thinking about adding a pt 2 to my Z2 animation/cinematography analysis. there were a couple of other smaller scenes i planned to analyze, but was afraid of the post word limit 🤔
Z2 genuinely impressed me, and after watching this film, I wanted to analyze the intentions behind the animation and cinematography in certain sequences. When I talk about “animation” I’m referring to different departments of animation (i.e. story/storyboards, visual development (mainly color keys, costuming), and the animation’s acting choices). For cinematography, I’m referring to camera and composition choices. This isn’t a technical animation breakdown analysis, but if people want me to analyze the animation in certain scenes, then I’ll consider it!
To get this out of the way, I dislike Disney and its company practices (and most recently their whole shit with OpenAI). However, I can appreciate and celebrate whenever their artists and filmmakers have created good films with narratively compelling characters, such as Zootopia 2. I’ll be discussing real world politics at the end. If that bothers you, feel free to stop reading after PART 4 or don’t read this at all.
This post contains spoilers for Zootopia 2, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and The Bad Guys 1 and 2 as minor cinematography comparisons.
PART 1: Intro Chase
This was such a fun and engaging chase sequence! It’s entertaining, but also establishes Judy and Nick’s partnership issues. Action intro sequences are always fun, but intros should always establish the protagonists, personalities, and their dynamic immediately (I will get back to this).
The camera maintains screen direction with their car travelling screen left to right as they pursue Snootley. Generally, in western films, travelling screen left to right conveys a journey’s progression/development whereas screen right to left can feel like backtracking. In every major location, Wildehopps travel screen left to right (i.e gala, Marsh Market, Honeymoon Lodge, Weather Walls). TBG2 also starts off with a chase sequence maintained screen left to right without over inflating their shots. The only times we see additional shots of the car is when the gang is talking, Wolf is accelerating, turning, and switching to reverse.
Lots of car chase scenes in other films (mainly live action) tend to overdo their shots by adding multiple sporadic cuts of the car(s). Both Z2 and TBG2 instead prioritizes clear character actions, including dialogue suggesting an action, like when Nick recommends the tunnel shortcut. Narratively, it reinforces Nick’s familiarity and knowledge of Zootopia’s streets and tunnels vs. Judy being tunnel visioned into tailing Snootley without using shortcuts. It’s a nice detail for characterization!
The sequence answers where Snootley is travelling (screen right to left), how Wildehopps catches up to him (evading obstacles, shortcuts, using nitrous oxide to accelerate), what other obstacles they encounter that increases the difficulty of the chase, and what other supporting cast is introduced (i.e. the hogs, hippos, rams, Zebros).
To reinforce the screen direction, after Hogbottom swerves off towards screen left, the Zebros swerve towards the camera, then speed off screen right.
The chase also has a strong escalation of difficulty in catching Snootley. Under the Rule of Three (the concept of events, characters, ideas are impactful when presented in threes), the main obstacles are the wool wagon (non deadly), evading the double decker bus (lives at risk), and then the parade (thousands of lives in danger).
From our protagonists’ POV, we’ve been travelling screen left to right, but on the flip side, the parade travels screen right to left. A deadly collision is going to happen. The upcoming collision is reinforced when we get an over the shoulder shot (OTS) with Judy steering the van. This establishes her spatial relationship to the parade.
An important question Nick asks is, “am I always gonna be in the passenger’s seat?” Several moments call back to Nick’s question with Judy constantly making decisions for them (i.e. Nick’s “same page means your page” comment, Judy not listening to Nick’s suggestion of using the docks, Judy jumping into the red line tube). Judy hastily jumps out of their car, but Nick doesn’t want her to hurt herself and attempts to intervene. Both are in the right on what to do, just poorly strategized. Judy’s right in wanting to prevent a deadly car crash, but she’s also wrong for putting herself at risk. Nick’s in the right for not wanting Judy to perform a dangerous stunt, but he’s wrong for interfering with her mid-jump which could’ve gone for the worse.
By the end of this scene, here’s what we learned about our protagonists and their dynamic:
Judy is the primary driver/leader of their dynamic. She determines the biggest decisions.
Nick is the passenger of their dynamic (whether he likes it or not). He can offer suggestions but the one who executes actions is Judy.
Judy makes risky, impulsive decisions regardless of Nick’s opinion
Nick values Judy’s physical safety
Judy remains hyperfocused on her job, making her neglectful of Nick’s feelings
Nick remains disconnected/nonchalant about his job, making him emotionally hard to read for Judy
(Side note, it’s funny how Nick calls for a partner meeting, but after this fiasco leading up to the broken carrot pen, he kind of shuts down and doesn’t talk about what’s bothering him. It’s clear that he doesn't feel listened to in several moments. Poor guy.)
