After a very long wait, “Zootopia 2,” directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, hit theaters on Nov. 26. This animated comedy and supposed children’s film is not one that I would recommend to others. The film follows the dynamic duo of Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) as they work through problems they experience together, all while trying to save Zootopia yet again. The pair’s very different mindsets end up being a hindrance and what creates a lot of the rising action.
Something that is often overlooked or not as appreciated in animations is the animation style itself. In the case of “Zootopia 2,” the animation is the same style as “Zootopia” and is done very well. The detail and overall style is very eye-catching, cohesive and crisp. However, I feel as though there wasn’t much of a story being told through the animation itself, and that most, if not all, of the story was told through the dialogue of the characters. With that being said, that was not the case in “Zootopia,” where both dialogue and cinematography were used equally, especially at key turning points throughout the film. With “Zootopia 2,” there is a lack of suspense and time for the viewers to really feel any sort of emotion from the movie.
This leads into the overall script or plot of the movie, which I also found lacking. Although the plot of this new film offered a turn of events, it felt like there wasn’t enough focus on just one plot. There was essentially one main plot and then an underlying plot that both did not receive enough limelight, or in some cases, too much limelight. This could also have to do with the way that this movie was promoted. The addition of new characters was exciting and one of the aspects of this film that I really enjoyed. Some of them were explained really well, and others weren’t, which did serve its own purpose by making the viewers focus on some characters more than others. A lot was going on in this movie, but also just not enough to be really thrilling and exciting. Additionally, the dialogue and a lot of what was said throughout this animation is inappropriate for the audience that this movie is supposedly directed to. There were a lot of “adult-ish” type jokes that kids wouldn’t understand, which in turn can cause a lot of confusion for them, since they just don’t understand what the dialogue really means. Without the use of cinematography and the heavy reliance on dialogue that children couldn’t understand, it made the intended audience likely to lose focus on the movie.
The music and soundtracks in this animation is fun and upbeat, but also have some soundtracks that are used to build suspense and tension for certain scenes. This actually works very well and makes the film more engaging. When there was a soundtrack added to parts of the animation, I saw other people in the theater start paying more attention, and it allowed for the capture of everyone’s attention. The same can be said for when it was just dead silent during a very important moment in the movie. With this being said, the way that sound was used really elevated the movie and improved the engagement for all groups who were watching. “Zoo,” which is a song in “Zootopia 2” by Shakira, is a really upbeat and fun song that is heard throughout the movie. This song really represented Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick’s (Jason Bateman) dynamic throughout this film and was a good way to represent them.
Overall, “Zootopia 2” is not a film that I would recommend for family movie night because of some of the dialogue and the poor storyline organization. Although some parts of the film are fun, fresh and engaging, I don’t believe it was worth the almost nine-year wait for a second film to come out. Additionally, the movie is missing crucial aspects and scenes that were instead filled by irrelevant side plots and characters that should not have been added. This animation was less of a sequel than was expected and more like a film trying to stand on its own.
“Zootopia 2:” ★★☆☆☆
