Donald Trump may be attempting to resurrect the long defunct Rush Hour franchise, but there’s no need. The best buddy cop movie in eons has arrived in the form of Zootopia 2. This sequel to 2016’s smash hit Oscar-winning animated film proves more than worth the lengthy wait, knocking it out of the park with its dazzling visuals, sophisticated humor and doses of genuine emotion.
As the film begins, rabbit Judy Hops (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are newly partnered on the police force overseen by the intimidating cape buffalo Chief Bogo (Idris Elba). Despite their previous success, things aren’t going smoothly for the pair, who are ordered to attend a “partners in crisis” workshop led by, what else, a therapy animal (Quinta Brunson).
Zootopia 2
Worth the wait.
When clues emerge about the possible presence of an interloping snake in town, Judy and Nick, amusingly dressed to the nines, infiltrate the Zootopia Gala hosted by a family of lynxes descended from the city’s founder. They discover the presence of Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan, whose terrific vocal turn can only be described as soulful), who turns out to be not the villain he initially appears. In a convoluted series of events, the rookie cops find themselves the target of a police manhunt while they attempt to find Gary, who is intent on restoring the reputation of both his family and reptiles in general.
But really, the plot is just an excuse for a series of uproarious episodes featuring delightful animal characters both old and new. Among the latter is ravenous beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster, hilarious), who turns out to be a key ally, and pompous new mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a stallion who used to be an actor.
While no individual scene matches the brilliance of the previous film’s classic sequence featuring a sloth DMV clerk — his name is Flash, and he does make a welcome if brief appearance here as an incongruously very fast driver — Zootopia 2 features one hysterical gag after another beautifully orchestrated by co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard. A particularly funny scene involves a walrus boat, while another revolves around a Burning Man-type festival. The attention to amusing detail is evident throughout, from the vainglorious mayor’s ample display of chest fur to the very long wintry outfit Gary De’Snake wears in snowy conditions.
Like many contemporary animated films, there are plenty of pop culture references. But the ones here are actually funny, even if they’ll go over the heads of younger audience members, such as a chase scene set in a hedge maze just like the one in The Shining. Co-director Bush, who authored the screenplay, deserves much credit not only for all the witty humor but also the fact that he didn’t require a massive team of co-writers.
The sequel features so many animal characters and environments that multiple viewings will be necessary to take them all in. The gags fly fast and furious, making no concession to short attention spans, and as far as keeping up with all the voice talents, forget it. This is practically the It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World of animated films, with vocal contributions from Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Jean Reno, Macaulay Culkin, Jenny Slate, Tommy Chong, John Leguizamo, June Squibb, Josh Gad, Dwayne Johnson, and many, many others too numerous to mention.
There are plenty of insider jokes in the casting, from poet Amanda Gorman as a giraffe reporter to Disney head honcho Bob Iger as weatherman Bob Tiger to Michael J. Fox in a very brief turn as a fox prison inmate. You won’t even recognize many of the voices, but you can imagine the fun the creators had. And Shakira returns as the pop star Gazelle, delivering a hips-shaking rendition of the potential pop hit “Zoo,” with Ed Sheeran among its writers. (Of course, the singer voices one of the characters as well).
Goodwin and Bateman are perfection as Judy and Nick, whose increasingly affectionate relationship forms the heart of the film despite the fact that Nick steadfastly maintains that foxes are solitary animals. Their dynamic is both touching and funny, with things definitely heading in a romantic direction in the inevitable next installment teased in the mid-credits scene. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another decade for it to arrive.
