Zootopia 2

After almost ten years' waiting, Zootopia 2 is on the big screen, and it's a triumph. The famous detective duo is reunited : Juddy Hopps, the hyperactive rabbit, and Nick Wilde, the cool fox with a floral tie. We discover new neighborhoods and other inhabitants of the animal metropolis of Zootopia. Reptiles make their appearance. The duo sets off on a new investigation. The animation is as brilliant as ever. Zootopia 2 is an entertaining and heartwarming movie. This review is guaranteed spoiler-free, as always.

The new investigation unfolds at breakneck speed. The film is fast-paced and packed with hilarious gags. The balance between investigation, adventure, suspense, and both comedic and touching moments is perfectly maintained. The new storylines, plot twists, contrasts between different parts of Zootopia, and immersion in uncharted territories refresh the experience while staying true to the original spirit. The film teems with characters, set in a visually rich universe. Many scenes reference other films, amplifying the humor.

This entertaining film has several layers of meaning, appealing to both children and adults. The two heroes are as endearing as ever. Their contrasting personalities are a source of friction. This adventure forces them to question themselves and learn to work together while respecting their differences. Faithful to the spirit of the first Zootopia, the film tackles themes such as rejection, prejudice, and fear of the other. The snakes are thus the invisible inhabitants of this city of mammals. The plot leads us to question the fear of difference, the stereotypes' weight, and the importance of giving a chance to those perceived as different. In these troubled times, this message of tolerance and living together is a welcome one.

I watched this film in its French version. The dubbing of the main characters (Judy, Nick, Bogo,...) maintains continuity with the first film. Their voices are familiar. Marie-Eugénie Maréchal reprises her role as Judy Hopps, and Alexis Victor as Nick Wilde, with just as much talent as ever. Pascal Elbé voices Chief Bogo, and Fred Testot voices Benjamin Clawhauser. For the new characters, the film calls upon more well-known actors and singers, such as Baptiste Lecaplain, who lends his voice to the snake Gary, and Mister V to a character named Jesús. The snake's voice is particularly well done.

The music is once again composed by Michael Giacchino. His soundtrack brings energy and driving rhythms, accompanying both action and emotion. It offers a diverse range of themes that correspond to the different neighborhoods. The film features an original pop song performed by Shakira, the pop star known for her vibrant energy, titled "Zoo," co-written with Ed Sheeran and Blake Slatkin. Zootopia 2 is therefore excellent family entertainment, suitable for ages 6 and up. It includes a post-credits scene, which hints at a third installment.

Zootopia 2
Directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Written by Jared Bush
Produced by Yvett Merino
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Idris Elba, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson
Music by Michael Giacchino
Production company: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates: November 13, 2025 (El Capitan Theatre), November 26, 2025 (United States)
Running time: 108 minutes

Seen on November 25, 2025 at the Forum des Images, Room 500

Sabine's Mark:

Zootopia 2 arrives nearly a decade after the Oscar-winning first installment, and what immediately strikes you is how confidently it refuses to behave like a mere brand extension. Instead, returning directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush double down on the DNA of the cop duo that made the first film so refreshing, while expanding Zootopia into a more complex, volatile, and strangely familiar metropolis. After a brief but powerful recap, the film plunges us back into the tense, fast-paced dynamic between rabbit cop Judy Hopps (voiced once again by Ginnifer Goodwin) and her fox partner Nick Wilde (with Jason Bateman's characteristic sardonic charm). Their first undercover operation—a hilarious fiasco involving a marital disguise, a stroller, and a smuggling ring—sets the tone perfectly: the chemistry between these two characters is the beating heart of the franchise, and time has changed nothing. But beneath the sharp banter, Howard and Bush introduce a more fragile partnership this time around, with Judy's Type A idealism clashing head-on with Nick's wounded pragmatism. The idea that Zootopia's most iconic duo could actually crack under pressure gives the sequel an unexpected emotional charge.

The plot is triggered by an anomaly: the first snake seen in Zootopia in a century, a polite, serious, and slightly awkward rattlesnake named Gary De'Snake, voiced with disarming gentleness by Ke Huy Quan. His presence is not only unusual, it is politically explosive, linked to a long-buried truth about the city's founding and the climate wall technology that makes the coexistence of its different biomes possible. Judy's decision to pursue this mystery, even at the expense of her job, her partner, and common sense, propels the film into a vast cat-and-mouse investigation involving the powerful Lynxley family. David Strathairn is perfect as the iron-fisted patriarch Milton Lynxley, while Andy Samberg plays Pawbert Lynxley, the black sheep of the family, with a perfect blend of insecurity and charm. Their journey allows Zootopia 2 to tackle themes that most animated blockbusters avoid: stolen narratives, the erasure of history, and how entire species can be wiped from a city's official memory.

