Director: Jared Bush & Byron Howard
Starring: (voices of) Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Shakira, Idris Elba, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Danny Trejo, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, Jenny Slate
Certificate: PG
Run Time: 108 mins

Zootopia 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the excellent 2016 original, which was not only one of my best films of that year but one of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s very best works. Zootopia did a roaring trade at the box office, earning the animation powerhouse over a billion dollars, and the film really worked because it appealed to both children and adults alike, loaded with jokes that would go over younger viewers heads. Disney have carefully taken their time with this sequel, which arrives nine years later and it’s once again directed by Byron Howard – but alongside Jared Bush this time rather than Rich Moore, who left Disney in 2019 for Skydance Animation.

This sequel picks up a week later after the events of the original, with buddy cop duo Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) on the trail of a reptile after finding a piece of shed snake skin during a smuggling ring raid – no snakes have been seen in the city for years. Things pick up the pace when the duo are framed for a crime they didn’t commit and they have to go on the run.

Zootopia 2 is a real treat and takes everything there is to love about the original and develops it in a very satisfying way. The gags come quick and fast and there are so many small, clever details to find in repeat viewings, but this is balanced with plenty of heart and emotion too. Howard and Bush perfectly balance familiar elements that were the highlights of the original film, with new characters, gags and locations. There’s some fantastic set pieces, ranging from a kinetic opening car chase to a powerfully emotional sequence in a power plant. The film’s also intelligently relevant to current times, such as its depiction of a puppet-like mayor (a stallion hilariously voiced by Patrick Warburton) and the unjust persecution of minority races.

The chemistry between Nick and Judy is brilliant once again, from lots of laughs to be had in them being forced into a therapy session to their relationship being tested time and time again through events with real stakes. There’s some excellent additions to the cast, with Ke Huy Quan a highlight as Gary De’Snake, Patrick Warburton as the aforementioned Mayor and Danny Trejo as a basilisk. It’s all held together by an excellent score by Michael Giacchino, who introduces some memorable new themes.

Zootopia 2 is a brilliant sequel, taking the elements that made Zootopia so memorable and elevating them – after two viewings, I think it’s even better than the original. I can’t wait to see where the world and characters are taken next, and not only is it one of the best films of the year, Zootopia 2 is one of the best animated films of the decade, along with Soul and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.