A Disney sequel that slithers and hops its way to fun.
When the bunny cop Judy Hopps and her fox partner Nick Wilde read my great review of the first “Zootopia” on my original website “CJ’s Movie Madhouse,” they were both delighted to hear about my enthusiasm. They were also appreciative and a little bit disappointed that it was my number 2 favorite film of 2016, just one notch below “Manchester by the Sea.” Now, I can imagine their reaction nine years later.
Nick: “Manchester” may have won two Oscars, and our film only won one, but we did something that film hasn’t done.”
Judy: “We got a sequel called “Zootopia 2.” It’s called a hustle, sweetheart.”
For the past 9 years, fans have been imagining that Judy and Nick could start an interspecies relationship with some fanart (and one day there could be a short film called “Guess Who’s Foxing to Dinner”), while I’ve been trying to prevent myself from calling Judy cute (“A bunny can call another bunny cute.”) I think she would appreciate it more if I called her “delightful,” because she is. Although I do ponder if it’s okay that a mouse called a baby bunny cute or if they said “You look so cute in that dress.”
But I can neither confirm or deny anything for the sake of spoiler alerts, and I have been trying to avoid any Instagram posts featuring them. I can say, however, that I was feeling some of the magic of the original, and I was feeling its ability see things in a new perspective.
Ginnifer Goodwin is back as the voice of Judy and Jason Bateman is Nick, and while it’s been 9 years for us, it’s only been a week since they sent the baa baa bad sheep Bellwether (voiced by Jenny Slate) to jail for masterminding the plot to turn the predators of Zootopia savage. But unfortunately, they still have their differences and they still have trouble impressing their boss Cheif Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba) and the ZPD. Which is why they’re both placed in Partner’s Therapy with their quokka host Dr. Fuzzby (voiced by Quinta Brunson).
Judy knows that a snake might be heading to a gala event, which is celebrating Zootopia’s 100th anniversary and hosted by the Lynx family-the Lynxleys-whose are the descendants of the founder. Snakes haven’t been in the city for a long time, and the animals are terrified of them.
But maybe Gary De’Snake (Gary The Snake) can prove to the animals that they’ve always been saints. Judy believes him, which is part of the reason why she and Nick are now wanted fugitives.
Gary is voiced by Ke Huy Quan in his most delightful performance “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” I met him last summer and he told me how surprised and sincere he was about winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. And he applies the same energy and vulnerabilities into the snake.
I can’t mention all the stars that “Zootopia 2” has, but I can name a few. Shakira is also back as the pop star Gazelle and so is Maurice LaMarche as the Godfather attic shrew Mr. Big. But new additions also include David Strathairn as the Lynxley patriarch Milton; Andy Samberg as his weakest lynx son Pawbert; Patrick Warburton as the new stallion mayor and former action star Brian Winddancer; Fortune Feimster as the podcast and reptile conspiracy theorist beaver Nibbles Maplestick; Cecily Strong as Mr. Big’s granddaughter; and Danny Trejo as an old plumed basilisk named Jesús.
“Zootopia 2” is a little behind the first movie when it recycles some old tricks, but I still enjoyed it for its ability to take risks and to think things through during this long gap. We get Disney references like “Ratatouille” and “Lady and the Tramp,” but we also get adult films like “The Shining” and even “Pulp Fiction” if you look closely. The chemistry between Judy and Nick is still going to have complications, but we root for them for the way they learn to adapt and let out their emotions.
The first one fought against segregation and discrimination, and this one deals with immigration. Both movies feature animals trying to represent our human world by balancing its level of whimsy and darkness. Therefore, it knows how to appease older kids and adults at the same time.
To coin a phrase: “It’s called a hustle, sweetheart.”
