Finally saw it! And... (Review with spoilers)
I checked out "Zootopia 2," the sequel to the film I consider Disney's best of the decade, and I was pleased. If you don't really want too much depth, my feelings on the film were that it was strong with the worldbuilding and Judy and Nick's relationship, but that the main story/theme and new characters weren't as strong as they could've been. And I should explain: I nitpick things. Even if I have a slew of bad things to say about something, that doesn't mean I dislike it; I'm just critical. I liked this film, and I definitely recommend it! All right, for the more detailed review.
The time jump (or lack thereof)--Starting off with a nitpick since it's the first thing we see. The film reviewed Bellwether's demise and Judy and Nick's new story, which takes place a week after. I'm annoyed that we didn't get a larger time jump, especially since they go to therapy after their next mission. That said...
The Leads--While it feels kinda heavy-handed for Nick and Judy to need therapy a week after beginning to work together, I loved how they acknowledged their shortcomings and feelings for each other (which strayed along the "saying it's romantic without saying it's romantic" stuff; if they were humans, it'd either be explicitly romantic or less deliberately hinted at), though I would've preferred they got more than one session rather than holding it all in after the session and not being open with each other until the end. That said, it's disappointing that neither of them had arcs they had to overcome or learning how to be better, since it was typical partner spats rather than anything to do with the racism message. Giving Nick more focus for his reptile aversion would put him in a similar position to Judy in the story, and needing to decide if he's ready to be a hero after being a criminal for so long. It could have more focus on his growth over Judy's--though Judy's experience in Zootopia making her optimism become more complex could also come into play, with her watching more of Nibbles' videos and overanalyzing things when sometimes things are what they are at face value.
New characters--This is complicated. I really loved the characters we got, though I do regret that it kinda came at the expense of characters we knew. I was hoping Bellwether would provide some sort of clarity to the situation due to being a cameo, as well as being disappointed that they had to poison Chief Bogo to get him out of action in order for Captain Hogbottom to have more focus. Not to mention, the new characters we get aren't really fleshed out; putting Nick and Judy against the police right after joining is a bit of a bummer, not to mention the Captain and the Zebros are just the muscle, despite previously being co-workers of Nick and Judy. Brian Winddancer is a neat character, but feels very underutilized. He doesn't have a major role like Lionheart or Bellwether had, simply being an actor turned politician (HOW did he become mayor?) who works for the Lynxley's in order to keep his position, until randomly feeling inspired to fight for good like his characters. He's kinda Kronk on speedrun--which I guess is appropriate since they share the same VA, but I wish the mayor here was actually competant and wise rather than manipulative and/or a liar. Gary doesn't really have any personality besides "I'm an optimist and I'm trying to clear my family's name." He doesn't get a lore exploration like Nick and Judy, only his grandmother as it pertains to the main story. And I guess that does lead me into the next part.
The theme--So the idea is that the Lynxleys are a powerful family and expand their tundra area over territories they wish to control, with their ancestral patriarch taking the credit for creating Zootopia and framing his partner for murder and ruining the reputation of reptiles. I don't mind this, but I do wish there was more to it, considering they're both predators. I think diving more into the xenophobia aspect of it would've been neat given the mammal preference of the city. Along with this, the idea is that preference/control over reptiles has already happened, since they've been driven into hiding. The discrimination and racism doesn't feel as potent as the microaggressions and cruelty of the first film, since reptiles are treated as monsters rather than snakes. If they wanted to do it that way, treating reptiles as a foreign animal entirely would've been interesting, seeing that they once inhabited the area of Zootopia, but were driven out when the city was built and they were labeled "undesirables." It felt like with the sequel, it was more "buddy cop film with animals" rather than exploring more emotional themes of discrimination. I dunno, I think the idea was neat, but not as emotional or biting as the first. Maybe if it was, it could make this next part a bit better.
The Villains--THEY DID BOTH! The Lynxley family are the villains of the story: Milton and his children Kitty and Cattrick, while they son Pawbert is seen as an outcast, for some reason. Pawbert decides to help Gary and bring down his family, only to end up being a twist villain wanting to show his family he can do something right. I like both aspects, but both aren't used as much as they could be. The Lynxley family aren't used much, mainly just using the police to chase down Nick, Judy, and co.--and while it shows their power, it doesn't make them interesting. I was hoping Milton's children would be more involved, make a power play, or be revealed as the true villains while Milton had no idea what was going on. In the case of Pawbert, I think his reasoning is interesting. He isn't doing this just for fame or power, but for his family to be like him. "I don't wanna be different" hit HARD, because that's the unspoken thing about Zootopia. Judy says how she and Nick are different, and I feel like there isn't enough time to linger on that before they're separated. Zootopia is a place where people can see their similarities and still celebrate their differences, but differences can still divide you. Pawbert feeling like an outcast in his own FAMILY makes him want to be like them. It's a great idea to show that not everyone wants to stand out, and that having some things in common isn't always enough to make people like you. But I didn't see Pawbert with his family enough to care, see some abuse or backstory. This is the same issue with Bellwether as a twist villain. NGL though, I did feel juuuuust bad enough for him to see him succeed in burning down Gary's ancestral home, simply because he KEPT TRYING. They beat him down several times and he got back up because he wanted to be part of something--even though that something needed more attention. I will admit, they did get me with the twist, though. The ending with them arguing in prison and Pawbert still feeling left out would've been better if they had more screentime.
Cameos/References--Just wanted to mention how I love how several Disney stars cameoed in this film. Patrick Warburton playing a similar character to Kronk, while narratively limiting, was a cool callback. And I did want to point out how they made a BIG "Frozen" reference, whether or not they realized it; when Pawbert reveals who he is and how his family made him who he is, leaving Gary to freeze and Judy to die as he kills Nibbles and Nick reminds me of Prince Hans going to kill Elsa after revealing his true nature to Anna, locking her in a room to freeze to death. Someone's gotta explain to me the situation that comes after, though; I think they were saying that Gary was able to get warm because of Judy's body heat, but it felt like a magical moment that confused me. Not to mention the frying pan thing with "Tangled"--though I'm questioning where they kept getting those.
"Zoo"--It's a really fun song, even moreso in the context of the film. I regret that it's not a deep song like "Try Everything," it was still something to enjoy.
The ending--I'm probably reading WAY too much into it, but I do love that they kept mentioning/showing Bellwether, and the film ends with Nick and Judy tracking her down after she escaped/was accidentally freed.
Altoghether, I say 7/10. Hope you didn't mind my rambling! I'll probably add "Zootopia 2" to my "remaking the revival era" post at some point soon.
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