Zootopia 2 through the characters' eyes (Part 3: The Villains and the ZPD)
[SERIOUS SPOILER WARNING]
I don't have a strong opinion about Pawbert's two snooty siblings, but Milton Lynxley is just one of the vilest, purest Disney villains I have seen in a long time.
His endless viciousness and unhinged desire to bury anything that threatens his reputation just radiates through every single one of his appearances. The moment he tells Judy and Nick to kill Gary, his decision to expand Tundratown and destroy Marsh Market and the reptile town in the process, the way he just orders Hoggbottom to use lethal force against Judy, Gary AND his own son.
But most of all, the one scene that solidified for me the MONSTER he is the scene of Nick's arrest: He claws the fox's paw and proceeds to mentally torture him with the thought that he is going to prison and he will read the news of Judy's death while being trapped, dishonored and helpless in there.
The look on Nick's face speaks volumes about how well this worked. "Never let them see that they get to you" is long gone.
This may already have been told a lot, but Pawbert Lynxley may just be the best twist villain Disney has put out, at least since the twist villain fad starter.
That is because Pawbert's motives for attempting to kill Nick, Judy and Gary and to destroy Agnes DeSnake's original pattern absolutely make sense: He is a loser and he is looking for his family's validation.
If he remained till the end an alternative, independent motorist just distancing himself from his awful family to hang out in his cute little cat tent, that would be really sweet, generous and heroic of him. But the fact is, it is difficult for many people to disassociate themselves from a toxic family. So while Pawbert does have his bike and his tent and his will to work independently of his father and his leeching siblings, it makes sense that he has to make a choice between the right thing and the satisfying thing.
I would go as far as saying that you can't even call his betrayal a "face-heel turn" because that implies a general switch in the character's facial expression. Like the way Hans in Frozen unexpectedly goes from handling a weakened Anna like a true prince to smiling smugly as he describes his entire evil plan to her.
With Pawbert is different cause his expression doesn't change at all. He just holds that same face of someone who looks so innocent, yet deeply is just troubled and arguably sociopathic at this point.
Needless to say, he makes a pretty good job establishing himself as an omnicidal menace, even though he lacks the ferocity of the police pursuing Nick and Judy or the vicious demeanor of his family. He is absolutely determined to finish this entire team and be the one, the ONLY one, to save his family from dishonor.
Pawbert probably did the best work at almost mentally scaring Nick. Not only he lies to him about Judy being already dead, but he keeps insisting on it as they fight, as if that should be reason for Nick to let the lynx end him.
That mental scaring won't last long though, cause the film doesn't forget at any point that Pawbert is supposed to be first and foremost a loser.
Some notable moments of him after the struggle with Nick and the monumental Wildehopps scene include his Jack Torrance moment interrupted by Wildehopps attempting to mow him down, then his epic takedown, one of the best I have seen since the fight between Po and Tai Lung, as Nick, Judy, Nibbles and Gary use the best of their skills against him. Look at them. They are barely even bothered that he is choking them.
Ultimately, the guy's final mental breakdown was pretty glorious, yet a really pathetic way to go.
Hopefully, reading "Partnership for Dummies" with his dad in jail will get their relationship somewhere. Till then, bye Loser!
Patrick Warburton has two out of two with hunky, villainous buffoons who struggle with their evil deeds till they turn to the good side. And his takedown of the Lynxleys was monumental.
The beginning of the film establishes very well that no matter how much he values discipline, Chief Bogo really appreciates Wilde and Hopps, arguably being one of the few in the police force doing so.
That one "holy sh*t" moment where Nick accidentally bumps into him during the gala, and Chief proceeds to casually drag him away, gives off some serious fatherly vibes. And even more does the fact that he lets Nick go once Gary is exposed. Cause as Chief Bogo has exhibited in the first film too, he is a buffalo with morals and knows when to accept defeat.
Unfortunately, he gets accidentally bitten by Gary and spends the movie in the hospital. And that makes complete since for the plot, cause had it been him in the place of Milton Lynxley and Mayor Winddancer, he wouldn't allow the ZPD to pursue Nick and Judy this relentlessly, let alone threaten their lives.
Considering the large number of officers that have been introduced through the two films, and the fact that some of them seemed to be at pretty good terms with Nick and Judy at the end of the first film, I think it wouldn't be farfetched to assume that the Dream Team have a personal vendetta with Hoggbottom's squad.
That is a squad staring in the sequel composed of the two razorbacks (Hoggbottom and Truffler), two hippos (Higgins and Bloats), two goats (Chèvre and Bûcheron) and the goddarn Zebros.
On the other hand, I guess it would also not be farfetched to assume that the Dream Team have driven lots of people in the ZPD to their limits. The mocking behavior many of the Dream Team's colleagues display is not a result of jealousy or mockery of the duo's abilities but frustration over the duo's (and frankly mostly Judy's) apparent arrogance and hero complex.
I think it's safe to say that Nick and Judy do act as if only the two of them exist in the force, and while this doesn't generally cause serious injuries in the city, it does cause way too much damage. That stems from Judy's mentality as a pathological risk-taker and Nick's inability to take anything seriously.
Enter Nick's conduct when they are scolded by Chief Bogo, which probably made things even worse. As if it wasn't enough that Bloats and Higgins got quilled because of them, Nick continues making snarky remarks that go as far as telling Hoggbottom (mind you, she is a CAPTAIN) that her mother is as big or superficially similar to a pig car.
Needless to say, whatever resentment this particular squad bears towards them at this point is pretty understandable. So it makes sense that given the chance they would do their best to lock these two up.
The relation between the squad's cooperation with their Lynxleys and their personal issues with Wildehopps is of course mentioned outright later in the film, when Nick's slightly comical attempt to appeal to Hoggbottom's emotions in prison is dismissed.
"You don't respect anyone" she says. Needless to say, that may be a good opportunity for Nick (but Judy also) to gain some character development in regards to their relationship with their police partners too.
Of course there is a moral horizon in everything. One ought to appreciate Hoggbottom's refusal to respond to a maniacal Milton Lynxley's order to actually kill Judy (even if officer Higgins did accidentally make her fire).
In regards to the rest of the force, I don't have a lot to say. The biggest moment for the two hippos is when they make fun of Nick and Judy by painting images of them and their viral failure on their bellies, which is pretty childish.
The Zebros are of course absolute jackasses and barely even play a role in the film.
Only the two goat cops did some good job, especially since because of them Nick is arrested and Judy is remporarily gone. These guys have some pretty hardcore skills of strength and agility, which they display when they almost demolish the Honeymoon Lodge with a headbutt. This makes it even more impressive when Nick temporarily evades arrest by kicking Officer Chèvre right in the face.
Also, the unhinged joke of Nick making eyes at Officer Chèvre really rubs salt in the wound. His disrespect for some mammals needs no timing.
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