One of the film's greatest strengths lies in the construction of its universe, which extends far beyond the refined neighborhoods of the first film. Judy and Nick's odyssey takes them to Marsh Market, a swampy community of amphibians, semi-aquatic mammals, and exiled reptiles, rendered with such attention to detail that you can almost smell the damp wood and the muggy atmosphere of the jazz clubs. Their guide to this world is Nibbles Maplestick, a conspiracy-theory-obsessed beaver podcaster voiced by Fortune Feimster, whose chaotic energy becomes surprisingly endearing as the plot unfolds. There's also the Reptile Hangout, a swampy speakeasy straight out of a dark bayou, introduced by Danny Trejo in a cameo appearance as a lizard cowboy named Jesús. These sequences not only enrich the story, but subtly underscore the film's central theme: who has the right to belong to society, who is excluded from it, and how a society redefines its own boundaries when convenience—or profit—demands it.

Elsewhere in the city, Zootopia's political scene gets a welcome comic injection thanks to its new mayor: Brian Winddancer, a vain stallion and movie star voiced by Patrick Warburton. His mane swirls as theatrically as his speeches, and his oblivious charm hides just how deeply the Lynxleys have their claws dug into the city's governance. The film also brings back some favorite characters: Idris Elba's gruff Chief Bogo, Maurice LaMarche's gangster Mr. Big, and Raymond S. Persi's beloved sloth Flash, who should legally only be allowed one scene per film but gets a few more here. Even Shakira returns as Gazelle for a new catchy song, “Zoo,” which may not reach the heights of the original soundtrack but fits easily into the sequel's glittery, neon-lit party sequences.

What really elevates Zootopia 2, however, is the way it acknowledges and evolves the social allegorical framework that defined the first film. The metaphorical charge is handled more clearly this time around: instead of pitting predators against prey, the focus is on how entire communities can be erased, displaced, or demonized when the powerful need a scapegoat. The reptiles of Zootopia are not presented as the equivalent of a real group, but as a collection of many targeted communities whose history is rewritten when it becomes inconvenient. Gary De'Snake, with his gentle humor and heartbreaking optimism, becomes the emotional center of the film. When he asks, “Permission to hug?”, it's funny, but when the film reveals why he has to ask that question, the joke takes a sad turn. Children will see a misunderstood snake. Adults will see a familiar cycle.

The film's sets are as ambitious as its themes. A water tube chase through amphibious transit lanes is one of the most visually inventive action scenes Disney has produced in years, and a chaotic rave in the Burning Mammal desert features tens of thousands of animated creatures in the background, in an explosion of color and movement that transforms the spectacle into storytelling. Even the film's most ridiculous flourish, a full-fledged homage to The Shining involving a hedge maze and a dart gun, works because the filmmakers commit to every absurd detail. Composer Michael Giacchino returns with a score that effortlessly shifts between noir, adventure, and comic suspense, giving each location its own musical identity—a welcome touch in a film that invests so much in expanding its geography.

If Zootopia 2 has a limitation, it lies in a slightly overloaded middle section, where the story piles up revelations faster than it can absorb them. But even then, the film never loses its emotional thread. The real mystery isn't who sabotaged the city, but whether Judy and Nick can truly accept each other for who they are, not who they want the other to be. Watching Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman navigate this slow rebuilding of trust is truly moving; their warmth and friction feel authentic, almost romantic at times, even as the film cleverly lets the ambiguity simmer rather than imposing an answer.

Zootopia 2 is a success because it remembers why the first film was important: it's not the mystery, nor the gimmick, but the partnership that is at the heart of the story and the world that partnership has revealed. This sequel doesn't just revisit Zootopia, it complicates, challenges, and expands it without losing the humor and heart that won over audiences nine years ago. It's funnier, bolder, more visually rich, and more thematically pointed than most recent Disney animated productions, and while it doesn't reinvent the formula, it refines it into something vibrant and surprisingly resonant. If Disney maintains this level of ambition for a potential third installment, it could easily become the studio's next great modern trilogy.

Zootopia 2
Directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Written by Jared Bush
Produced by Yvett Merino
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Idris Elba, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson
Music by Michael Giacchino
Production company: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates: November 13, 2025 (El Capitan Theatre), November 26, 2025 (United States)
Running time: 108 minutes

Seen on November 26, 2025 at the Gaumont Disney Village, theater 1, seat L19

Mulder's Mark: