Nine Years After the $1 Billion Original, Zootopia 2 Roars In With a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

Disney dusted off one of its biggest modern hits, and guess what: Zootopia 2 is landing with a thump. Or Zootropolis 2, if that is what your theater marquee says. Either way, the sequel is here nine years after the original, and critics are very into it.

First snapshot: it is sitting at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 77 reviews. That is a stellar start, even if it does not quite top the first film's sky-high 98%. The setup this time keeps the odd-couple energy that worked the first go-round: Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin are back as Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, now going undercover to dig into Zootopia's newly elected president, Gary De'Snake, voiced by Ke Huy Quan. Yes, the president is a snake named Gary. Yes, I smiled when I typed that.

There is a lot to live up to here. The 2016 original was a juggernaut: Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and more than $1 billion at the box office on a $150 million budget. From the early reactions, most reviewers think the sequel meets that bar and sometimes vaults it.

"more than worth the lengthy wait, knocking it out of the park with its dazzling visuals, sophisticated humor and doses of genuine emotion."

- The Hollywood Reporter

• The Independent argues the follow-up not only earns its existence but might actually refine the formula, calling it essentially the same movie, just sharper and better executed.
• IndieWire says the film brings back a kind of heartfelt core that has been missing from some recent Disney animation, with real weight to its themes and genuine care in how it treats Nick and Judy's partnership.
• Slant highlights that it gives younger audiences plenty to chew on, broadening its ideas about intolerance without dropping the humor, charm, or the slick visual craft.
• Not everyone is swooning: The Guardian shrugs it off as perfectly serviceable kiddie-distraction material for a long trip, but says the heart and soul are missing.

Bottom line: if you loved the first one, this sounds like more of what worked, with some extra spit-shine. Zootopia 2 is out now in US theaters and hits UK cinemas on November 28.