PART 2: Zootennial Gala
This gala sequence was mesmerizing! The background uses a bokeh effect the moment we’re on a medium shot with Nick and Judy. Nick gets a personal moment to see himself in a formal suit (presumably for the first time) and it parallels his junior ranger scout scene. He expresses a slight, delightful surprise and pride that he even looks this good in a suit. Blurring out the background brings focus on a personal moment with a character. If it’s two characters, then both characters share a significant moment together and can create a dreamy ambiance.
In the following shots, a rack focus (the change in lens focus from one subject to another) shifts from Judy talking about always waiting to infiltrate “a place like this” to focusing on Nick’s expression. Facial expression wise, it’s undeniable that he has an affectionate one. He’s admiring how she looks, but it’s also a moment of “Huh, really? This place of all places?” as a reaction to what Judy said. There’s a lot of romantic undertones from the soundtrack (i.e. the slow guitar and gentle strings (0:45-1:00) during the outfit reveal), animation, and cinematography. The moment of shared silence and glances leads to Judy attaching a flower on Nick’s suit.
If you want to convey a sense of intimacy and familiarity, then physical contact is key, even if it’s as simple as fixing one’s outfit. At the same time, as a fault of heteronormativity in media, whenever a hetero couple has intimate contact (platonic/romantic), the average viewer is inclined to anticipate romantic development. It’s even more so when interactions give the impression of flirting.
Sandeepan Chanda, the storyboard artist for this scene, mentioned that this moment "[highlights how their] partnership is still going strong and that they genuinely care for each other.” Jared Bush (director) suggested adding a “small, heartfelt moment” in which Chanda boarded out Judy adding a flower to Nick’s outfit. What makes this scene work for me is how the interaction is not the awkward fumbling of two people astonished by each others’ beauty, but the confidence in initiating a heartfelt gesture because of familiarity. Judy and Nick are comfortable with each others’ presence, and it shows!
Leading into this wide shot, the background's bokeh effect gets dialed up a ton to convey a cinematic feeling. In terms of framing, the yellow lights in the back guide the viewer to the center where Nick and Judy are. The camera doesn’t want you to miss this moment. Despite being undercover, they still have opportunities for banter and quips with each other (flirtatious or not). Color wise, these shots use blue, pink, yellow, and purple. It’s gentle, intimate, and inviting. It feels romantic.
Nick previously tells Judy that “in fancy town, a fox and a bunny won’t exactly blend in.” And they sure don’t. They’re the focal points for the viewer!
Notice how the other guests’ clothes are in blue/purple hues whereas Wildehopps stand out with the orange and yellow? Judy’s yellow dress and Nick’s orange fur + yellow flower is a strong contrast to the blues, pink, purples of the gala—it pinpoints them in all gala shots. They wouldn’t have stood out as much if Judy’s dress was her signature blue/purple. From the Z2 artbook, this is a key shot listed in their Three Primary Visual Looks (for abbreviations sake, I’ll refer to this as 3PVL).
This shot falls under an “Out of Comfort Zone,” and Daniel Rice (director of cinematography lighting) says these use “more genre-driven scenes” and conveys a “sense of novelty” the audience experiences with the characters. Not only are Wildehopps experiencing a sense of novelty for the gala and each others’ outfits, but so are we! It’s a gala, they’re in fancy town, but we’re more interested in how these two who don’t belong try to belong in this elite setting.
Maybe the directors also just wanted to use a yellow dress to pay homage to Beauty and the Beast, but connotation wise, it can be interpreted as these two belonging together because of their outfits' shared colors.
Shared colors in outfits can signify one’s alliance with another and/or aligned morals/values. In TBG1, when Wolf dances with Diane, he realizes he wants to do good and change himself for the better (to hammer it in, the lyrics are “we’re gonna be good tonight/we’re the good, good guys”). These two now have shared morals compared to when Wolf’s ego prevented him from changing until he experienced a moment of gratitude from the granny he helped.
As Wildehopps advances into the gala, this scene then asks “how do our protagonists get to the journal?” which offers opportunities for characterization. Judy’s solution is with costumes, Nick’s solution is through hobnobbing. When Nick hustles the bear, I liked how seamless it was!
