Nine years is a lifetime for foxes and hares. But it’s also the ideal space between installments in a thoughtful animated franchise (see “Inside Out 2”). Back in 2016, Disney’s wildly popular “Zootopia” showed vulnerable species trying to get along with those that might normally attempt to eat them. Now, the toon studio’s well-crafted follow-up focuses on a different kind of predator: greedy land grabbers.
To say more might spoil the mystery, and that would be a shame, as it’s one of the things that makes “Zootopia 2” such a worthy successor. Both that film and its horizon-extending sequel plug anthropomorphic characters of all shapes, sizes and speeds (the sloth is back) into classic “Chinatown”-style detective stories, populating adult-caliber plots with appealing, kid-friendly critters.
Formally partnering unlikely heroes Judy Hopps (a rabbit rookie, anxiously voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (the smooth-talking con artist Jason Bateman plays with foxy nonchalance), “Zootopia 2” is more of a bunny … er, buddy movie than its predecessor. Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), the gruff Cape buffalo in charge, had skeptically embraced the idea of keeping these anything-but-uniform police officers on a team dominated by rhinos, razorbacks and other alpha species. But all it takes is one big mistake to land the pair on probation.
Behind the scenes, another reunion is taking place, this one between “Zootopia” co-directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush (who was promoted to chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios last year). Having shepherded the first movie, the two Disney vets know the world — with its four central quadrants (Savanna Central, Sahara Square, the Rainforest District and Tundratown) and many uncharted corners — better than anyone.
Lest one forget, in this kumbaya animal haven, high-tech climate walls make it possible for polar bears and desert hippos to inhabit adjacent districts. But such utopian intentions don’t mean that different species necessarily click, as Nick and Judy demonstrate. Being a loner by nature, he doesn’t care, whereas she cares far too much — which makes them poorly matched compadres, amusingly illustrated by the “Partners in Crisis” therapy session Bogo obliges them to attend early on.
Where “Zootopia” was about these two learning to trust one another, its sequel concerns the trickier goal of mutual respect. That may not sound as promising, though Bush (to whom the screenplay is credited) approaches Nick and Judy’s dysfunctional partnership as if they were newlyweds still adjusting to one another’s idiosyncrasies — a rich recipe for constant screwball disputes. These movies are comedies first and crime-film homages second, but it’s their tertiary value as social commentary that makes the franchise so indispensable: Behind the laughs are teachable moments.
As for those indispensable climate walls, it’s revealed that the original patent was filed by the wealthy Lynxley clan — elegant felines who look like they stepped straight out of “Succession,” and voiced by the likes of David Strathairn, Macauley Culkin and Andy Samberg (the latter plays runt-of-the-litter Pawbert). A Lynxley family relic will soon go on display at an arctic fundraiser, and quick-study Judy — who’s the only one here doing actual detective work — believes someone with scales is planning to steal it.
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She’s not wrong: The film’s most endearing addition is Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), a goofy blue pit viper with a faint lisp and superfast lasso skills (which come in handy for a creature without hands). Before Gary crashes the party, the gala seems as good a place as any to unleash a new Shakira song, “Zoo,” performed by the pop star’s glamorous alter ego, Gazelle. The subsequent heist sets the bar high in a film that seldom slows down, swooping through herds of characters in elaborate locations to pull off increasingly complicated set-pieces.
Technologically speaking, many of these sequences simply wouldn’t have been possible nine years ago. Packed with detail, the crowd scenes are so rich, it will take repeat viewings to spot even half the jokes. Meanwhile, the chase through Marsh Market ranks among the most complicated sequences Disney Animation has ever pulled off. Cramming puns and pop-culture nods into every frame (from a “Ratatouille” reference to a DVD pirate selling furry takes on Disney titles), Howard and Bush steer us through all-new neighborhoods, providing fresh insights into oft-stereotyped critters along the way — tortoises, lizards and venomous snakes in particular.
This poses a challenge, since the “Zootopia” ensemble was already fairly robust: How to work in fan favorites while still leaving room for original characters? The godfather-like arctic shrew Mr. Big is back, as is Flash, the sloth, both ready to help at just the right moment. In addition to attention-hogging equine mayor Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), there are also Swiss-sounding mountain goats (the two directors supply their exaggerated German accents) and a podcasting beaver named Nibbles Maplestick (the always funny Fortune Feimster), whose taste for dry wood is surpassed only by her appetite for a juicy conspiracy.
With the “Zootopia” movies, there’s seldom any doubt that while Nick and Judy have our attention, life is teeming just out of frame — which naturally suggests an infinite number of stories might be told in Zootopia’s seemingly incompatible zones. Although the nuances may have changed, the franchise’s message remains one of peaceful coexistence. That challenge, as any child can tell you, applies every bit as strongly to humans as it does to the animals who struggle so mightily to get along in these movies.
“Reptiles are people too,” goes the sequel’s anti-discriminatory takeaway. Fish and fowl are still largely absent, which gives this Disney franchise room to grow. It’s a small world, after all. But if there was any mystery to whether the creative team could sustain Zootopia’s charms, Nick and Judy have effectively put our minds to rest.
From Variety US