A lot has changed since Zootopia was released in 2016.  For starters, the buddy cop movie is practically nonexistent.  Decades ago, these movies regularly appeared in theaters in the form of action-comedies (Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour), spoofs (21 Jump Street), satires (The Other Guys) or fresh takes on the genre (The Nice Guys).  Besides the evergreen Bad Boys franchise, I’m hard-pressed to recall a notable buddy cop movie from the past ten years besides the one starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.  If sneaking the genre into a family film helps keep the genre alive, I’m all for it.  I wish the filmmakers had given their animal detectives a better case to crack than the one in Zootopia 2.  Ah well, perhaps they’ll get one in the next sequel, which is hinted at in a credit cookie.

The movie picks up after the last one, with partners Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) being honored for saving the city.  They’re promptly brought onto the force as detectives, which is exactly what former meter maid Judy always wanted.  However, Nick refuses to take his new job seriously, which irks Judy to no end.  Nick is strangely passive-aggressive about working in law enforcement, which only pushes Judy harder to make a difference.

Since Judy and Nick are new to the beat, Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) tells them only to observe an operation involving a smuggling operation at the shipyards, but Judy is too gung-ho to sit on the sidelines.  The two pretend to be a married couple with a baby to snoop around, and the shady armadillo (John Leguizamo) looks at them quizzically and thinks what we all are thinking, which is, how does that work, exactly?  (Never fear, parents.  Disney does not broach the topic of interspecies relations in this movie.)

Unfortunately, Judy and Nick are made as cops and the operation turns disastrous, with a statue paying the ultimate price.  Judy finds evidence of something reptilian happening in conjunction with the city’s centennial, but Bogo orders the two to attend the “Partners in Crisis” counseling instead.  The support group includes the odd pairings of an elephant and a mouse, and an armadillo who views his partner as a never-ending source of snacks.  Too bad the movie doesn’t take this setup further, because it’s comedy gold.  Although there are obvious issues between Judy and Nick, they deny it because they’re supposed to be a dream team.  

Later that night, Judy finds a podcast by Nibbles Mablestick (Fortune Feimster) that digs into the history surrounding the creation of the city’s “weather walls” by Ebenezer Lynxley.  One hundred years ago, a snake bit and killed Ebenezer’s tortoise maid.  The death triggered the expulsion of reptiles from their home, Reptile Ravine, which was subsequently converted into Tundratown (as cold as it sounds).  Coincidentally, this was also the last time Lynxley’s book containing the original architectural drawings of the walls was seen in public.

Judy puts the clues from the smuggling operation together with the unveiling of Lynxley’s book at the upcoming centennial gala, and believes a reptile will try to steal the book at the event.  She decides that it’s up to her and Nick to attend the gala and prevent the theft of the book.  Nick thinks it’s a bad idea given how their last secret operation turned out, but he relents because he knows Judy desperately wants another win.

Outside the gala, there’s a hint of romantic tension when Nick sees Judy in her evening attire.  Can I say that she cleans up nice for a country rabbit, or would that be weird?  Anyway, the two sneak in and Judy bumps into the “black sheep” of the Lynxley family, Pawbert (Andy Samberg).  He’s awkwardly nice and the two connect over being outsiders.  Pawbert’s definitely not in step with his menacing father Milton (David Strathairn), or his stunt-casting siblings (Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song).

Observing from the crowd, Nick spies a hooded figure above the stage.  He tries to alert Judy, but he’s discovered by Bogo.  Nick shines a spotlight on the figure, who steals the book in the resulting chaos.  When cornered by Judy, the figure reveals himself as Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), who claims that his great-grandmother was framed for the murder all those years ago, and that the book holds the key to exonerating  her.  When that’s accomplished, Gary and the rest of the reptiles can return to Zootopia.  I’m not sure a children’s movie needed a plot as dense as Chinatown, but here we are.

Naturally, Judy is all for seeing justice done by righting an old wrong.  Nick isn’t on board, but Judy helps Gary escape while snatching the book from the Lynxleys.  Before they are apprehended, Judy and Nick are given a lift by everyone’s favorite mouse godfather, Mr. Big.  The juxtaposition of the mice and their bear henchman is still funny, but the mice only serve to point Judy and Nick in the right direction, Marsh Market and Nibbles Maplestick.

