Courtesy of Disney

The movie centered around the original characters, Judy Hopps and Nick Wild, and added more members like Gary De’Snake to the cast.

Editor’s Note: There are spoilers in this review.

The original “Zootopia” (2016) was a smash hit, grossing over $1 billion and winning “best animated film” at the Oscars. 

The story follows a new cop for Zootopia, Judy Hopps — voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin — on a case to prove herself to the head chief of the department. Her partnership with tax-evading fox Nick Wilde — voiced by Jason Bateman — allows them to solve the case. The movie ends with a scene of Nick Wilde receiving his cop badge, foreshadowing their continued partnership. 

“Zootopia 2” further fills in the story with a fun adventure that gives the fans of the first movie more of their favorite characters, making the movie nostalgic, but not repetitive. It expands the beloved Zootopia world with stunning animation and adventure that takes the characters to new districts, and it also introduces reptiles to the previously mammal-only city.

With vibrant color and precise detail, the Disney animation team knocked its latest movie out of the park after multiple flops.

 The movie, which features several intricately-animated chase scenes and elaborate crowds of thousands of animals, is “the biggest move” Disney has ever done, hiring over 200 animators across five years. 

Disney’s animation team also employs an immersive 3D animation style. While it’s more labor intensive, it allows the action scenes to be more dynamic and renders the fictional characters with precise detail, fully immersing the viewer in the vibrant world of Zootopia.

Not only is the city of Zootopia itself a complicated metropolis, but it’s filled with a variety of different animals — each of which have different structures and fur which have to be animated individually, making the entire movie a spectacle in advanced animation. 

Some shots like the Burning Mammal festival scene had over 50,000 moving animals at once, which were painstakingly difficult to animate. But those kinds of shots are what captivate viewers, and “Zootopia 2” delivers on the animation front.

Still,  “Zootopia 2”’s plot is nothing to write home about and is the major weakness of the film.

The story begins with Hopps and newly minted officer Wilde botching a major police assignment. Then, following a similar plotline as the original movie, Hopps is determined to prove her worth and embarks on a dangerous quest to save Zootopia from its newest threat — snakes.

The plot plays on many of the familiar themes of “Zootopia 1” — Hopps’s need to prove herself, Wilde’s self-preservation and the police department turning on the two despite their obvious innocence. 

While there are a few attempts at plot twists,  they still fit traditional movie tropes and fail to leave viewers surprised when they happen. 

And, of course, Hopps and Wilde restore their friendship, succeed in saving Zootopia and are praised by the city for their daring escapade — another classic Disney ending.

The true selling point of this movie is its beloved cast. Playing on previously established dynamics between the characters, “Zootopia 2” delivers satisfying character growth for both Hopps and Wilde. 

A new development in this movie is the two’s official partnership. After the whirlwind of “Zootopia 1,” the two struggle to communicate and work together during “Zootopia 2,” leading to a tragic miscommunication and separation at the peak of the action.

But when Wilde returns to save Hopps, the two have a heartwarming reconciliation that resulted in many “awwws” from the audience.

Their dynamic — sarcastic fox and eager bunny — also shifts in the new movie, with Hopps gaining more confidence in her abilities and Wilde opening up a bit more towards the end, pointing to a long-lasting partnership.

And, while it’s not officially confirmed, the two’s relationship has moved beyond strictly platonic, and leans toward a romantic partnership in some parts of the movie, adding intrigue for future sequels. 

The movie also has cameos from familiar characters, like Bellwether, Chief Bogo and Flash the Sloth. But, with the addition of new voices including Gary D’Snake, Nibbles Maplestick and the Lynxley family, the movie still feels fresh and not overdone.

Ultimately, the movie succeeds because it breaks new ground and matches the energy and cinematic level of the original. With dramatic twists and funny jokes, “Zootopia 2” is a great nostalgic movie and leaves fans eagerly waiting for a “Zootopia 3.”