character?” Instead of making the world feel interconnected, it has the opposite effect — it shrinks it. The city starts feeling sitcom-small, like everyone from your past just happens to wander through the same three locations. For a world that once felt massive and full of possibility, that’s a noticeable step down.
Nibbles, chewing on the scenery.
The voice cast for the new side players brings real spark to their roles, giving the film enough fresh energy to avoid feeling like a reunion special. Fortune Feimster, as the eager-beaver Nibbles Maplestick, injects a burst of cheerful, slightly chaotic energy — a fast-talking resident with a fondness for half-baked conspiracy theories, whose every line hits with personality. Patrick Warburton makes a strong mark as newly appointed Mayor Winddancer, a charismatic horse and former action-movie star whose booming bravado delivers hearty laughs. Rounding out the newcomers are David Strathairn as patriarch Milton Lynxley and Andy Samberg as Pawbert Lynxley, the youngest member of the newly introduced Lynxley family — an old, influential clan with deep roots in Zootopia’s political and economic elite.
On the technical side, Disney’s animation is excellent — crisp, colorful, and full of tiny character details that reward a second viewing. The film delivers several strong set pieces, and there’s no shortage of cameos — mostly blink-and-you-miss-them moments — that are fun to catch if you’re listening for familiar voices. The visual gags land well, too. A surprisingly dark Shining parody set around a snow-covered grass maze? Inspired. A quick Ratatouille nod featuring a certain tiny chef? Absolute chef’s kiss. These touches add texture and humor without ever derailing the plot. And at its core, this remains a fun, lively buddy-cop romp: Judy and Nick are still one of Disney’s most instantly likable duos, and the animation is top-shelf. Families will have a great time, and longtime fans will find plenty to appreciate.
One bar of new song ‘Zoo’ and the whole city’s herd again.
But even with all that charm, Zootopia 2 doesn’t quite reach the cleverness, cohesion, or world-building excellence of Disney’s original. The pacing is too hurried, the glut of returning characters shrinks the narrative space, and the new district lacks the layered detail we were spoiled with last time. It’s a good sequel — an enjoyable mystery — just not the lightning-in-a-bottle triumph its predecessor was.
3.5 / 5 – Great
Reviewed by Dan Cachia (Mr. Movie)
Zootopia 2 is released through Disney Australia
