January 2026
Zootopia 2 (PG)
15/01/26 22:27 Filed in: 2025
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin
November 2025
Warning! This is NOT a movie review. This is a critique of the film. Intended to initiate a dialogue, the following analysis explores various aspects of the film and may contain spoilers. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. Ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
Q: What do Zootopia and the Hawaiian Islands have in common?
A: They don’t allow any snakes inside their borders.
Zootopia 2 picks up a short time after the first Zootopia (2016), with ZPD Officers Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) hot on the trail of a criminal, who gets away but leaves behind an important clue—a piece of molted skin from a snake. Since slithering serpents were banished from Zootopia long ago by a powerful Lynx family, is this evidence a harbinger of grave danger…that snakes will return to Zootopia?
The result of the reckless pursuit is widespread damage across the city, which lands Hopps and Wilde in hot water with Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), who formally reprimands them for their unsanctioned undercover operation. As part of their punishment, the mismatched pair must attend a support group for struggling police partners. Hopps, who lives in a perpetual state of denial, rejects the notion that she and Wilde have problems; a belief that’s constantly challenged throughout the rest of the film. In the end, the characters are forced to confront who they really are; a fox who uses humor as a way of coping with childhood trauma and a rabbit who’s driven to succeed because she’s plagued with self-doubt and the feeling that she’ll never measure up. Not exactly stock characters for an animated feature.
But that’s what makes these movies (as well as many of the early Pixar features, which surely served as inspiration for the Zootopia films) so thoroughly brilliant; dual-purpose stories that entertain kids while emotionally engaging parents. Satisfying a broad audience is a real challenge, especially in our polarized society (and world), but writer and co-director (with Byron Howard) Jared Bush has found a way to walk that narrative tightrope, keeping everyone entertained and reasonably happy with multilayered stories aimed at a multigenerational audience.
At the heart of both Zootopia movies is a mystery that becomes more dangerous the closer the characters get to the truth, which is cleverly concealed by powerful players in politics and business. Also, both films employ killer twists near the end that kids—and probably most adults—won’t see coming.
Part of what makes this film successful is the way it integrates popular characters from the first film—loveable sloth Flash (Raymond S. Persi), shady sheep Bellwether (Jenny Slate) and Godfather-ish shrew Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche)—into the story. Rather than simply relegating these characters to the role of gimmicky props in token cameos, they’re each given important scenes that advance the plot. In addition to returning favorites, there are some new characters in the sequel, including: Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn), Mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), Jesús (Danny Trejo) and Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan).
Another wise choice by Bush and Howard was to have the characters explore some of the many habitats inside Zootopia (a la, desert and arctic zones); a narrative technique that was executed to perfection in the Star Wars franchise, which sent its heroes scrambling from one planet/habitat to another (often contrasting) planet/habitat in the same movie. As the series continues, what other terrains and environments will Hopps and Wilde visit: grassland, swamp, forest, savanna, volcano, underwater? The possibilities are as intriguing as they are diverse.
So, how does Z2 compare to the first film? While it never quite achieves the kinetic brilliance of Z1, Z2 is an extraordinarily well-made sequel that deepens our knowledge of the main characters and the world they live in, while advancing the mythos with a compelling, stereotype-shattering origin story. Z2 also ratchets up the conflict (both internal and external), presents a perplexing puzzle and is bursting at the seams with internal gags and reverential references (like the humorous homage to the Hungry Hippos game, the tongue-in-cheek “Burning Mammal” festival, and the uproariously funny allusion to Pixar’s Ratatouille).
Disney has hit its stride with Z2, producing a film that would make sister animation studio, Pixar, green with envy. As long as Z3 doesn’t go the way of the Ewoks, these Zootopia films are poised to become the best animated trilogy in studio history.
Tip: Be sure to stay all the way through the ending credits for a hint at what type of animal will be spotlighted in the next movie.
Rating: 3 out of 4
The Senior (PG)
14/01/26 20:11 Filed in: 2025
Starring: Michael Chiklis
September 2025
Warning! This is NOT a movie review. This is a critique of the film. Intended to initiate a dialogue, the following analysis explores various aspects of the film and may contain spoilers. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. Ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
When it comes to “based on a true story” movies, the premise behind The Senior has got to be one of the least likely and most outlandish in cinema history. Having never completed his senior year of college, Mike Flynt (Michael Chiklis) tries out for the football team at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX, and, against all odds, makes the team…at age 59!
And if that isn’t unbelievable enough, Mike, who is injured in training camp and rehabs all season, finally gets some snaps at the very end of the final game of the season—making Mike the oldest player in college football history.
Though there’s plenty of on-field action here to rivet football fans, The Senior (a clever double entendre) is much more than a sports movie; it’s a top-shelf “follow your dreams” flick with a strong moral undercurrent to please the faith and family crowd.
The emotional center of the movie is its poignant subplot involving two generations of fathers and sons. Flashback scenes of Mike’s father (James Badge Dale), teaching him how to be a man by bashing him with boxing gloves until he gets a bloody nose, are rough to watch. Other flashbacks show Mike repeating the cycle of violence with his own son, who, not surprisingly, is estranged from Mike as an adult.
The success of the movie fell largely on Chiklis’ broad shoulders (figuratively and literally: he’s built like a tank). Fortunately, the veteran TV (The Shield) and film (Fantastic Four, 2005) actor was more than up to the challenge, delivering a believable performance as a man who just wants a chance to redeem his violent past and set an example by finishing what he started decades earlier.
Some of the movie’s most meaningful moments involve Mike’s wife, Eileen (Mary Stuart Masterson). In one well-acted scene, Eileen names the conditions that must be met before she backs Mike’s rekindled desire to return to college football. Eileen’s deep concern and reluctant support of Mike’s dream help ground the film. Indeed, she gives voice to what we’re thinking—that this is a crazy idea that can’t possibly end well.
The other well-known cast member is Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), who delivers a wonderfully restrained performance as laconic Coach Sam Weston. The “follow my lead” scene, where Coach Weston yells at the team and storms out of the locker room, is not to be missed.
Though the movie has certain similarities with Rudy (1993)—and even knowingly references the gridiron classic when Coach Weston says, “He’s like a 59-year-old Rudy”—The Senior is a unique entry into the annals of unlikely sport’s hero films.
So, is The Senior a schmaltzy biopic or inspirational true tale? You decide.
For me, this feel-good football flick (shrewdly released at the outset of football season), resembles its main character, a scrappy underdog that gets the job done.
Rating: 2½ out of 4