Grace Libero

Movie Review: What Kids and Adults Can Learn From Zootopia 2

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<p>Children&#x27;s movies are never just for kids, and as<em></em><strong> Walt Disney Animation Studios&#x27;</strong><em> <strong>Zootopia 2</strong> </em>unpacks its new adventures, it becomes clearer that it has something for mom and dad, too. </p><p>The sequel to the 2016 animated buddy cop comedy film has broken box-office records and has passed the $900 million mark. It is currently the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2025, next to <em>A Minecraft Movie</em>. It set out to make &quot;hisssstory,&quot; and it did. Since <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px">its release late last month, it has also received positive reviews and<strong> Best Animated Feature</strong> nominations from award-giving bodies such as the <strong>Critics&#x27; Choice Awards</strong> and the <strong>Golden Globes</strong></span>. With <em>Zootopia 2</em>&#x27;s universal appeal and balance between stunning visuals and clever storytelling, these nods of approval are not surprising. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1765406866961disney studios zootopia 2 A.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">The <em>Zootopia 2</em> trio: Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), Gary De&#x27;Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) | Photo from Disney Studios</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>In <em>Zootopia 2</em>, audiences are reintroduced to bunny officer <strong>Judy Hopps </strong>(Ginnifer Goodwin) <strong></strong>and fox cop <strong>Nick Wilde </strong>(Jason Bateman)<strong></strong><strong></strong>, who have just started to navigate their partnership at the <strong>Zootopia Police Department </strong>(ZPD). Many find their pairing odd and unfit for the job, but Judy is hell-bent on proving they make a good team, that they have what it takes to fight crimes, and that they belong not just in ZPD but also <em>together</em>.<em> </em>As Nick says, <em></em>&quot;Hopps and Wilde, dream team!&quot; But the partners in crime are partners in crisis, and mayhem ensues in the middle of their therapy. </p><p><em></em><em></em><em></em>This new phase in their lives also coincides with <strong>Zootennial</strong>, a city-wide event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Zootopia, and the monumental event unfolds with drama. This is where my favorite play-on-words in the movie, of which there are several worth noting, enters: forget crime of passion—it&#x27;s more like &quot;crime and fashion&quot; for the Zootennial Gala. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="925" height="525" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5AwtptT8X8k?si=vM4YHiwOlw8rg2WH" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>After finding a piece of shed snake skin, Judy&#x27;s police hunch kicks, and she hops to the conclusion that a snake might be roaming around Zootopia and gate-crashing the Zootennial Gala. It sounds impossible to him, so Nick can&#x27;t quite believe it&#x27;s the case because, to everyone&#x27;s knowledge, &quot;no snake has set foot in Zootopia in forever.&quot;  </p><p>The gala is hosted by the Lynxley family, headed by the patriarch, <strong>Milton Lynxley</strong>, a descendant of Zootopia&#x27;s founder <strong>Ebenezer Lynxley</strong>. But there is something fishy with these wild cats, Milton and his son <strong>Cattrick</strong> (Macaulay Culkin), and daughter <strong>Kitty</strong> (Brenda Song). Milton&#x27;s dark motives begin to come to light with the appearance of an unexpected guest, <strong>Gary De&#x27;Snake</strong> (Ke Huy Quan), whose mission is to retrieve a journal that will help uncover the truth behind the secret reptile population in Zootopia. The said journal contains the history of the weather walls that control Zootopia&#x27;s climate zones; the weather walls are technological breakthroughs that allow different animals to live together. </p><p>Judy chases Gary, who successfully steals the journal. As she catches up to him, Gary tells her that snakes, often depicted as evil, are not the bad guys and that all he wants is to find proof to bring his family back home in Zootopia.  </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="925" height="525" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BjkIOU5PhyQ?si=ZiIW8peLDyO8MZIp" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>As Nick and Judy put their teamwork to the test, the words of Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), the African buffalo chief of police of the Zootopia Police Department, echo as a great reminder: &quot;Partnership is the cornerstone of success.