The shots are economical. They don’t over complicate actions for the animator, and more importantly cuts fat from the film. Rather than showing shots of Nick grabbing the necklace, it’s simplified by first raising his paw in the air, cutting to the bear walking across on screen, and then revealing the necklace in his paw. It’s an efficient shot that doesn’t require more time and animation labor than it needs to get the point across.
A wide shot is then used to see all interactions and reactions from these three characters. Generally, whenever new information is gained, we need to see character reactions to it. We’re watching how Nick is persuading/gaining favor with the bear, and Judy’s surprise over the success of the hustle. Within the same shot, we also see their corresponding reactions to one another. Judy is impressed by the outcome and Nick gives a “See? This is how you blend in,” kind of expression.
A cool detail here is how this scene’s soundtrack incorporates the Jumbo Pop hustle leitmotif. It’s a neat callback! Back in Z1, the hustle leitmotif is always used whenever our protagonists outsmart someone else (i.e. Judy watching the pawpsicle hustle, Nick hustling Judy, Wildehopps hustling Bellwether).
I also like how effective the composition, colors, and values are in establishing focal points.
The pigs’ heads are against the pink hues of the stage, and screen left and right uses blues/purples with the crowd reflecting those colors. Only the yellow journal is at the center, which is also framed by the darkest values from the guards’ black suits. In the second example, pink hues are in the center while the surrounding environment and crowds are kept in blues/purples.
During the chase, the escalation of the chaos makes sense: elephant bumps into the ice column; column causes chandelier to fall; fallen chandeliers prevent Nick from catching up to Judy; Judy catches up to Gary. These series of events are used to separate Judy from Nick to give her a moment of realization from Gary’s story. In storytelling, three aspects of information has to be considered:
I know MORE than the character(s)
I know LESS than what the character(s) knows
I know the SAME amount of information as the character(s)
These aspects can generate suspense depending on what information is available for both the audience and the characters. In this scene, Judy begins to doubt whether snakes are the issue, but because Nick is separated from her, he’s not on the same page. Judy and the audience knows MORE than Nick, Nick knows LESS than Judy and the audience, and we know the SAME amount as Judy. Nick doesn't understand why Judy's so insistent on helping Gary, which creates dissonance between their goals.
The murder gag was hilarious! It’s a compelling set up that forces them to cross the threshold to begin their hero’s journey. By the time Wildehopps are sliding down the snow and is picked up by Mr. Big, it marks their point of no return. At this point, we’re 30 minutes into the film, concluding Act 1. They’ve passed the threshold, are fugitives, and have to begin their hero’s journey of solving the case, whether they want to or not.
PART 3: Honeymoon Lodge
I love how well executed the tension and suspense was here. As the argument develops, the camera gradually pushes in closer. There’s also a bit of rotational camera around them as their argument spirals, conveying a sense of growing dissonance. The camera cuts closer to their facial expressions, with Nick’s sense of urgency and Judy’s desperation to gather the evidence.
During this conversation, we have moments of characterization that correspond to their morals/values and personalities. Nick wants to leave immediately to save themselves from arrest and potential death. In Nick’s rational and self-preservation point of view, he values his and Judy’s physical and emotional safety rather than sacrificing their lives for the case. However, Judy’s selflessness and sense of justice fuels her desire to resolve the case and help the reptiles, even at the cost of her life.
Once Nick yells “I don’t care about the case!” the camera halts on Judy’s shocked expression. Music also pauses immediately to let the audience absorb the tension and their conflicting goals/values.
This is a key shot listed in their 3PVL for moments of “Emotional Truth.” Rice mentions that bold colors are used to “emphasize the clarity of an emotional reckoning” and when the “heroes finally encounter their deepest personal truths.” The emotional reckoning Judy has is that Nick’s values don't align with hers, and much less unable to understand why because of Nick’s emotional constipation. Judy’s integrity clashes against Nick’s cynicism of the world. Their emotional baggage prevents them from seeing eye to eye, literally too. Judy stands above Nick and is spotlighted, indicating her discovery and enlightenment of the truth of the case, but also encounters her deep personal truth that “maybe we are different.”
Compositionally, they’re on opposite ends of the screen which adds to the emotional/moral opposition. I like that they went for chiaroscuro lighting here. Chiaroscuro is the use of low and high contrast lighting to create dynamic areas of light and shadows. This type of lighting can create a moment of heightened emotional darkness/tension and suspense one encounters. In terms of emotional darkness/tension, Nick learns that Judy doesn’t think they’re compatible because they are different. Back in Z1, Nick was hurt the most when Judy defined a fundamental, biological difference between them. For Judy, it’s her hesitant belief that they’re incompatible because of different values. She doesn’t want this to be true, but her doubt grows. After all, she did confidently say that “we’re not that different” in the beginning of the film. In terms of suspense, their partnership is paused because of this realization of differences. We don’t know what will happen now moving forward.
