Nine years after the first film, “Zootopia 2” has prowled into theatres this past week. The film welcomes new characters, catchy music and a deeper dive into the interesting intricacies of the city’s hierarchy.
Beware, minor spoilers are ahead.
“Zootopia 2” discusses what it means to be a real hero in a world where you can’t fix everything. The second film’s main conflict between Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, voiced by Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin, respectively, was their different perspectives on how to handle the dire case regarding the fate of Zootopia’s reptile population. Nick wanted to keep himself and Judy safe and leave the problem to someone else. He believed nothing is worth dying for, and that sometimes being the hero doesn’t make a difference. On the other hand, Judy thought it was her responsibility to fix everything and save everyone, often at the cost of endangering herself, Nick and others.
I believe both Nick’s and Judy’s perspectives were valid. Sometimes you can fight to the bitter end, only for things to remain the same. However, if everyone assumes someone else will fix the problem, then it will remain unresolved. Being a bystander does not fix anything. But if you try, you have a chance to.
The film also shows how even heroes can have selfish intentions. Since the first film, Judy was in a constant pursuit of career and personal validation from Chief Bogo, her colleagues, her family and the city. She was tired of being underestimated and mocked for being a small bunny cop, so she grew a huge hero complex.
Both Zootopia films are allegories for inclusivity and discrimination, and “Zootopia 2” further explored that concept. When I watched the film, George Orwell’s quote from Animal Farm came to mind: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
For some brief context, the two groups in the first film were prey and predator animals. Prey animals were treated better, but even within that group, there was discrimination. Large animals like Chief Bogo, a water buffalo, were taken more seriously, while smaller animals like Judy and Bellwether, a sheep, were underestimated.
Predator animals were lower on the totem pole in how they were regarded. Because Nick was a predator and a fox, an animal associated with trickery, he was refused service at an ice cream shop, forced into a muzzle as a child and constantly undermined despite being a talented cop. Yet all throughout the first film, Zootopia was depicted as a city of harmony, progress and somewhere anyone could be anything.
By the end of the first film, progress was made in the equal treatment of prey and predator, leading to Judy and Nick becoming the first prey and predator cop partnership in “Zootopia 2.” However, there was still inequality within the city that was well-developed in the second film.
Marsh Market was an area of the city that fostered a population of water animals isolated to one area. The marsh was an ideal environment for these animals, but the other animal species were not as limited to one area as the animals in Marsh Market were. The community was also vulnerable to the power-hungry Lynxley family, who wanted to bulldoze the town to expand their own property from the tundra region.
Because of how Zootopia was designed, these animals would have nowhere to go if the lynxes succeeded. Even one of the lynxes referred to them as “lesser animals.” I thought this was the most chilling line delivered in a Disney film in a long time.
The reptile population was the lowest on the ladder, forced to live in secret because of a false story that villainized the entire group. The reptiles used to live in their own neighborhood within Zootopia, but it was corruption and lies from the Lynxyleys that took it away, which is what Judy and Nick worked to expose.
Marsh Market is a small bayou port town home to sea lions, walruses, beavers and dolphins. It was exciting to see these new animal species on screen, but it will never compare to when I saw Zootopia’s humanized animals for the first time in 2016.
The concept of animals functioning as a modern society was quickly snatched up by Illumination for “Sing” and “Sing 2.” The concept’s overall appeal and originality has worn off, so it makes sense Disney had to compensate with new animal species and an interesting plot to keep audiences engaged.
“Zoo,” the film’s original song by Shakira, is a catchy, upbeat tune where her vocal talent shines. However, the song does not really contribute to the film’s plot like “Try Everything” did in the first “Zootopia (2016).” It’s just a song to mindlessly dance to. Meanwhile, “Try Everything” was perfect for a character like Judy Hopps in the first film because it resonated with her journey of jumpstarting her career as Zootopia’s first bunny police officer and all the barriers that came with it.
Overall, “Zootopia 2” used the lackluster concept of humanized animals and still managed to concoct a meaningful plot that explores stereotypes and inclusivity. With the colorful addition of new animal species and catchy music as the cherry on top, “Zootopia 2” is one of the best sequels Disney has produced in years.
Elena Mendonsa can be reached at [email protected].