After another narrow escape from the cops (via water park tubes, no less), Judy, Nick, Gary and a secret benefactor arrive at Reptile Ravine, where the truth behind the Lynxley family’s success is revealed.  Is it saying too that there’s a traitor in the group’s midst?  I will say that this traitor produces the movie’s biggest laugh, an homage to The Shining.  If only Kubrick was still around to remark on how influential his film has become.

Recommendation

Sometimes, a great third act can rescue a mediocre movie.  This is the case with Zootopia 2, where the first two thirds of the movie set everything up and are mildly diverting.  Then, all of the subplots the film had been patiently developing finally came together in the rousing conclusion.  Before that happened, I spent most of the time wondering why Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde weren’t getting along and why everyone was chasing a MacGuffin in the form of an old book.  Even more curious was why Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan was on hand playing a pit viper who wants the book for…reasons.  I’m glad Quan’s finding steady work, and while he’s good in this role, he should be more choosy (see: Loki season 2 and The Electric State).

To be fair, there was enough to hold my interest before the last act arrived.  The animation is colorful and lively, with an incredible level of detail given to the city and its many denizens.  I want to rewatch the movie to see everything happening in the margins that I missed.  There are a couple of funny moments as well, like the group therapy sessions, and a handful of gags inspired by the classic Looney Tunes cartoons.  (Remember the old man in the baby carriage routine?)  That said, the story meanders and my patience was tested for stretches.

Execution issues aside, the filmmakers deserve credit for not taking the easy route and relying on the same characters in the same routines as before.  While Nick and Judy are still the leads, the story is told primarily through new characters.  The rest of the original cast are relegated to cameos, with little time to make an impression.  The most impactful (and funniest) of the returnees is the Sloth by a wide margin, followed by Idris Elba as Chief Bogo and Shakira’s Gazelle.

Several of the new voice cast members were perfectly cast.  Having Quan as the snake was brilliant because his ebullient personality is well-suited for his character.  Same goes for David Strathairn’s raspy, menacing voice as the villain.  Patrick Warburton is a gas as the dimwitted action movie horse turned mayor.  Andy Samberg portrays another silly man child, which is his wheelhouse.  Fortune Feimster is a bit much as the beaver podcaster/conspiracy theorist, but her schtick worked.  Danny Trejo brings gravitas to a lizard who dances across water.  For as good as Bateman and Goodwin are as Nick and Judy, it’s the new characters that carry this movie across the finish line.

Zootopia 2 has a lot going for it, including splendid animation, excellent voice acting, sight gags and witty movie references.  The central mystery is more convoluted and less involving than before, but the wacky new characters make for an entertaining watch.  Recommended.

Analysis

Back in 1988, Touchstone Pictures released an animated film about a cartoon rabbit who was framed for the murder of a studio executive.  Before the executive’s death, he had bequeathed the city where numerous cartoon characters lived over to them.  A human private detective becomes caught up in the mystery after he was hired to work a case involving the rabbit’s wife.  The detective has a personal connection to the cartoon city as well, since his brother was murdered there years ago.  Through his investigation, the detective uncovers a fiendish plot by a ruthless developer to steal the city from the cartoons so that he can bulldoze it for a highway.

That film was Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and its influence permeates Zootopia 2.  In place of detective Eddie Valiant, officers Judy and Nick investigate why a pit viper has been trying to steal a hundred year-old book containing the original designs for the city’s weather walls.  Through their investigation, the two learn how the city’s founding father, Ebenezer Lynxley, stole the book and passed the designs off as his own, making himself and his descendants rich and powerful.

In both films, the villains are revealed to be psychopathic real estate developers.  I have no problem with the filmmakers behind Zootopia 2 ripping off the plot of a classic film.  If they made an argument that they were inspired by actual real estate developers, I could be convinced.  Regardless of the inspiration for the plot, it doesn’t have the same impact in Zootopia 2 as it does in Who Framed Roger Rabbit for a very specific reason:  no personal connection to the crime.