During these moments of emotional truths, the backgrounds are simplified to let the audience absorb the character's internal emotions and thoughts. Nick experiences his emotional truth during the jail scene.
As Nick walks further into the cell looking out towards the window, the camera tracks him and the background becomes more simplified (literally only shows the wall). It’s a nice cinematic choice, and he’s bathed in blue moonlight, indicating his turn for an emotional reckoning. He confronts Judy’s belief that they are different, and he confesses that the case isn’t worth her dying for because “I don’t want to lose her.” His deepest personal truth is that he greatly cherishes Judy and fears losing her. We now have the SAME amount of knowledge as Nick, but Judy knows LESS than both Nick and the audience. Nick needs to tell her how he feels for them to be on the same page again.
Also, I love how the character blocking is reminiscent of theatre stage plays. In stage plays, when characters monologue they often look towards the house/audience. Nick does the same here. He wants us to listen.
As the Honeymoon Lodge tears apart with Wildehopps on opposite ends, it thematically reflects their partnership being torn apart. Environmentally, the lodge causes their physical separation, but their emotional separation is because of conflicting goals/values and their partnership’s honeymoon phase ending. It also doesn’t help that this separation forces them to put a pin on their conversation. What’s great about this separation arc is that, unlike most separation scenes between couples, it’s not done mutually or out of malice. They evidently both care about each other, their partnership, and want to be together. However, emotional baggage prohibits them from communicating, and their environment forces them apart.
By the way, major respect for Hikari Toriumi who boarded the entire Honeymoon Lodge scene! Such a solid, emotional moment.
PART 4: Confession
I love how the confession scene uses the right types of shots. Generally speaking, the most intimate visual language on screen is when two characters face each other in a two shot (a shot with two characters occupying the same frame). In terms of intimacy, it’s either to convey affection or confrontation. In the extreme, it’s either two people falling in love/about to kiss, or two people about to fight.
Moving onto their dialogue scene, this is another key shot under their 3PVL’s emotional truth moments. Both now basked under the same light, they experience an emotional reckoning together. Nick finally confesses that he cares about Judy, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and that she’s his pack. Judy confesses that she has a need to prove herself out of fear of being perceived as weak, takes things personally from Nick because he’s the only one that’s ever believed in her, and he’s her fluffle.
The more we get into the overshare, the more the background becomes blurred out, and the closer the camera cuts into their faces.
Each time the camera cuts back to their faces and slowly zooms in, it gradually increases the level of vulnerability they share. The same method is applied during Puss’ vulnerable moment when he apologizes to Kitty about Santa Coloma. For Wildehopps, this is the most pivotal, emotional moment for them, and it happens when they confess that no one else in the world matters more to them than they do. They learn each others’ deepest personal truths.
This scene’s soundtrack also incorporates The Nick of Time theme! This is a leitmotif to indicate vulnerability, and it’s also used when they’re outside the gala (1:10-1:20), and when Judy fears for Nick’s life back in the control room. Back in Z1, it’s used when Judy feels discouraged about her job, when Nick stands up for Judy, confides in her, and when Judy apologizes to Nick.
Now with a newfound revelation, we learn this about our characters:
Both value and care for each other deeply, more than anyone else in the world
Nick is emotionally insecure and fears vulnerability, making him unable to express his gratitude for Judy being in his life
Judy’s inferiority complex drives her need to prove herself, making her taking things personally when Nick doesn’t appear to believe in her since he was the first to ever believe in her capabilities
By the end of the film, Judy offers opportunities for Nick to drive their dynamic (i.e. he drives the snow tractor, lets him speak for them both at partner therapy), and both are on the same page (i.e. catching Pawbert together, jumping together, finding the patent together).
There’s honestly not much else to say here! They nailed this confession scene using simple shots and camera moves that help convey profound emotions. It’s a strong development in their relationship and character arcs!
PART 5: Z2 & Contemporary Politics (a mild rant)
I respect Zootopia’s attempts at discussing contemporary politics, but it’s also unfortunate that its owned by Disney who supports Israel, a state actively committing genocide against Palestinians and has been historically colonizing Palestinian land. Z2 highlights colonialism, and even though the film doesn’t explicitly show a genocide, expansion and removal of native populations for foreign settlement is tied to patterns of genocide (i.e. US committing Native American genocide).
