Judy Hops and Nick Wilde become partners at the ZPD, Zootopia Police Department, but unfortunately only a week later, their partnership becomes threatened when they cannot resolve their differences and Chief Bogo threatens to split the two up. Judy investigates a raid on a smuggled ring, where she discovers part of a skin belonging to a snake, despite the fact that snakes were not found in Zootopia for years. Judy finds out that a snake may be at a Gala hosted by Milton Lynxley, the grandchild of the founder of Zootopia 100 years prior.At the Centennial anniversary Gala, Judy and Nick befriend the youngest member of the Lynxley family, named Pawbert. Unfortunately, a hooded creature also infiltrates the Gala, kidnaps Milton and is revealed to be a pit viper. He plans to pilfer an old journal that documents Zootopias climate zones. Judy corners the Viper and Milton attempts to preserve his family's reputation by burning the journal, but Judy disagrees and decides to set the room alight. Unfortunately, Judy and Nick are framed by the Lynxley family after the ZPD Captain Hoggbottom witnesses the viper unintentionally biting Chief Bogo. Judy and Nick escape with the journal and a motorcyclist collects the viper. Milton orders Mayor Brian Winddancer to subdue Judy and Nick, along with the viper.A conspiracy theorist beaver, named Nibbles Maplestick takes the now fugitives Judy and Nick to a place named Marsh Market, a hiding place for reptiles. It is revealed that the lack of reptiles in Zootopia comes from their original home being buried when Tundratown was built. Lead by Hoggbottom, the ZPD locate Judy and Nick and they narrowly escape using a water tunnel. To make matters even worse, the viper reappears and snatches the journal, before escaping. In an attempt to find the viper, Judy and Nick climb to the top of an abandoned ledge, where they begin to argue again, resulting in their carrot pen being destroyed in the process. Judy discovers that reptiles once lived peacefully in Zootopia, before the ZPD corner them. Nick gets arrested, but Judy is saved by the viper, revealed to be Gary De'Snake and the motorcyclist revealed to be Pawbert. Pawbert explains that it was actually his great-grandmother who was the true founder of Zootopia and that Ebenezer was her greedy investor and plagiarized her work as his own. Ebenezer later framed her for murdering his maid who was a tortoise. Following her death, the general population turned on reptiles and drove them all out of town.Nibbles, who was also arrested by the ZPD, helps Nick escape from prison and find Judy, Gary and Pawbert at the Desert-Tundra wall, where they attempt to activate a clock tower to reveal the reptile district of Zootopia. Judy deduces that the patent is inside Agnes' house. Pawbert decides to betray Judy and Gary and he injects Judy with the snake venom and throws Gary into the snow below, as he wants to impress his family. However, just as Pawbert tries to escape with the anti venom, Nick appears and fights Pawbert for the anti venom and wins, throwing it to Gary who cures Judy. Judy and Nick have an emotional reconciliation, before they alongside Gary and Nibbles subdue a dying Pawbert and whilst Winddancer defeats the rest of the Lynxleys, the group find Agnes' house and retrieve the patent. Just before they escape, Pawbert reappears and tries to destroy it. However, before he can, Hoggbottom captures him.The Lynxleys plans were revealed and they are all arrested. Agnes is also revealed to be the true founder of Zootopia and becomes credited for it. Judy and Nick are officially cleared of all charges and Chief Bogo recovers Tundratown and cancels the expansion, allowing the reptiles to live freely in Zootopia once again. Gary also reconciles with his own family and Nick hands Judy a gift, which is revealed to be the newly repaired carrot pen. All is good in Zootopia, until Nick unintentionally releases a ton of prisoners, including former adversary, Dawn Bellwether. A little while later, Judy replays a recording on her carrot pen of Nick saying he loves her, before her neighbors interrupt, saying she should stop playing it. Soon after Judy leaves, something flies past her window, leaving behind a feather.
Storyline
Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are still fighting to be taken seriously as detectives - a struggle that gets worse when their off-the-books smuggling probe turns into a public disaster. With Chief Bogo threatening to split them up, the pair chase one last lead: a mysterious snake seen near the crime scene. That trail leads them to Gary DeSnake, a pit viper fugitive obsessed with exposing a secret behind the city's climate-controlling weather walls. When Judy and Nick realize he's telling the truth, they're suddenly framed by the powerful Lynxley family, whose buried crimes drove Zootopia's reptiles underground - and whose new plans are far more sinister. Branded fugitives, Judy and Nick join forces with eccentric beaver conspiracy buff Nibbles Maplestick to track down Gary and uncover the city's founding injustice - a case that will test their partnership, upend everything they thought they knew about Zootopia, and turn friends and enemies upside-down. — Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol1970@gmail.com)
Movie Review
Zootopia 2
The comedy and character design remain top-notch in this animal kingdom, even when the metaphors once again become muddled.
Surprisingly, Zootopia 2 was officially confirmed years after the first film’s release, despite Zootopia becoming one of Disney Animation’s highest-grossing original films.
Remarkably, Disney has stated the sequel will expand the city of Zootopia itself, exploring new districts and animal communities beyond what audiences saw in 2016.
Perhaps most telling, Zootopia 2 remains one of Disney Animation’s most closely guarded projects, with plot details intentionally withheld long into development.