Zootopia 2

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The animation is A+++++. But the story is a little too convoluted, especially for kids. Also, the story's premise didn't have to be so diabolical. You don't always need evil villains. Sometimes the problem can be a simple misunderstanding, resolved with a dramatic solution.

Pretty good not as good as the first a lot of the jokes didn't hit I didn't like how they were still underdogs facing was off The new characters were barely in it but definitely fun and sometimes can land jokes can see how kids can like this movie.

This film reached for the stars, but forgot to keep it's feet planted firmly on the ground. The plot rests precariously on the improbable premise that the villain family, who are stated to be the most imposing and dangerous family, didn't know that the original patent page still existed or where it was. Without that solid base, the ensuing action and drama were seldom gripping. Instead of innovating, the decision of either the directors or Disney itself to replay a lot of the same story and emotional beats from the first film lead to the film feeling very forgettable and regressive to the point that it feels like Z2 both spoofs the qualities that made it's predecessor great and exacerbates it's predecessor's flaws.

I trusted it too much — what a low blow. Being a box-office hit has never been a guarantee of being a good film, and 'Zootopia 2' is, for me, a pretty clear reminder of that. I went in with high expectations—the first film struck me as brilliant, very solid and perceptive—but this sequel hasn’t lived up to that memory. Aside from a final stretch that I do find moderately enjoyable, the overall experience was disappointing. Of course, this is just my point of view; the film may be objectively good. One of its biggest problems lies in the characters. I don’t connect with them here—they don’t convince me, I don’t find them charismatic or funny, and the chemistry that once felt so natural is gone. I liked the fox and the bunny; they were likable and genuinely interesting. Here they feel very generic. I suppose the magic of them being “new” characters was key, and without that novelty it just doesn’t work the same way. Or maybe it can work, but not nearly as well, nor in the same way. The rest of the cast feels basic, hollow, and interchangeable. The humor doesn’t help either. It’s dumber, more obvious, louder. Yes, the first film also leaned into absurdity, but it was better calibrated—smarter, more thoughtful. Here it feels far more infantilized. It reminds me of shows like 'SpongeBob SquarePants' or 'The Amazing World of Gumball', which I disliked because they made me feel stupid. I know this is family-friendly cinema, but 'Zootopia' proved back then that you could be accessible without being simplistic. I completely miss that intelligence here. The plot fails to engage me. I’m not interested, not excited; it bores me and I mostly don’t care. It’s fine that it talks about insecurities, self-expression, trauma, the need to belong, to be seen—those are nice ideas and perfectly valid for a younger audience. But honestly, it’s not what I expected or wanted to see here, especially because I find it almost completely unstimulating. I sense a reflection on perspective, on how a story changes depending on who tells it, but even that “statement” leaves me indifferent. Maybe over time my perception will soften and I’ll come to appreciate it more. But as a first impression, it disappointed me a lot. It’s not the worst film I’ve ever seen, but these blows hurt more precisely because you don’t expect them.