In the original Zootopia, Nick and Judy were directly affected by the mystery involving predator animals turning vicious.  Initially, Judy and Nick didn’t trust each other because of the stereotypical image they had of their respective species.  However, when they discover that someone in the mayor’s office was using stereotypes as justification for imprisoning predator animals in the name of prey animal safety, Nick and Judy put aside their feelings and work together to prevent that from happening.  The movie is a parable about the harm of racial prejudices, and how easily those feelings can be manipulated by those in power.  That the movie came out in 2016 is one of the great cosmic coincidences of modern times.

In contrast, Nick and Judy don’t have any connection to the real estate-driven plot they uncover in Zootopia 2.  They aren’t reptiles, so their ancestors were affected when Reptile Ravine was converted into Tundratown.  They also don’t stand to gain or lose by any of the Lynxley family’s future plans.  Gary De’Snake is involved both from a historical and present-day standpoint, but he’s only a supporting character.  Nick and Judy’s role is to see that Gary’s great-grandmother is exonerated, which in turn would enable the reptiles to return to Zootopia.  Unlike the first movie, Nick and Judy have been reduced to plot facilitators.  This is why I felt so little investment in the movie for most of its runtime, because the main plot has nothing to do with Nick and Judy not getting along.  Unlike with the first movie, the character’s differences don’t connect to the main plot in any way.  Their hostility towards each other is a drag on the story until the two make up, and then the story takes off.

Dysfunctional partners

The animosity between Judy and Nick is entirely contrived.  The movie alters their relationship as a way of introducing conflict to the plot.  Nick doesn’t take anything seriously and acts extremely passive-aggressively towards Judy.  Judy is even more career-driven than before and is annoyed by Nick’s lackadaisical attitude.  Although their personal problems do result in the funny group therapy scenes, having two characters who liked each other at the end of the first movie suddenly dislike each other felt wrong because the story doesn’t set it up properly.  More importantly, I wanted to see these two work together, not contemplate splitting up.

The appeal of procedural law enforcement shows like Law & Order is seeing characters who are different accepting each other’s differences maturely while working together to solve a crime.  Nick and Judy’s relationship in Zootopia 2 lacks camaraderie, to the point where they seem resigned to say goodbye to each other at several points during the movie.  Given that this is the first sequel in this franchise, having the two already thinking about splitting up felt premature and gives the movie an unnecessarily dark tone.  

Having Nick and Judy be excited to be working together on a mysterious case would have worked better, because there’s nothing more fun than watching professionals work together to  solve a difficult case.  It’s why there are umpteen seasons of L&O, L&O: SVU, CSI, NCIS, etc.  Audiences want to see their favorite crime-solvers getting along with each other despite their differences. Threatening to break up a well-liked duo like Nick and Judy over their repressed feelings for each other was silly.

Your land is my land

Given that the Lynxley’s have used their position in Zootopia to determine how the city has expanded for generations, the movie’s message speaks to the problems associated with eminent domain development practices.  This had personal relevance for me since Detroit, the city after which this website is named, has a troubling history with this practice.  In the 1950s/60s, two predominantly African American neighborhoods named Black Bottom and Paradise Alley were razed for highway I-375/75 construction.  Similarly, Zootopia 2 reveals that Reptile Ravine was turned into an inhospitable frozen wasteland in the name of progress.

Given that there has been a racial aspect in how eminent domain has been employed in America’s past, I was surprised that the movie didn’t address it more directly.  While Ebenezer Lynxley does use the fear of reptiles to get the people to go along with his plans, the Lynxley’s are depicted as being more ruthless than racist.  The movie lays the foundation to have a broader discussion on this topic, but chooses to ignore it in favor of Judy and Nick reconciling.  

The tradition of the wealthy using whatever means necessary to get what they want despite outcry from citizens is playing out today in Michigan, where several communities are currently being forced by large, well-backed corporations to accept data centers into what has traditionally been farmland.  Zootopia 2’s topicality could be entirely coincidental, but if it wasn’t, its failure to speak more directly towards the ongoing practice of stealing land away from people without the resources to fight back is an opportunity missed.