Zootopia 2 (2025)

Zootopia (2016) was something of a pleasant surprise from Walt Disney Animation Studios, arriving during a strong creative run for the studio (Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6) and going on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature while grossing over a billion dollars worldwide. Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, both veterans of that earlier boom period, return here for the sequel, with Bush having also co-directed Encanto (2021) in the intervening years. Ke Huy Quan joins the returning leads Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, the former having enjoyed a remarkable career resurgence following Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). The film carries a reported budget of $150 million, fairly standard for a major Disney animation at this scale, and arrives nearly a decade after the original.

Zootopia 2 has all the right ingredients: charming leads with intertwining arcs, a warm if slightly simplistic take on prejudice, and a neatly structured detective plot packed with gags, twists, and satisfying payoffs. The voice cast is excellent, full of personality and comic timing, even if the script leans a bit too hard on exposition and forced callbacks to the original. It's consistently entertaining, just rarely surprising. Visually, it's a treat. The animation bursts with colour, texture, and lively cinematography that keeps things moving at a brisk pace. The spy-jazz score blends nicely with pop tracks, and the world-building remains rich with sight gags and detail. Nothing feels lazy or phoned-in. A polished, pleasant sequel that delivers exactly what you'd expect. Great fun for families, beautifully made, and utterly competent. It just never quite rises above being good to become something truly distinctive. Solid rather than spectacular.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 2025  | Watched: 2026-03-26

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Where to watch (UK)

Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK

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