Ronit J

Zootopia 2 (2025) Synopsis:

Zootopia will be changed furrrever…

After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia’s history, rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De’Snake arrives and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

Zootopia 2 (2025) Review:

I remember watching Zootopia in the theatres when it first released in 2016. I really loved watching this imaginative world, despite the oversimplistic plot. It’s a kid’s movie, after all. Disney used to make some really great animated films, and Zootopia scratched that itch perfectly. While I haven’t yet watched the mini series, I was intrigued by the plot for Zootopia 2. Plus, it featured Ke Huy Quan, who I’ve been following since his role in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022).

Zootopia 2 starts off just a week or so after the events of the first film. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) & Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are partners now (cops, not romantically). Judy wants to keep solving more serious cases, but as a rookie, she and her partner only get simpler cases to solve. When Judy discovers snakeskin in a crate during one such insignificant case, she decides to take matters into her own hands, leading her and an unwilling Nick on a journey that threatens to uncover a deeper conspiracy. A conspiracy involving the powerful Lynxley family, whose ancestors built Zootopia, as well as a snake and the reason why reptiles aren’t welcome here.

Beautifully Imaginative

Right off the bat, I found the familiar setting of Zootopia to be quite a warm and cosy place to return to. Almost like a nice vacation spot that I’m revisiting after almost a decade. The inclusion of reptiles in the sequel definitely was intriguing. I guess I hadn’t noticed how reptiles were missing in the first part. The Marsh Market was quite an intriguing setting. I wish we had spent more time there. It’s not too innovative, but it was a nice expansion of an already established fantasy world.

What I really loved about the film was the entire theme of a displaced people wanting to return to their original home. The snakes and reptiles being displaced by through unethical means reflected a certain conflict that’s still ongoing in world politics. I’ll admit, it was odd to see such a nuanced conflict being portrayed by Disney. However, the conflict in itself was rather simplistically explained. A pretty relevant one, if you think about the fact that Zootopia 2 is a kid’s movie.

Additionally, the fast-paced narrative pushes forward brilliantly. One clue leads to another, each punctuated with gags and character moments that remind you why you loved the first movie. While the ‘character development’ remains almost non-existent, the imaginative world-building and vibrant visuals make this movie quite a fun and entertaining watch.

Mostly The Same

As much as I wanted to love the sequel, I have to admit that it was mostly just… okay.

To begin with, the entire plot of Zootopia 2 feels like a reptilian rehash of the first movie. Instead of carnivores vs herbivores, we have mammals vs reptiles. Instead of a conspiracy involving a herbivorous authoritarian, we have a conspiracy wth a mammalian billionaire family rewriting history and condemning an entire community. Honestly, the film was surprisingly relevant in that aspect. However, because it’s a Disney film (a kid’s film at that), it refrains from engaging too deeply with this idea. Seeing real life play out the way it does, the film’s ending feels disingenuous, promising a happy ending when in reality it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible.

What I really didn’t like about the movie was how blatantly toxic Judy and Nick’s relationship was. I guess it works for a kid’s movie, but it felt a little out of character. That also led to the emotional arc of the movie feeling very two-dimensional, especially given Pawbert’s (Andy Samberg) arc was about family approval, contrasted with Gary’s (Ke Huy Quan) arc of justice and wanting to return to his family home. In this pool of emotional conflicts, the Judy-Nick one felt a little too childish.

Overall, not a bad film by any stretch of the definition. But, I guess being older and more mature, I’m seeing more problems with the film than I did with its predecessor.

Zootopia 2 (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Judy, Gary and Pawbert reach the old power station and find the location of Gary’s old family home. That’s where Gary’s great-grandmother, Agnes, had hidden her original patent for the weather walls. Pawbert shoves Gary out in the cold, and stabs Judy with viper venom, much like how his great-great grandfather, Ebenezer had stabbed their maid and blamed it all on Agnes. Pawbert reveals he was only working with them to find the patent so he can destroy it and get his family’s approval.

Nibbles (Fortune Feimster) & Nick escape the cops and reach the power station. However, Nibbles runs into Pawbert, who poisons her. Gary slowly makes his way to Judy and uses her body heat to warm himself before helping Nick fight Pawbert. Nick grabs an anti-venom and throws it to Gary, who heals Judy. In the fight, Pawbert falls off the station into the snow. Nick and Judy reconcile, then together with Gary and Nibbles make their way to the old Reptiles Quarter.

Pawbert survives, and makes contact with his Lynxley. He reveals his plot, which prompts Milton (David Strathairn) to order Mayor Brian (Patrick Warburton) to order Hopps & Wilde shot. However, Mayor Brian has a change of heart and attacks the Lynxleys instead.

Pawbert still manages to track the group to stop them, but Gary and Nibbles subdue him. The group then finds Gary’s ancestral home as well as the original patent. The Lynxleys are convicted for their crimes. Zootopia reopens the Reptile Quarters, cancelling the Tundratown expansion into Marsh Market. Gray introduces his family to Judy, and they all hug her.

Back at the police headquarters, Judy & Nick participate in the counselling sessions, working on their partnership. Nick gifts Judy the newly repaired carrot pen, which she uses to record him saying ‘I love you.’. Their first case together is to track down convicts that escaped from prison when Nick & Nibbles broke out. Their current target is Bellwether (Jenny Slate).

Is Zootopia 2 (2025) worth watching?

Depends. If you loved the first movie, the sequel is more or less on par with that one. However, if you haven’t watched the first or it didn’t work for you, Zootopia 2 isn’t much different.

In Conclusion:

Zootopia 2 (2025) is a fun watch that has some fresh ideas but mostly just feels like a rehash of its predecessor.

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