Movie Thoughts: Zootopia 2 (2025)

• Released: November 13th, 2025
• Directed by: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
• Running time: 1h 48min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

When a snake turns up in Zootopia, Nick and Judy team up once again to solve another case.

My Thoughts

For whatever reason this movie is getting a really positive reception, even from usually harsh critics of modern Disney movies. And I...kinda don't see it.

Okay, I mean, look at my rating, I don't think this is bad or anything. It's still a positive rating and this is still a pretty fun movie to check out if you're a fan of the first Zootopia.

But like, for me...eh. It didn't work all that much. I do like the first Zootopia, but the more times I rewatch it, the less I do like it and I just don't think it's a great film. This sequel I feel kinda the same about. It can be fun, it looks good, it has a decent mystery to be solved, some of the characters are okay. But that's kinda where my enjoyment for these films ends.

For one, the lackluster world-building of these movies has always irked me. Why do these movies never address omnivores, only predators and prey? Why does it put shrews with the rodents as herbivores when shrews are carnivores? Why does it imply to do the same with pigs (who are omnivores)? Why are all the mammals roughly sized the same as their real-life counterparts, but are the reptiles wildly off-scale? Why are there domesticated animals when there's no humans in this universe to have domesticated them? It literally feels like the creators of this world only cared about putting in the effort to accommodate the various species in the city, but then refuse to think about the implications of their world-building.

The characters this time around are still fine, but I still don't feel much for them honestly. I also thought that Gary and Judy's friendship progressed way too fast. But at least Gary wasn't annoying. Pawbert is another twist villain, I guess. I feel nothing for his twist, either, but at least he's not as bad as Bellwether in the last movie.

This movie is also just kinda too much for me. There are too many characters, there is so much action going on on-screen with very little room to breathe, and there are too many unnecessary references to the previous movie. 

The mystery itself was pretty decent and all and I guess if you watch the movie for that or the action you'll be satisfied, but for me it didn't do that much.

I guess the Zootopia universe is just not the universe for me. Maybe the third movie will be great, who knows.