The previous feature grossed over $1 billion in the box office. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 89th Academy Awards, nearly 10 years ago. The only question is what took Disney so long to get this sequel into theaters. The answer is the studio attempted to produce original films that centered on more human characters of color, which it started with The Princess and the Frog (2009) but didn't really pick up again until Moana (2016). It had relative successes with Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Encanto (2021), if one accounts for the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it had relative failures with films like Strange World (2022) and Wish (2023). Around the same time, Disney Animation's sister company, that of Pixar, was also doing original films centered on diverse characters. Those have been a mixed bag of success and failure. That mixed bag, which has resulted in an overall negative impression of the company, pushed it to lean more on sequels of more past projects that would be safer bets.
When it comes to Disney-Pixar productions, I've commented upon a formula that many of them seem to possess. That formula often involves two characters who are mismatched, meaning they have opposite personalities or opposing purposes who get paired together and go on some journey together where they learn to care about each other and become friends. It's the premise of Toy Story (1995), which was Pixar's signature feature. Disney has a long history of adapting fairy tales, which often involve individuals, often time princesses, overcoming societal or institutional pressures, and at times societal discrimination. That playbook still seems to be at work with this production It's a tried-and-true formula, so if it's not broke, why fix it?
Jason Bateman (Ozark and Arrested Development) stars as the voice of Nick Wilde, a fox that lives in a city built specifically for anthropomorphized animals. Foxes are known for being sly or sneaky, as well as solitary animals, and Nick is very much the embodiment of that. He's very much a hustler and a con artist, committing petty crimes. If one is familiar with the comedic styles of Bateman, then hearing him do the voice of this creature is probably part of the enjoyment. His aloof and wise-cracking character here is very much the comic relief, which contrasts with his co-star.
Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time and Big Love) also stars as the voice of Judy Hopps, a rabbit that also lives in the same city. However, as the formula dictates, she has the opposite personality and opposing purpose. If Nick is a criminal, then Judy is a cop. If Nick doesn't mind breaking the law, then Judy is all about upholding the law and doing the right thing. The two of them did team up in the previous film and became friends and partners. Nick was made a part of the police force. He's very laissez-faire when it comes to a lot of the cases they're on. Judy's more gung-ho, which stems from a need for her to always have to prove herself. The dynamic between them has a good push-and-pull.
That dynamic ends up being very much one that's evident in numerous buddy cop films, such as Beverly Hills Cop (1984). Judy would be the Judge Reinhold character and Nick would be the Eddie Murphy character. Given that Judy is a rabbit, the dynamic is less buddy cop and more "bunny cop." There's enough comedy and car chases to entertain and pull any audience member along for the ride. I'm not sure the film provides us with that much more insight into this world than we got previously. The story would suggest by the end that more insight was given. There's also a bit of resetting from the ending of the previous film. One of the major problems in the previous film was this idea of discriminating against certain animals. It's not to say that the events of the previous film solved all discrimination, but that was seemingly the hopeful note that concluded the 2016 blockbuster.
Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) joins the cast as Gary De'Snake, a pit viper whom everyone fears. There's no explanation as to why everyone fears snakes. It's an ironic joke because Ke Huy Quan was in the Indiana Jones sequel and Indiana Jones famously fears snakes, so having Quan voice a snake himself is a bit of meta-textual humor. Otherwise, given the ending of the previous film, a kind of blanket discrimination that people have against snakes feels odd. It's certainly unexplained. Yes, vipers are venomous, but the anthropomorphized animals here have access to medical care and hospitals. In fact, this film is a low key infomercial about the importance of the EpiPen.
Obviously, this film needs a marginalized group because later the film takes its characters to a place that is basically in danger of being gentrified. That place is called "Marsh Market." It's a placed for reptiles and other water-based creatures. Before this film, there was a trailer for James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), and, for a moment, it seemed as if this film had taken a page from Cameron's previous entry, that of Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). In that 2022 smash hit, the main characters go on the run from an imperialistic force and hideout amongst a water-based community. Without giving away spoilers, that's essentially what happens here with Nick and Judy.
No worries though. Avatar: The Way of Water isn't the only film reference this production makes. I clocked a reference to The Godfather (1972) and even one to The Shining (1980). There are probably many more that I missed, but what's impossible to miss is that the Marsh Market is meant to be a place that's in danger of being gentrified. It's meant to be a place for which we're supposed to care. Yet, the film rushes past it, so quickly that we don't really have the time to care. Obviously, Avatar: The Way of Water spent plenty of time in its water-based area, so that we could ultimately care about it. The character of Gary is also meant to be key in the audience caring about that area. The film gets there but just barely. It's strange because the film wants to keep tight on Nick and Judy caring about each other above all else, which blunts them caring about anything or anyone, let alone a Marsh Market.
Rated PG for action, violence and rude humor.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 48 mins.
In theaters.