Zootopia 2
Zootopia 2 is the sequel to Zootopia and the film that directly precedes We Can Fix Pawbert. The series begins immediately after the film's climax, and its principal cast and the crimes they are still answering for both carry over from it.
Synopsis
Detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde must go undercover when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile — the first snake in Zootopia in a century. Their investigation uncovers a conspiracy at the heart of the city's founding: the Lynxley family fortune was built on theft, fraud, and murder.
Plot
The Zootennial Year
Following the arrest and incarceration of Dawn Bellwether, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are hailed as heroes and now partners at the ZPD. Their partnership has grown erratic — Judy's determination clashes with Nick's deflective humor. Chief Bogo threatens to separate them and sends them to Partners in Crisis, the mandatory therapy program Dr. Fuzzby runs for police partners.
Across the city, Pawbert Lynxley, Milton's youngest son, has spent his life trying to earn his father's approval and has never got it. Made to work the family mailroom, he finds a letter from overseas — from a pit viper named Gary De'Snake, asking to see the journal — and, desperate to prove his worth, secretly arranges to have Gary smuggled into Zootopia.
The case Bogo briefs the precinct on is Antony Snootley, a dock inspector suspected of smuggling contraband into the city. Judy and Nick go after him on their own instead, and while tailing him Judy catches a glimpse of something resembling a snake — the first seen in Zootopia in a hundred years.
The takedown itself is a shambles. Higgins and Bloats come out of the chase covered in spikes, and Snootley's van leaves the road into a statue of Ebenezer Lynxley and drops him against the cruiser of Zebraxton and Zebrowski, the patrol pair everyone calls the Zebros. Bogo gives the Zebros the arrest in front of Judy, and when the two rookies are sent off to Fuzzby, half the shift laughs them out of the Precinct 1 lobby. Judy connects the van to the upcoming Zootennial Gala, a celebration of Zootopia's founding hosted by the Lynxley family.
The Zootennial Gala
At the gala, Judy goes undercover and meets Pawbert Lynxley, the youngest son of Milton Lynxley. Pawbert is awkward, kind, and makes her laugh. She does not know he is a Lynxley.
A hooded figure reveals himself as Gary, a blue pit viper. Gary steals the Lynxley Journal — credited to Ebenezer Lynxley, Zootopia's supposed founder — and kidnaps Milton. In Milton's study, Gary insists he stole the journal because he wants his family to come home, and that Milton is the real villain. Nick arrives and knocks Gary unconscious with a frying pan, not having heard Gary's explanation.
Milton orders his elder children Cattrick and Kitty to kill Gary. Nick and Judy refuse and help Gary escape. During the scuffle, Gary accidentally bites Chief Bogo, injecting him with venom and losing one fang. Captain Hoggbottom spots Judy near the unconscious Bogo and — thanks to Kitty's lies — assumes she attacked the Chief. Nick, Judy, and Gary become fugitives.
The reveal empties the ballroom behind them. Gazelle is at the gala with her tiger dancers, and the Zebros, working Mayor Winddancer's security detail, shove one of the tigers aside getting the mayor out of the building. Gazelle files it away.
The Fugitive Arc
Rescued by Mr. Big (who now runs an apparel business with Fru Fru), Nick and Judy contact Nibbles Maplestick, a beaver conspiracy theorist podcaster who has long argued about the existence of reptiles in Zootopia. Nibbles takes them to Marsh Market, a struggling area threatened by Lynxley development, where a sunken ship serves as a reptile hideout. The ferry out through the channels is Russ, a walrus who carries passengers on his belly. Inside the hideout, Jesús, a plumed basilisk, sets a plate of live grubs down in front of Nick and Judy, the welcome he gives every first-time visitor.
Meanwhile, Milton furiously pushes Mayor Winddancer to brand Nick and Judy as criminals and send the ZPD after them.
The ZPD runs Nick and Judy down at the abandoned Honeymoon Lodge. Chevre takes Nick on while his partner Bucheron moves to arrest Judy; a masked motorcyclist knocks him aside, and he still lands a dart in her. The rider and Gary get Judy clear. Bucheron and Chevre arrest Nick.
The Truth Revealed
Pawbert — revealed as the masked motorcycle figure who rescued Gary from the gala — joins forces with Judy and Gary. The pursuit catches them at the Burning Mammal festival, out in the Desert Dunes of Sahara Square, where the Zebros run into Gazelle and her dancers, who repay the shove from the gala with interest. Milton's order is to put the three of them down. Captain Hoggbottom hesitates over the shot; Higgins knocks into her, the lethal dart fires anyway, and Flash's car blocks it. At a campsite hideout, Gary uses his heat-sensing pit viper abilities on the journal's metal cover and unveils the secret: the hidden location of a lighthouse that leads to Reptile Ravine, an abandoned reptile town.
