The Zootopia franchise began in 2016, with the release of the first movie featuring a bunny cop, Judy Hopps and her fox sidekick, Nick Wilde. The movie was found to be a great success and nearly ten years later, the second movie hit theaters on Nov. 26.
The first movie takes place in the fictional land of Zootopia, where all animals live in harmony. When chaos erupts, with predators turning back to their animal instinct, officer Judy Hopps takes the case and her sly fox friend on a journey to find the reasoning. With many twists and turns, the first movie left not only the children on the edge of their seats, but their parents.
Cameron Wheaton (12) shares, “I loved the first movie. I love Jason Bateman. The voice acting was incredible and so was the animation. It really propelled the “rivals to lovers” trope in a fun original way and the twist villain was a truly unique one as well which was refreshing due to all the disney twist villains nowadays”.
The loveable character and the unexpected turns, sent a clear sign to the Disney officials that a second was needed and that’s what we got.
The second movie delves into the idea that there are more than just mammals within Zootopia, but also reptiles. With a harsh prejudice of animals, such as snakes, Hopps and Wilde are sent on a journey discovering how to understand the belongings of all animals, including reptiles.
To start off, this movie exceeded my expectations far more than I anticipated. The amazing score, and its mixture with the animation made the movie feel so nostalgic and added so much depth to the already beloved first film.
Going into this movie I was nervous that the plot was predictable, and while at times I caught myself thinking “I saw that coming”, it ultimately had so many plot twists that I caught myself at times gasping in shock.
I feel as if sequels are never as good as the originals, but this was quite the opposite. The start of this soon to be trilogy, as it was alluded to in the post credit scenes, has only increased in quality of script, characters, and plot more from the original film and I’m expecting the same to follow along afterwards.
Movie watcher, Lucas Melville, shares, “When I saw Zootopia II, I wasn’t prepared for the action, witty humor, and lovable new characters that it would bring. It was the perfect movie to show your younger siblings or go with your family while also laughing at jokes targeting teenagers and adults. The immediate sense of urgency of the two main characters, Nick and Judy, who scramble to be a “team” after the week-long time difference between the first movie creates an interesting plot that carves out a path for the characters to share their growth and their true emotions. Along the way, we meet new characters, such as the new mayor, a stereotypical stallion and retired actor, who uses the dialogue to bring awkward and funny moments to the screen. The new villain in this story is also an interesting talking point, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it, so just go and watch Zootopia II!”
From the cameos of old characters, to the introduction of new loveable characters, Disney took such great care of this upcoming franchise.
I feel as if Zootopia is the turning point of this “Disney flop era” and truly proves that Disney is still capable of making movies entertaining to not only children, but older teens and adults who watch them.
Zootopia II is arguably one of the top Disney movies, and one all families, friends and people should go out to watch.