The film makes sure to use terms like “expansion” and ”erased” when referring to the Lynxley’s removal of the reptile neighborhood off the map (like how Google removed Palestine off Google Maps), and Lynxley claiming “waterfolk, like foxes, are lesser mammals” (like how Israel degrades and dehumanizes Palestinians as “human animals”). Let’s not forget that Zootopia’s animal allegory reflects human races/ethnicities to parallel contemporary sociopolitical issues. Pawbert mentions how “everyone believed [Ebeneizer’s] lie” that framed Agnes for murder solely because “she was a snake.” It directly reflects how fear and negative stereotypes can manipulate and enforce prejudice against specific races and ethnic groups.
Maybe the directors and writers of Z2 wanted it to solely parallel Native American history or US history of redlining and gentrification. However, considering the global political climate when this film was released, it’s hard to not find parallels with current genocides in Gaza, Sudan, and DR Congo. Quick note, but Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy’s VA) is a Zionist, which is incredibly ironic to Z2’s anti-colonialist messages. In an interview, she denies that Z2 is about current issues. I want to believe that the directors are very aware of the narrative and themes they’ve written, but it’s still nonetheless ironic with who they chose to cast.
I also have my own dilemma with this franchise. I want to support the protagonists and what they stand for, the artistry behind it, the filmmakers’ intent to highlight contemporary issues through Zootopia, but I don’t support Disney as a company. Making fanart for a Disney franchise suddenly feels like I’m saying “I support Disney and its company practices!” Are all of Disney’s artists complicit in Disney’s company practices just because they work for their studio? It’s quite ignorant to think so. In a recent interview, Bush mentioned he doesn’t want AI to replace his workflow for screenwriting, so it's likely his perspective’s the same when it comes to the artists that work on these films. Despite this, Disney has signed a deal with OpenAI.
Granted, I don't personally know people who work under Walt Disney Animation, but It’s wrong to assume that EVERY artist/filmmaker under Disney supports EVERY executive decision they make. The directors of the Z2 seem to be self aware, there’s even the whole jab Weasleton makes about “the industry’s going down the tube.” But it makes me wonder how creatives in this industry maintain their personal morals/ethics under the systems of capitalism. Not like they can just drop their jobs, considering how volatile the job market’s been for the animation industry.
Back to Z2’s stance on colonialism, the protagonists’ actions encourage a call to action: acknowledge, support, advocate, and stand in solidarity with victims of humanitarian crises and racism. Judy saying that “it matters to him (Gary)” speaks volumes on the fact that even if no one else seems to care and efforts feel futile, the efforts from those who do care will mean the world to the victims. Regardless of differences, we all have the power to help those in need even if the contribution is small.
As this post comes to an end, I want to list a few humanitarian resources:
Resources & Mutual Aid Masterpost by mythmash & Resources Master Document by kelpkoralreef – variety of links to organizations, fundraisers, and info for countries undergoing humanitarian crises.
DecolonizePalestine - Educational resource to learn about Palestine’s historical conflicts.
BDS Boycott Movement - List of companies to boycott to support Palestinians.
Lastly, I recommend watching GAUZE, an animated student short film about the Gaza Strip famine from the perspective of a 14 year old Palestinian boy. It’s deserving of support and is worth the watch.
Closing Thoughts
Art is political. Zootopia is political. Some might turn Zootopia away, solely labeling it as “copaganda for kids,” which, yes, it’s ironic that a cop is painted positively when figures of authority have been major enforcers of systemic racism. It’s ironic that Z1’s story can be interpreted as encouraging victims of racism and discrimination to side with the systems of oppression. But maybe, the positive intent is the hope that there’s individuals who want to change the system from within. Like come on, Judy’s character arc in Z1 forces her to unlearn her biases. Hell, even Mayor Winddancer makes a hilarious comment that Wildehopps can “solve bias and stereotypes forever.” There’s gotta be an inkling of self awareness from the directors and writers 9 years after Z1’s release.
However, I also believe we shouldn’t ignore what we can learn from the emotional core of these stories and its parallels to contemporary issues. We can still enjoy media that’s made in earnest passion while remaining critical about its themes/messages and real world implications.
baratheonpilled
ellievsbear
prguitarman
discoholicmusic
yousharknotpass
jacobvanloon
janainaart