Regardless of your feelings about snakes, Ke Huy Quan's blue adder is a delightful addition to the "Zooptopia" lineup, which continues to focus on the unlikely duo of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.
Nine years is an eternity for foxes and hares. But it's also the ideal gap between installments in a thoughtful animated franchise (see "Inside Out 2"). In 2016, Disney's wildly popular "Zootopia" showed vulnerable species struggling to coexist with those who would normally try to eat them. Now, the animation studio's well-crafted sequel focuses on a different kind of predator: greedy land grabbers.
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Writers: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan
To say more might spoil the mystery, and that would be a shame, as it's one of the things that makes "Zootopia 2" such a worthy successor. Both that film and its sequel, which expands the scope, incorporate anthropomorphic characters of all shapes, sizes, and speeds (the sloth is back!) into classic "Chinatown"-style detective stories, filling adult plots with engaging, kid-friendly creatures.
Formally, the unlikely pair of heroes, Judy Hopps (a rookie rabbit, voiced by the eager Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (the smooth-talking con artist Jason Bateman, who plays with the nonchalance of a fox), make "Zootopia 2" more of a bunny movie... er, buddy movie than its predecessor. Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), the gruff African buffalo in charge, had been skeptical about keeping these anything-but-uniform cops on a team dominated by rhinos, rhinos, and other alpha species. But it only takes one big mistake to put the pair to the test.
Behind the scenes, another meeting is taking place, this time between the co-directors of "Zootopia," Byron Howard and Jared Bush (who was promoted to chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios last year). Having directed the first film, the two Disney veterans know the world—with its four central quadrants (Savanna Central, Sahara Square, Rainforest District, and Tundratown) and many unexplored corners—better than anyone.
Let's not forget that, in this Kumbaya animal sanctuary, high-tech climate walls allow polar bears and desert hippos to inhabit adjacent districts. But these utopian intentions don't mean that the different species will necessarily get along, as Nick and Judy demonstrate. Being solitary by nature, he doesn't care, while she cares a lot, making them incompatible partners, as hilariously illustrated by the "Partners in Crisis" therapy session that Bogo forces them to attend from the very beginning.
While "Zootopia" was about these two learning to trust each other, its sequel focuses on the more complex goal of mutual respect. This might not sound so promising, though, though Bush (who is credited with the screenplay) approaches Nick and Judy's dysfunctional relationship as if they were newlyweds still adjusting to each other's idiosyncrasies: a recipe for constant, ludicrous bickering. These films are comedies first and homages to cop movies second, but it's their tertiary value as social commentary that makes the franchise so indispensable: behind the laughs lie moments of learning.
As for those indispensable climactic walls, it's revealed that the original patent was filed by the wealthy Lynxley clan: elegant felines that look like they stepped out of "Succession," voiced by the likes of David Strathairn, Macaulay Culkin, and Andy Samberg (the latter playing the young Pawbert). A Lynxley family heirloom is about to be displayed at an Arctic fundraiser, and studious Judy—the only one here who actually does any research—believes someone with scales is planning to steal it.
She's not wrong: the film's most endearing addition is Gary De'Snake (Ke Huy Quan), a goofy blue snake with a slight lisp and lightning-fast lassoing skills (which comes in very handy for a creature without hands). Before Gary crashes the party, the gala seems as good a place as any to debut Shakira's new song, "Zoo," performed by the pop star's glamorous alter ego, Gazelle. The subsequent heist sets the bar high in a film that rarely slows down, weaving its way through hordes of characters in elaborate locations to achieve ever more complex scenarios.
Technologically speaking, many of these sequences simply wouldn't have been possible nine years ago. Packed with detail, the crowd scenes are so rich that you'll need to watch them several times to catch even half the jokes. Meanwhile, the Marsh Market chase is among the most intricate sequences Disney Animation has ever created.
This presents a challenge, as the "Zootopia" cast was already quite robust: How to integrate fan favorites while still leaving room for the original characters? Mr. Big, the godfather-like Arctic shrew, returns, as does Flash the sloth, both ready to lend a hand at just the right moment. In addition to the attention-grabbing equine mayor Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), there are also mountain goats with Swiss accents (the two directors lend their exaggerated German accents) and a podcasting beaver named Nibbles Maplestick (the ever-hilarious Fortune Feimster), whose taste for dry wood is only surpassed by her appetite for juicy conspiracy.
With the "Zootopia" films, there's little doubt that while Nick and Judy command our attention, life teems off-screen, naturally suggesting that endless stories could be told in Zootopia's seemingly incompatible zones. Although the nuances have changed, the franchise's message remains one of peaceful coexistence. That challenge, as any child can see, applies with equal intensity to humans as to the animals who fight tirelessly to survive in these films.
"Reptiles are people too," says the sequel's anti-discrimination conclusion. Fish and birds remain virtually absent, which gives this Disney franchise room to grow. After all, it's a small world. But if there were any doubts about whether the creative team could maintain the charm of Zootopia, Nick and Judy have put our minds at ease.
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