Back in 2016, Disney introduced us to rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and the sly con artist fox Nick Wilde in Zootopia. The animated buddy cop movie was a hit — it even won an Oscar — and nearly a decade later, the unlikely partners are back, with the sequel Zootopia 2 hitting the 2025 movie calendar just in time for Thanksgiving. Critics were able to screen the new kids movie ahead of its release to help you decide if it’s worth carving time out of your holiday weekend for.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman have returned as the leading duo, along with several others who previously voiced the titular city’s residents. Some big names have also joined the world, including Ke Huy Quan as Gary De'Snake, a viper who Nick and Judy are investigating. In the CinemaBlend review of Zootopia 2, Dirk Libbey says the sequel is bigger and better in every way, providing a simple but fun story. He gives it 4 out of 5 stars, writing:
It’s a fairly pedestrian buddy cop movie plot. It’s one we’ve literally seen before, but honestly, the same was true in the original Zootopia, and that worked pretty well. … But it was never the plot that was Zootopia’s strong suit. That comes from the characters and the world. Zootopia 2 brings back everything that we loved from the first film and introduces lots of new characters and locations for us to enjoy.
Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com rates Zootopia 2 a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, saying that Disney magic radiates from every texture and movement, and the brilliant details and visual easter eggs will warrant repeat viewings. The critic continues:
Zootopia 2 is pure delight, every bit as exciting and heartwarming and imaginative as the Oscar-winning original and maybe even funnier. It has hilarious animal-word puns and sly references to cultural touchstones from streaming platforms like EweTube and HuluZoo, where you can watch shows like ‘Only Herders in the Building.’ … Most importantly, this movie is an ode to community, those who fight for justice, to being open-minded about who to trust, and most of all, to friendship, presented in a gorgeously designed world where animals of all sizes and habitats live together in peace.
Frank Scheck of THR agrees with other critics in saying you’ll have to watch this sequel more than once to appreciate all of the details woven into this world. The movie is one hysterical gag after another featuring its delightful animal characters. Scheck says:
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.
Clint Gage of IGN rates Zootopia 2 a “Great” 8 out of 10 for its gorgeous animation, great pacing and animal puns. It also brought out a range of emotions in his children. The critic concludes:
Zootopia 2 brings all the same animated whodunnit action and clever animal jokes as the 2016 version with a welcome new cast of allies and villains for our mismatched heroes Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. The look of the sequel builds off the vibrant world of the original, and while thematically the movie may bite off more than it can chew, Zootopia 2, like its bunny-cop hero, shares a contagious hope that things can always change.
Jake Coyle of the AP gives the movie 2.5 out of 4 stars, bluntly saying that the sequel does not reach the heights of the original and calling it “more timid and tame.” It leans possibly too much on the chemistry between Judy and Nick, but that will definitely be enough to entertain families this holiday weekend and beyond. In the critic’s words:
So Zootopia 2, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (both veterans from the first film), is, like many long-in-coming sequels, a slightly watered down version of what came before. But the central relationship of Judy and Nick, a team-up with some echoes of 48 Hours, remains a compelling one, and the primary reason that Zootopia 2 will be plenty satisfying to families seeking more cartoony lions and tigers and bears (oh my) this November. It looks great, it’s mildly funny and animal cities are fun.
The consensus amongst critics is mostly positive, as they declare Zootopia 2 worth the nearly decade-long wait — while expressing hope that the next offering in the franchise doesn’t take as long. The movie currently holds a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and is in theaters now.
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