There have been better animated sequels and more epic ones, but has there ever been a fluffier follow-up than this bouncy, buoyant caper starring at least half the nature world?
To Zootropolis’s bickering duo of frenemies-turned-partners, idealistic bunny cop Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and sly street fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), part 2 throws in a venomous pit viper called Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) for slithering but cute sidekick antics and a message of prejudice-busting teamwork.
Gary’s gentle nature is wildly at odds with the lethal neurotoxins that course through his fangs, a neat central tension. The well-meaning serpent just wants a hug but stands to accidentally kill anyone who gets too close. Bateman and Goodwin are perfect as this snarky and sweet duo, and Everything Everywhere All at Once star Ke ups the loveability levels in a voice cast that packs in cameos from Ed Sheeran, Dwayne Johnson and even Disney CEO Bob Iger (voicing weatherman Bob Tiger and presumably immediately ready to green light Zootropolis 3). Shakira returns to bash out a song as a pop star gazelle.
The plot doesn’t quite measure up to the first Zootropolis’s ingenious Chinatown stylings, and younger viewers may need a grounding in noir storytelling to follow the action. But the quest for a McGuffin that will reunite Gary De’Snake and his ostracised viper brethren with their territorial birthright opens up a new map book to this colourfully imaginative world. The reptile kingdom is a bayou swamp for anyone who wonder what Deliverance might look like as a cartoon, and snowy mountain landscapes backdrop some cliff-edge excitement. Patrician family the Lynxleys stand in Gary, Judy and Nick’s path – despite some help from its Greg-from-Succession offspring Pawbert (Andy Samberg).
It’s a very Lethal Weapon 3-coded set-up with the Gary in the Pesci role – and the odd action sequence to match. Between them, co-writer/directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush (who replaces Rich Moore) have Encanto, Moana and Tangled on their combined résumé and they might be the safest two pairs of hands in animation. They put a foot on the gas with a pell-mell car chase involving unlikely speed merchant Flash the Sloth and a turbulent underwater tube chase.
As befits a sequel nearly a decade in the making, the character design feels lovingly pored-over. It’s all so lush and detailed, I found myself gazing at Judy’s expressive bunny ears and photoreal fur half-expecting David Attenborough to pipe up with some voiceover. Somewhere in the aftermath of the John Lasseter scandal, Disney Animation overtook its technically-advanced peers at Pixar and hasn’t looked back since. The only surprise is that it took so long.
Now to get a honey badger into the threequel and really cut loose.
In cinemas worldwide Fri Nov 28.