Review: Zootopia 2

Official synopsis: Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her partner, the fox Nick Wilde,(Jason Bateman) team up again to crack a new case, the most perilous and intricate of their careers.

It doesn't feel like it's been 9 years since the first Zootopia graced our screens. The film became such a staple in our household. It holds a special place in my heart because it was the first time my son asked a lot of questions about the themes of the film. That's why Zootopia excelled. It was a great conversation starter about classism and prejudice for little kids. It spoke to both adults and children equally and not in a way that dumbed it down. Plus, it was just plain old entertaining.

Zootopia 2 is the same way. Though my son is no longer a bright eyed 6 year old, his teenage brain makes him ask additional questions like "what did they make the gazelle so hot?" I love that we're still talking about these movies, and I'm never letting him forget that he asked his mother that question with his whole chest. 

While themes of prejudice are still very present in Zootopia 2, they take it a step further by tackling colonization and erasing entire species' history. (in this case, it's reptiles) It's very fast paced, and has a lot more movie references is in than you would expect. (There's a call back to The Shining that had me dying in the theater) And on top of it all, you have Judy and Nick who continue to grow as characters and I daresay have one of the best animated friendships in recent memory. I loved them together in this film. It's so easy to root for them and their growth.

The sequel does repeat some of the same story beats as its predecessor that I felt like they could've easily written better, but I'm so invested in Nick and Judy at this point that I hope I don't have to wait another 9 years for Zootopia 3. This is the perfect family outing this holiday season.

Grade: A-