The sequel to Zootopia succeeds in recognizing who the real star of the first film was: the titular environment. The metropolis of Zootopia is designed to accommodate every creature, but it also acknowledges the conflicts that can arise; hence the need for its law enforcement to uncover corruption and discrimination. The key to returning to this world is to build on it, adding more to its corners than finding busywork on the same streets.

Thrown into a new case is the returning duo of the eager rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and easygoing fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), saddled in the familiar role of loose-canon cops. While the two might fare well in car chases and infiltrations, they’re not open enough with each other to be more considerate of one another’s emotions, despite how they seem to be further along than other mismatched cops showcased in the film. That open nature will play a key role in cracking a case involving the pensive pit viper, Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), and the rich lynx Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn).

While the story might go through the familiar beats of the previous film, including a political conspiracy laced with twists, there is a vast improvement in how the allegory is woven. The last picture told its tale of discrimination by traversing down the rickety road of nature versus nurture to reason how animals can live together in this metropolis. I recall one reviewer couldn’t get over how illogical it was that an animal society would allow sloths to work at the DMV. Thankfully, Zootopia 2 shifts its focus to the struggles of immigration and the relevance of historical revisionism. Animals might be able to domesticate themselves like humans in this world, but they’re also bound by the same atrocities, with unwarranted deportations and cultural theft, coating the history of Zootopia with a poignant punch.

In the same way that the story expands on this animated world, the character roster also expands to ensure the ensemble isn’t reduced to retread quirks. Sure, there are returning figures like the scrutinizing Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) and the slow-talking, fast-driving Flash Slothmore (Raymond S. Persi). But with the investigation leading to a marshy biome, there are plenty of other clever and colorful characters to grace the screen. Judy and Nick rely on the insight of a conspiracy theorist, Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), an eccentric beaver who stays true to her name with her many chewed pencils. The mysterious, panchoed plumed basilisk Jesús (Danny Trejo) is equal parts deceptive, informative, and devoted to his community of marshy associates. There are too many notable voice actors gracing the screen to count. Yet they never feel like their animal-oriented roles are overused, always in service of defining this world (although I’m not sure what the point was of casting Dwayne Johnson in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role). I was particularly impressed by how the film didn’t exhaust Patrick Warburton as the eccentric stallion Mayor Brian Winddancer, a celeb politician who seems to put more effort into his mane than his community.

Of course, the most compelling character is the world of Zootopia, and I adored how much more of it was explored. Everything from Nick’s basement apartment below a gym for elephants to a half-sunken boat with a hidden tavern is bursting with brilliant design and visual gags. Zootopia’s weather control systems play a bigger role in the case, exploring all the angles of how they could be used and abused, delving into the more intriguing aspects of this society beyond how many more gags can be milked from the returning Maurice LaMarche as the mafia don shrew Mr. Big or Shakira as the pop star Gazelle. The film does lean into pop culture, overtly referencing a Pixar picture and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, but the speed at which they zoom by prevents monotony in the comedy. There is this thirst to explore more of the nooks and crannies of this sprawling ecosystem, and it’s a delight to be so uncertain about what each new location will hold.

Zootopia 2 builds more on its world rather than meandering around its colorful environment for another buddy cop outing. It would be so easy to saddle the charming characters of Judy and Nick with a standard police case laced with some animal absurdities, but returning directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard have gone the extra mile to reignite rather than retread this realm. They’ve crafted an anthropomorphic acropolis that puts as much thought into its story as into the details of how underwater animals get around on land.

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