Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Idris Elba, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Nate Torrence, Alan Tudyk, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Jean Reno, Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song, Maurice LaMarche, Leah Latham, Raymond S. Persi, Jenny Slate, Yvette Nicole Brown, Josh Dallas, Mark Rhino Smith, Tommy Chong
Genre: Family, Animation
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
In Irish Cinemas: 28th November 2025
Nine years may amount to an entire era in the lives of foxes and rabbits, but for an animated franchise with something on its mind, that kind of breathing room can be just right (see also: “Inside Out 2”). When Disney released “Zootropolis
” In 2016, the film used its bustling animal metropolis to explore how predator and prey might coexist despite centuries of instincts. Its long-awaited sequel shifts the threat: this time, the danger comes not from fangs or claws but from old-fashioned greed and land-hungry opportunists.
To reveal much more would chip away at the fun, because mystery is one of “Zootropolis 2’s” secret strengths. Like the original, the film drops an assortment of mammals, fast, slow, tiny, towering, the sloth included, into a detective yarn with clear echoes of “Chinatown.” Adult-leaning plot structures return, cleverly disguised beneath a rainbow of kid-friendly characters.
Judy Hopps, still the ever-eager rookie rabbit voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, officially joins forces with the fox who once hustled her, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman in laid-back charmer mode). The sequel leans more heavily into their mismatched partnership, turning the film into an earnest buddy-cop comedy. Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), the stern Cape buffalo heading the precinct, reluctantly allows these unconventional officers to stay on a squad built mostly of intimidating heavyweights until a single blunder demotes the duo to probation.
Behind the camera, a reunion unfolds as well: original co-directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush return, with Bush now serving as chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Few know Zootopia’s sprawling layout from Savanna Central to Tundratown better than these two.
Zootropolis’s carefully engineered habitat still relies on its signature climate walls, those technological wonders that allow polar bears and desert dwellers to live practically side by side. But utopia on paper doesn’t guarantee harmony in practice. Nick, content to go it alone, and Judy, who cares too much about everything, remain a comedic mismatch showcased early in a forced “Partners in Crisis” counselling session that Bogo orders them to attend.
If the first film was about two natural opposites learning trust, the sequel tackles the more challenging terrain of earning each other’s respect. That may sound less cinematic, but Bush’s script treats their rapport like an offbeat newlywed dynamic: two people fond of each other but constantly tripping over quirks and boundaries. The result is classic screwball friction layered atop crime-story scaffolding, with a steady heartbeat of social commentary running underneath.
Those all-important climate walls, it turns out, were invented by the aristocratic Lynxley family, a clan of impeccably groomed wildcats who appear to have wandered in from “Succession.” David Strathairn, Macauley Culkin and Andy Samberg voice various members, with Samberg playing Pawbert, the small but spirited runt. When an heirloom from the Lynxley lineage is scheduled to debut at a charity gala in the tundra, Judy quickly suspects a reptilian culprit intends to swipe it.
Her instincts are correct. Enter Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), a charmingly awkward cerulean pit viper whose lisp and lightning-fast rope skills compensate for his lack of limbs. Before Gary slithers onto the scene, the gala serves as a prime moment for a new Shakira track, “Zoo,” sung by Gazelle, her glossy in-universe persona. The theft that follows kicks the movie into high gear, setting a fast-and-furious tone for a story that whips through crowded districts and ever more intricate action beats.
The technological leap since 2016 is unmistakable. Crowds ripple with detail; background gags fill nearly every shot. A complex chase through Marsh Market stands out as one of Disney Animation’s most ambitious sequences to date. Howard and Bush cram the film with puns, Easter eggs and references, from a sly nod to “Ratatouille” to stalls selling off-brand, animal-themed spoofs of Disney classics. And the tour of fresh districts allows the film to give seldom-spotlighted species tortoises, lizards, and snakes their moment.
The challenge, of course, is balancing new arrivals with the returning fan favourites. Mr Big, the frosty mob-boss shrew, reappears, as does Flash the sloth, both deployed at just the right comedic beats. Additional newcomers include Winddancer, a flamboyant equine mayor voiced by Patrick Warburton; a duo of Swiss-accented mountain goats (voiced with gleeful exaggeration by the directors themselves); and a conspiracy-hungry beaver podcaster, Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), whose obsession with dry wood is rivalled only by her devotion to following the next big lead.
One of the hallmarks of the franchise is the sense that Zootropolis bustles with life even when the camera isn’t looking, a reminder that endless stories could unfold in its patchwork of climates and cultures. And although the sequel expands themes and species, its core message remains consistent: coexistence is a constant challenge, not a one-time achievement. Children can spot that moral instantly, just as adults can.
“Reptiles are people too,” becomes the film’s anti-discrimination refrain. Fish and birds still sit on the sidelines for now, leaving the universe plenty of room to grow. If there was ever any question about the creative team’s ability to keep Zootropolis vibrant and engaging, this sequel puts those doubts to bed. Nick and Judy’s world remains big enough and open enough for countless future stories.
Overall: 6.5/10
Movie Reviewer
