Nine years ago, Disney unleashed the first Zootopia upon audiences, and have finally put together a sequel.  Thankfully, it is just as smart and innovative as the first one, emphasizes story over jokes, and is pretty darned entertaining.

Jared Bush and Byron Howard’s film finds Judy Hoops (a rabbit) and Nick Wilde (a fox) teaming up as police partners in Zootopia, yet nobody takes them very seriously as law enforcers.  One badly bungled operation makes things worse.  But soon they realize that something going on is a century in the making and can change the very fabric of their city.  It involves snakes and reptiles and greed and betrayal on a grand scale, and may be their ultimate undoing.

The story is a serious one (which I definitely appreciate), yet handled deftly enough that I think kids wouldn’t be bored by it.  Lots of new characters join a few favorites from the first movie and the action is pulse-pounding when it gets going a few times.  The story is a bit too psychological for its own good and yet even this aspect evokes laughter and, eventually, warm fuzzy feelings.  Its mystery is solid and its repercussions are big enough to have made me think about it afterwards.  As I am not the biggest fan of animation, I am thrilled to see animated films which treat their subjects seriously.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  25 December 2025.