The long-awaited Zootopia 2 has bucked a frustrating Disney review trend that has lasted more than four years. Nearly a decade later, Disney is returning to the Zootopia franchise with the release of Zootopia 2. The new animated adventure has big shoes to fill, as the first Zootopia remains one of the highest-rated Disney movies of all time. While it will be a tall task for the Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin-led sequel, it seems the new jaunt through the animal kingdom is up for the challenge.
The first reviews for Zootopia 2 are out, and they are glowing, so much so that the new fur-lined feature breaks a frustrating review pattern for Disney animated movies. The Zootopia sequel debuted to a stellar 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and, at the time of writing, has climbed to 95%.
This marks the first Walt Disney Animation Studios feature to achieve a rating of 90% or above on the review aggregation platform since 2021's Encanto. It breaks a streak of three straight releases to miss being dubbed "Certified Fresh" (requiring a Tomatometer score of at least 75%), which started with the release of Strange World in 2022.
The recent dip in quality is notable considering Walt Disney Animation Studios' past achievements. Leading into Strange World, the studio was riding a wave of 13 straight theatrically released movies to achieve the "Certified Fresh" criteria, a streak that dates back to 2008's Bolt.
Zootopia 2 comes to theaters on Wednesday, November 26. The new film from directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard follows a pair of animal detectives, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, as they investigate the emergence of a new snake in the typically mammal-dominated city of Zootopia.
Breaking Down Walt Disney Animation Studios' Last Few Years
Encanto
The last Walt Disney Animation Studios movie to receive a rating of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes was the beloved Encanto. Released at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this musical romp was heavily inspired by Colombian folklore, telling the tale of a young girl born without a gift in a family of superhero-like beings.
Encanto holds a stellar 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, following its 2021 release, and is praised for its stunning world, Lin-Manuel Miranda-composed soundtrack, and touching story of family. Despite its popularity on streaming, an Encanto sequel has yet to be officially announced.
Strange World
Strange World marked the beginning of this era of shaky animated releases from Disney's in-house studio when it hit theaters in the fall of 2022. The original sci-fi story was by no means a critical miss; however, it did earn middling reviews, with a rating of just 72% on RT.
Much of the conversation surrounding Strange World at the time of its release centered on its lack of music, an uninteresting, trope-filled science fiction story, and characters that were all too familiar.
Wish
Disney's misfortune tragically continued into 2023 with the release of Wish. Meant to be a celebration in honor of Disney's 100th anniversary, the original animated musical featured an Easter egg-filled narrative focused on a young girl who befriends a fallen star in a world where wishes can seemingly come true.
While the animated adventure was billed as the culmination of 100 years of Disney storytelling, it landed with a dull thud critically, earning a dismal 48%.
Moana 2
And the last in this most recent critical streak of misfortune was last year's Moana 2. The original Moana is one of the biggest successes of the modern Disney era, emerging unexpectedly to become one of the studio's most popular and bankable names.
The sequel, originally developed as a Disney+ streaming series before being refashioned as a feature-length film, managed to earn over $1 billion at the global box office, despite its middling 60% Rotten Tomatoes score. Much of the criticism being levied at the film came down to it actively feeling like something that was never meant for the big screen.
Zootopia 2
With Zootopia 2, the dam has been broken. The streak is finally over, as the new animated sequel has climbed to 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, being dubbed by some critics as one of the best Disney-produced sequels in the history of the studio.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of another run of certified bangers from the House of Mouse, with the likes of Frozen 3 on the horizon.
