Disney Finally Produces Hit Sequel with “Zootopia 2”

Is it too early (or corny) to say that “Zootopia 2” has more human emotion than many of the live-action films with people in them this year? Ah, after hearing more zoo puns than I probably would have cared to admit, I think that’s a good place to start. Disney has been through a tough decade since “Frozen” became a huge hit and CEO Bob Iger decided there was little reason for the company not to franchise its modern animated classics. For the record, this is something the company refused to do, as Walt Disney didn’t believe in sequels and their direct-to-video sequels made money while diminishing Disney’s seal of quality.

There was the feeling that if the company were to start doing this again, the movies would not only be bad, they would also be more expensive. In many ways, this has become true, as I have yet to enjoy any of their full theatrical sequels (with last year’s effort – “Moana 2” – being an especially mediocre effort). This is why “Zootopia 2” is such a breath of fresh air: it has a world that has yet to be fully explored and sticky character relationships that could still use some expanding upon. In the first film, it was the subtle (or not so subtle) racial allegories between grass eaters and predators.

In this sequel, Judy (the bunny) and Nick (the fox) are officially partners in the police force, but find that their animal instincts are doing more than just putting them at odds in the food chain; it is resulting in different life philosophies and attitudes in how to approach the workforce. Judy is still idealistic and trying to change the world for the better. Nick, on the other hand, has been discriminated against so long that he is perfectly content with the progress that has already been made, and questions how much effort he owes a world that gave him such little respect to begin with.

Since America hasn’t solved its racism issues in 250 years, it should come as no surprise that Zootopia can’t solve its issues in one week (the amount of time between this film and the previous). Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed there were no reptiles in the first film, and that is because there is a history that resulted in them being exiled from Zootopia. Like the first film, the reasons as to why are shrouded in mystery; however, unless you have never seen a mystery before, chances are you’ll figure out what’s going on rather quickly. That being said, since this is a family movie, predictability will not be much of an issue for the younger ones in the audience.

What “Zootopia 2” gets especially right is how Judy and Nick’s relationship with one another plays out, and they are as likable a duo as Bernard and Bianca in ‘The Rescuers’ movies. It shows that the issue with Disney franchising their animated films isn’t that they can’t be franchised, only that, unless you are going to do something good with the characters, there’s no journey to continue. Thankfully, the world of Zooptopia is rich with possibilities, and the cast of characters are some of the most likable to come from the studio, so if future installments are as enjoyable as “Zootopia 2” was, this is one franchise we shouldn’t object to in the long run.

This review was originally published on The Fandom Post.