The journal reveals the true history of Zootopia:
- Agnes De'Snake, Gary's great-grandmother, was the true co-founder of Zootopia and inventor of the Weather Walls
- Ebenezer Lynxley stole Agnes's work, murdered his tortoise maid, and framed Agnes for the crime
- The Weather Walls were used to bury Reptile Ravine under Tundratown's snow, forcing all reptiles to flee
- For one hundred years, the Lynxley family governed this stolen technology, building their dynasty on fraud, murder, and erasure
Pawbert's Betrayal
At the weather wall control room, after helping Judy activate the lighthouse, Pawbert reveals his true intentions. He injects Judy with snake venom, throws Gary into the snow to freeze (potentially lethal for a cold-blooded reptile), and stabs Nibbles with venom. His goal: find and destroy Agnes's patent so his family will finally accept him.
When Judy begs him to realize he can be different, Pawbert responds: "I don't want to be different."
He finds Nick and tells him Judy is dead, then attacks him on top of the weather wall. Nick and Pawbert fight over Gary's fanny pack containing the anti-venom. Nick throws the Anti-Venom Pen down to Gary, who catches it and cures Judy, then uses the same pen to save Nibbles. Judy rushes up and saves Nick from falling.
The Fall of the Lynxleys
The heroes chase Pawbert to Lynxley Manor. Milton, initially believing Pawbert betrayed the family, grabs him angrily — but Pawbert explains his plan to destroy the patent. Milton briefly approves: "Maybe you are a Lynxley." This is the first time Milton has ever acknowledged Pawbert positively.
Through a chase involving the estate's hedge maze, Nick and Judy pursue Pawbert while Gary and Nibbles confront the rest of the Lynxleys. Mayor Winddancer finds his courage and helps take down the family. Lynxley Manor stands directly on top of Reptile Ravine, and the pursuit ends below, in Agnes De'Snake's ancestral home, where the heroes recover her original patent. Pawbert makes one final attempt to burn everything but is knocked out by Captain Hoggbottom with a frying pan.
The truth is revealed to all of Zootopia. The entire Lynxley family is arrested. Reptiles are allowed to reintegrate into the city. Reptile Ravine reopens. Gary's family comes home.
Mayor Winddancer decorates Judy and Nick, and the officers who spent the case laughing at them line up to bump fists. The two of them then run a Partners in Crisis session of their own, and it is there that Zebraxton and Zebrowski discover they share a first name — Gene — and headbump over it. Bucheron and Chevre go out to Reptile Ravine for the reopening. Gazelle plays Burning Mammal with the Zebros DJing and the two officers somewhere in the crowd.
Nick's words to Judy: "Love you, partner."
Key Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Pawbert Lynxley | Canada lynx | Secondary antagonist / twist villain |
| Gary De'Snake | Blue pit viper | Tritagonist |
| Milton Lynxley | Canada lynx | Primary antagonist |
| Cattrick Lynxley | Canada lynx | Lynxley eldest son |
| Kitty Lynxley | Canada lynx | Lynxley daughter |
| Nibbles Maplestick | Beaver | Conspiracy theorist podcaster |
| Mayor Winddancer | Horse (stallion) | Mayor of Zootopia |
| Captain Hoggbottom | Boar (female) | ZPD captain; commands the Razorbacks (SWAT) |
| Officer Truffler | Boar | SWAT operative under Hoggbottom |
| Officer Zebraxton | Zebra | ZPD patrol officer; one half of the Zebros |
| Officer Zebrowski | Horse | ZPD patrol officer; one half of the Zebros |
| Officer Bucheron | Markhor | ZPD patrol officer; Chevre's partner |
| Officer Chevre | Bighorn sheep | ZPD patrol officer; Bucheron's partner |
| Officer Bloats | Hippo | ZPD patrol officer; Higgins's partner |
| Agnes De'Snake | Pit viper | True inventor of Weather Walls (deceased) |
| Dr. Fuzzby | Quokka | ZPD therapist |
Key Items
| Item | Significance |
|---|---|
| Lynxley Journal | Contains hidden map readable only by pit viper heat vision |
| Agnes's Patent | Proof that Agnes De'Snake invented the Weather Walls |
| The Green Sweater | Pawbert's sweater, belonging to his deceased mother Lillian |
| Anti-Venom Pen | Carried by Gary; used to save Judy and Nibbles |
Connection to the Series
We Can Fix Pawbert begins immediately after the film's climax. Every major plot element from the film carries forward:
- Pawbert's arrest and imprisonment become the foundation of the series
- The Lynxley family's crimes drive the legal proceedings of Season 1
- Gary De'Snake's friendship with Pawbert survives the betrayal and becomes one of the series' load-bearing relationships
- Judy's firsthand experience of both Pawbert's betrayal and his family's cruelty gives her unique insight into his character
- The Weather Walls become the infrastructure both major antagonists reach for — Clawrence Lynxley in Season 2, and Mikhail Icener in Season 5
The series also departs from the films in several deliberate ways, from the weapons its agencies carry to the ages of its characters. Those changes are catalogued on the Deviations page.