Zootopia 2 (2025) Movie Review: A High Energy Buddy Cop Adventure that Ranks among the Best Animated Sequels

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“Zootopia 2” (2025) may have come nearly a decade since its predecessor, but the passing of time is not felt within the enthusiasm, energy, and blistering optimism of the sequel. Animated sequels don’t have the best track record. Unlike comedy and horror sequels, it can be hard to crack the same “lightning in a bottle” twice without feeling derivative. Even if the first “Zootopia” became a phenomenon (it ranks as the second-highest-grossing original film of all-time at the global box office), the sequel doesn’t feel encumbered by the weight of legacy or a desire to dramatically reinvent its worldbuilding. Instead, this is simply another fun buddy adventure story that dives into some of the most explicitly political text within recent Disney animation.

After solving a conspiracy that threatened to destroy the social fabric of their city, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) have become high-profile partners in the Zootopia Police Department. Their previous heroism may have finally earned them the respect of Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), but concerns begin to arise that they may not be as well-matched as they once appeared. It’s in the aftermath of a botched sting operation that Judy and Nick see their missions put on a hiatus, even though the mysterious Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) has become a target for the powerful Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn) and his family, who have significant sway over the new Mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton).

The smart decision that “Zootopia 2” makes early on is to once again make Judy and Nick into underdogs. By suggesting that their previous achievement was the result of a fluke, the police department has sown doubts within the minds of both characters, who have gradually grown more irritated with one another.

It’s frankly quite rare for a buddy cop franchise to find new vulnerabilities within its characters without attempting to reset their friendship, but “Zootopia 2” finds fun and frequently heartwarming ways to complicate the connection Nick and Judy have together. Even if the animators on “Zootopia 2” weren’t looking to “Lethal Weapon 2” as a source of inspiration, it feels like they took a page out of the Shane Black handbook.

Zootopia 2 (2025) — A still from “Zootopia 2” (2025)

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The original “Zootopia” came out at a far less hostile period in American politics, where its surprisingly nuanced, if ultimately optimistic, perspective on victimization, gaslighting, and scapegoating felt revelatory. The sequel comes at a thorny time in which the very notion of “equality” seems more inherently controversial. Although “Zootopia 2” sometimes has to be plain-spoken in the lessons it has about community and diversity, its heavy-handed approach frankly feels a bit more necessary, as its message is no longer just for kids.

Perhaps the most jarring component of the story is the notion that, in general, characters are willing to believe in the goodness of others and respect the sanctity of truth. This would have felt pretty unrealistic had it been in a darker crime drama in the vein of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but considering that “Zootopia 2” is an animated adventure aimed at kids, its clear-mindedness is easier to let slide.

The crux of the mystery rests upon Gary, who is instantly framed as a villain by a society that has been accustomed to treating snakes as “bad guys.” While interactions with more snake characters might have helped delve into the history of conflict in a more nuanced way, the conclusions that Judy and Nick make about how Gary’s family has been cut out of the textbooks are as overt a metaphor as possible. It shouldn’t be a surprise that a highly metaphorical text like “Zootopia” would lean in this direction, but given the conservative slant that the Walt Disney Company had taken in recent months to appease the current federal administration, it is powerful to see the film’s core thesis.

What makes “Zootopia 2” worthy of its predecessor is the sheer brilliance of its animation. Each environment is filled with detail and littered with background jokes, as those who appreciate animal puns and sight gags will be delighted to know that they are in no short supply. Zootopia itself feels like a vibrant and complex place, as time was clearly taken to map out what the operations look like in the universe on a daily basis.

Even when the story lags, there’s not a moment in which “Zootopia 2” doesn’t feel visually appealing. That’s an attribute that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Considering the rise of artificial intelligence and Disney’s willingness to push streaming content like “Moana 2” into theaters, it’s all the more impressive that “Zootopia 2” is clearly hand-crafted by talented artists.

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The biggest issue with “Zootopia 2” is that, despite how much more vibrant and expressive its world is, the structure is a bit too similar to its predecessor. While the first film found magic within Judy’s first experiences in the big city and Nick’s sly turn to heroism, the sequel goes through another conspiracy mystery that ends with another twist involving a plot to sow communal divisions.

Although the conclusions that it reaches are perhaps more profound than its predecessor, “Zootopia 2” does feel like it’s executing a structure where the motions are easier to anticipate. What saves the third act isn’t anything related to the narrative, but rather the surprisingly deep realizations that both Nick and Judy make about their own faults and fears.

It’s rather astounding that such an energetic adventure is able to balance such a robust cast of characters, as “Zootopia 2” brings back familiar faces from the first film alongside a new crop of fun additions. Strathairn shows the type of restrained, privileged power needed to be a truly modern villain, and finds a way to bring real-world sensibilities to what could have been a one-note character. On the flipside, Warburton proves once again why he’s one of the greatest vocal artists with a broad and goofy portrayal of the incompetent mayor. Quan is by far the standout of the new cast, but a terrific one-scene role from Danny Trejo as Jesus, a basilisk, makes for one of the film’s best sequences.

When considering that the first “Zootopia” is one of the few contemporary Disney animated films that could be reasonably ranked alongside the classics of the “Renaissance Era,” the fact that “Zootopia 2” is only inferior in the slightest is worthy of admiration. Although it should fulfill the expectations of those who’ve been waiting since 2016 for a follow-up, it would also make for a delightful second act in a double feature for those experiencing the two films for the first time.