&quot; Nick, who appears happy-go-lucky, struggles to jibe with Judy, who&#x27;s ever bubbly and enthusiastic about making the world a better place. With her razor-sharp focus on proving herself, she loses sight of the true meaning of a partnership. Throughout the film, the audience gets tidbits of lessons and reminders about how to make teamwork work. </p><p>In this children&#x27;s movie that tackles a mature theme in a family-friendly tone, we are reminded of why compromise is crucial in relationships and how that can create a weather wall of sorts that allows different individuals to coexist harmoniously.  </p><p>Whereas <em>Zootopia </em>spotlights self-worth, <em>Zootopia 2</em> highlights partnership, friendship, connection, and bond, and it does so in an engaging narrative that cleverly blends hilarious and emotional scenes and wittily delivers eye-opening punchlines. </p><p>Quokka psychotherapist <strong>Dr. Fuzzby</strong> (Quinta Brunson) pretty much encapsulates the root of Judy and Nick&#x27;s problem during their therapy session: &quot;Notice how she answers first. Did not allow her partner to speak and taps her foot when she&#x27;s suppressing discomfort. And observe the source of her discomfort, represented by the disconnected affectation of her emotionally insecure partner.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="925" height="525" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sEgPQ7HKoBA?si=rbWei5M6LHr_FXD_" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>While that may be too much to digest for a kid, at least the parents who tagged along to the cinema also go home with powerful takeaways from the film: agreeing to disagree to resolve conflicts, putting differences aside, being on the same page, and knowing when &quot;sorry is in order.&quot; Stop in the name of law—or love—to reflect on how to make your partners feel that you&#x27;re in this journey together. Not you or me, but us. </p><p>This sense of belongingness, explored in <em>Zootopia 2, </em>also shines in the unexpected friendship that blossomed between Judy, Nick, and Gary. When I asked my 8-year-old son about his favorite part of the movie, he said it&#x27;s that scene where Nick is being attacked, and Gary suddenly comes to his rescue. &quot;That was unexpected,&quot; my son said. That&#x27;s what quality of friendship is ultimately about—it&#x27;s not about how long you&#x27;ve been friends, but how deep your connection is. Even in the most unexpected moment, real friends show up.</p><p>Finding your pack is also among the underlying messages in the movie. Find your people and build a community with them. While it&#x27;s a zoo out there, life finds ways to bring people together, no matter how different they may be from one another. </p><p>That it&#x27;s okay to be different, because &quot;our differences don&#x27;t make any difference at all&quot; in the grand scheme of things, was also a crystal-clear message in <em>Zootopia 2</em>. These differences make relationships unique and special, and it&#x27;s up to the people involved to embrace these differences for a stronger, united core. </p><p><em></em>Yep, all that from a children&#x27;s movie. Maybe I read too much between the lines, but who&#x27;s to say the movie did not have the same effect, impact, or takeaway to others, right?<br style="outline:none !important;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial" id="isPasted"/> </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSCF77CjcMr/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A13833840.799999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSCJXPCDSng/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A13872254.299999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>If it entertained and moved me—a mom and wife constantly navigating the do&#x27;s and don&#x27;ts in marriage and parenthood—in ways I did not expect the moment I entered IMAX in SM Mall of Asia, I&#x27;m pretty sure it did the same for many out there. Whether it&#x27;s because of the jokes or the visuals, I could tell my son enjoyed the movie too. </p><p>He rated the movie 9.5 out of 10. One thing he didn&#x27;t like, though? &quot;There wasn&#x27;t a second easter egg, considering it&#x27;s <em>Zootopia</em> TWO!<em>&quot; </em>Well, that just goes to show he&#x27;s willing to sit through the movie&#x27;s closing credits for a few more seconds of satisfying entertainment. <em></em><em></em></p><div><br/></div><div></div>

<p>Before you dismiss it as just another children's movie that you watch to simply accompany your kids in the cinema, allow yourself to journey into the wild in "Zootopia 2" for lessons and reminders you may not realize you need today. </p>

Before you dismiss it as just another children's movie that you watch to simply accompany your kids in the cinema, allow yourself to journey into the wild in "Zootopia 2" for lessons and reminders you may not realize you need today.

More Than a Children's Movie: 'Zootopia 2' Has Something for Mom and Dad, Too

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More Than a Children's Movie: 'Zootopia 2' Has Something for Mom and Dad, Too

Grace Libero

Published Dec 11, 2025 09:30 AM PHT

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Updated Dec 11, 2025 10:16 AM PHT

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