Jonah Naplan November 25, 2025
It seemed like Disney had stopped making movies like “Zootopia 2” a long time ago. But they’ve given us a gift this Thanksgiving weekend—a true return to form for a company whose best works sweep us away to imaginative worlds filled with lively characters, taking us on fantastic adventures beyond belief. Their latest is a sequel to the beloved first movie from nine years ago, and it’s the finest demonstration of the transportive power of their animation since probably “Raya and the Last Dragon,” or maybe even the vastly underrated “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” As a children’s movie, it’s appropriately silly and entertaining all the way through, but the plot is thoughtful enough that the parents will be able to overcome their food comas to get wrapped up in it, too. It’s just the perfect kind of family movie. If I had seen it when I was 7, I would have demanded to watch it over and over again.
In case it’s been a while since you’ve seen the last one, or never saw it at all, “Zootopia 2” begins with a handy “previously on.” You can probably already piece together that the booksmart bunny cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and the sly con-man fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are new partners, so the movie gets straight to recapping their infamous takedown of the corrupt former mayor of Zootopia, Bellweather (Jenny Slate), in the first movie, putting them on the map as a duo to be reckoned with. Their latest adventure has them chasing a catering van across the city, damaging valuable property in the process, and ending with Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) nearly kicking them off the force. But they can’t stay out of action for long when Hopps begins to uncover a conspiracy with roots tracing back to the founding of the city. You’ll get all the details when you see the movie, but the short version is that Zootopia—which has always been like a New York for animals—hasn’t welcomed reptiles for centuries, a movement instigated by the Lynxley family many years ago, whose patriarch patented the “weather walls” that allow different species to coexist in their respective habitats in the city. The critter version of “Succession” is filled out by Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn) and his two sons Cattrick (Macaulay Culkin) and Pawbert (Andy Samberg), the latter of which seems to want to help Judy and Nick expose the corruption of his family.
The arrival of a pit viper named Gary (Ke Huy Quan) adds greater depth to the story by revealing that the reptiles never wanted to cause any trouble but have been cruelly discriminated against and forced underground. After stealing a journal supposedly belonging to that Lynxley ancestor, Gary is hunting the truth with the entire police force, as well as the new mayor, the majestic, celebrity-turned-politician Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), hot on his tail. It takes some testing the waters on both sides before Gary finally teams up with this ambitious bunny and sly fox, but their frantic adventure through the nooks and crannies of Zootopia’s underbelly is massively entertaining once the movie really gets going.
“Zootopia 2” abandons the typical Disney sequel formula faithfully embraced by the second “Frozen” and “Moana,” and instead follows the classic traveler’s journey storyline of a character (or, in this case, a small group of characters) moving from exotic location to exotic location, meeting colorful personalities at every stop, acquiring a key piece of new information each time. Among those they encounter on their adventures include enthusiastic conspiracy podcaster Nibbles (Fortune Feimster), hardened lizard Jesús (Danny Trejo), and a handful of familiar faces that I won’t spoil so fans can be pleasantly surprised.
Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard (who worked together on “Encanto” as well as the first “Zootopia”) have packed this movie rich with thoughtful details, sight gags and meta references galore. A film that would reward repeat viewings, each new location bursts with imagination, presenting a new facet of Zootopian life in a dazzling way. One setpiece at a marsh market, complete with innovative waterways, is genuinely one of the most exciting action sequences of the year, and proves how effective the magic of Disney’s world-building can be when everybody on board puts in the work. Of course, the spectacular animation is to be expected by this point, but it’s simply remarkable to see just how far this studio has come in the last decade with not just animating the principal characters, but filling out the environment around them with vibrant detail. We wholeheartedly believe that there’s life just beyond the margins of this story and hundreds upon thousands of other animal adventures happening at the exact same time.
Disney has also made a massive step-up in the way they communicate their messages. “Zootopia 2” has so much sauce hidden underneath the facade of children’s entertainment. It’s a movie about, on the one hand, the relationship of minority culture with the wealthy 1%, and, on the other, about community, and finding yourself in other people who couldn’t seem more different from us on the outside but can be exactly who we need when times get tough. Kids may not pick up on these themes immediately, but their parents will, and can start important conversations with them when they get home. The movie may be sprightly, hopping from scene to scene with impressive agility, but it isn’t afraid to supplant comic wit with real, genuine emotion during the climax in a way that feels full-hearted and completely earned (seriously, bring a tissue).
Watching “Zootopia 2,” I felt certain I was watching a new classic unfold. It’s the kind of film that opens a child’s mind rather than pandering to it, introducing the audience to a gorgeously-rendered mirror of our own world and asking where we fit into it. Disney’s mission has long been to inspire and entertain through the power of unparalleled storytelling, yet so rarely have their projects felt so much like a window into a dream.
Now playing in theaters.