After some setbacks from the box office failures of original movies such as Elemental, Wish, and Elio, Disney has resorted to sequels and live-action remakes – a practice that has been heavily criticized by fans of the movie giant. So, it only seemed reasonable to make a sequel to Zootopia (2016), a movie which became the highest-grossing animated film of that year and deeply resonated with fans all over the world, including me. So when I heard that they were making a sequel to the movie, I was excited to see it, especially from an artist’s viewpoint as an animator myself.
I believe that Zootopia 2 separates itself from being just another sequel to a successful film by wonderfully expanding the world of Zootopia and its inhabitants, as well as developing Judy Hopps’ and Nick Wilde’s partnership.
Zootopia 2 is a very visually diverse and pleasing film; in every shot, you can see the hand of the artists behind the scenes show up in the finished film. My own understanding of the artistic process is enhanced through the Zootopia 2 concept art book I own. It’s fascinating to see all the new environments that we didn’t get to see in the first movie, such as Marsh Market, a fish market in the middle of a marshland surrounded by water. The scenery is simply a work of art, seeing how the greens, blues and browns are used by the artists involved to create the mood and style of this new set piece.
Along with the beautiful visuals comes the character growth with Judy and Nick, and the sequel further expands on their motivations, goals, and professional relationship with each other, all culminating in a very heartfelt scene towards the end of the movie.
Zootopia 2 also expands on those themes of racism and prejudice seen in the first movie with the newly introduced reptile Zootopians.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Zootopia 2. It’s a truly rich movie, both artistically and narratively. I believe it to be a more than sufficient sequel to the original movie. I myself might even say that I find the sequel to be even more enjoyable than the original movie.
