The stolen car hits the pavement and hurls around a corner. But hot on its heels are Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde ready to capture the thief and put him behind bars. This hilarious, action packed car chase is the perfect opening scene to Disney’s newest animated film, “Zootopia 2,” released on Nov. 26, 2025. The movie was directed by Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, and features an all new soundtrack by Michael Giacchino. Shakira also returned to voice Gazelle with an all new song titled “Zoo” with lyrics co-written by Ed Sheeran and Blake Slatkin.
“Zootopia 2” throws the viewer right into the action as Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) take on their first police case as partners. Throughout the film, Judy and Nick’s partnership is put to the test as they help their new friends Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) and Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg) stop the powerful Lynxley family from expanding Tundra Town.
This movie was better than expected. Disney’s movies have been going downhill lately, but this movie was a change in the tides. This movie didn’t seem like Disney was trying too hard to be inclusive and woke. There was plenty of diversity and fun in this movie, but it was done naturally. It seems like the company was trying to go back to the way they made movies when the first Zootopia movie came out, which is excellent.
The script throughout the whole film also seemed very natural, and it rarely felt cringy or over the top. The interactions between Judy and Nick were just as funny and lovable as they were in the first movie, which was what made both movies as good as they were. Many viewers were hoping for further development in the cop partners’ relationship, and although it wasn’t explicitly stated, some lines in the movie hinted that the fox and bunny had feelings for each other.
Disney also did an excellent job with adding characters into the movie, like Nick and Judy’s new friend Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), and Zootopia’s heartthrob mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), both of which added comic relief and entertainment to the movie. And comical, it was. There were some genuinely funny moments in this movie—ones that don’t just make the viewer snicker, but actually laugh out loud. Disney did tie in old characters like Chief Bogo and Benjamin Clawhauser, but it would’ve been nice to see them in the movie a bit more.
Disney was really stepping up their game on this one, but it still wasn’t their best movie. While the plot had some good twists and turns, it seemed like they were trying to pack in as many events as possible into the movie, making the plot go by too fast. Even though the plot was fast, Disney did include some impressive metaphorical moments throughout the film. One of the more profound ones was Judy’s carrot pen breaking, representing her fracturing relationship with Nick.
Overall, “Zootopia 2” was a great movie. Not Disney’s best, but certainly a step up from their recent movies. It was entertaining and well written all the way through, and included impactful new characters as well as impressive script writing. Definitely a must see in theaters or on Disney+ when it gets released.
