In Disney’s sea of sloppy sequels and rushed remakes, Zootopia 2 seemed like another cash grab. However, this movie, released nearly 10 years after the original, stood out for its high quality animation and loveable characters.
This movie follows Judy Hopps, a bunny, and Nick Wilde, a fox, navigating their unusual partnership as police officers in the City of Zootopia. They reveal misconceptions held by Zootopia citizens about the true nature of reptiles, befriending an adorable snake, Gary de’Snake, and a Lynx, Pawbert Lynxly. The character of Gary is truly an amazing new addition to the universe; he’s funny and misunderstood, creating a very endearing character.
Featuring high-stakes mystery, betrayal, and intricate chase sequences, the essence of the original Zootopia remained in the sequel, despite the near decade gap. This movie recaptures the lighthearted arguments between the witty and pessimistic Nick juxtaposed with the optimistic yet impractical Judy. Though the two characters are never officially said to be a couple, the love that they express for each other truly carries the plot, even if they don’t always show it.
One issue with this sequel, however, is the characters’ lack of memory about what they learned in the original. In the first movie, the animals learn not to judge others for what they are born as, whether they are a predator or a prey. They learn that what’s on the outside does not indicate who someone is on the inside. Did all of this fly out the window when they saw reptiles? Is their discrimination only situational? Does a species have to prove their worth to be accepted? The mammals still believe it’s OK to want the reptiles dead; they live in fear of reptiles to the point where the reptiles are exiled and banned from the city. They are discriminatory because of a crime committed by one snake a century before. Despite this, there are no repercussions for the species of other crime-committing animals. That is hard to believe.
Another flaw with the movie is its predictability. Yes, this movie is a children’s movie, but there could be more originality with the plot. The plot follows a similar arc to the previous movie, with new (and very similar) characters created to fill the voids left by old characters. However, the target audience probably did not expect all of the twists and turns, so the predictability is excusable.
Overall, though the plot may be unoriginal and the story is predictable, both the movies have taught important lessons to children taking complex real world issues and making them understandable to little kids, the first movie showing issues with police brutality and the second showing issues with gentrification. In a time of such political turmoil, it is important to teach people from a young age about the issues that plague the world, and inspire them to make change in the future.
In Disney’s sea of sloppy sequels and rushed remakes, Zootopia 2 seemed like another cash grab. However, this movie, released nearly 10 years after the original, stood out for its high quality animation and loveable characters.
This movie follows Judy Hopps, a bunny, and Nick Wilde, a fox, navigating their unusual partnership as police officers in the City of Zootopia. They reveal misconceptions held by Zootopia citizens about the true nature of reptiles, befriending an adorable snake, Gary de’Snake, and a Lynx, Pawbert Lynxly. The character of Gary is truly an amazing new addition to the universe; he’s funny and misunderstood, creating a very endearing character.
Featuring high-stakes mystery, betrayal, and intricate chase sequences, the essence of the original Zootopia remained in the sequel, despite the near decade gap. This movie recaptures the lighthearted arguments between the witty and pessimistic Nick juxtaposed with the optimistic yet impractical Judy. Though the two characters are never officially said to be a couple, the love that they express for each other truly carries the plot, even if they don’t always show it.
One issue with this sequel, however, is the characters’ lack of memory about what they learned in the original. In the first movie, the animals learn not to judge others for what they are born as, whether they are a predator or a prey. They learn that what’s on the outside does not indicate who someone is on the inside. Did all of this fly out the window when they saw reptiles? Is their discrimination only situational? Does a species have to prove their worth to be accepted? The mammals still believe it’s OK to want the reptiles dead; they live in fear of reptiles to the point where the reptiles are exiled and banned from the city. They are discriminatory because of a crime committed by one snake a century before. Despite this, there are no repercussions for the species of other crime-committing animals. That is hard to believe.
Another flaw with the movie is its predictability. Yes, this movie is a children’s movie, but there could be more originality with the plot. The plot follows a similar arc to the previous movie, with new (and very similar) characters created to fill the voids left by old characters. However, the target audience probably did not expect all of the twists and turns, so the predictability is excusable.
Overall, though the plot may be unoriginal and the story is predictable, both the movies have taught important lessons to children taking complex real world issues and making them understandable to little kids, the first movie showing issues with police brutality and the second showing issues with gentrification. In a time of such political turmoil, it is important to teach people from a young age about the issues that plague the world, and inspire them to make change in the future.
