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Grant and Drew review Zootopia 2, Disney's sequel to the popular animated film that explores the themes of friendship, diversity, and prejudice.
Creators and Guests
Host
Drew McKinney
Co-host and co-founder of Stole My Line - A Fireside Film Podcast.
Host
Grant Crenshaw
Co-host and co-founder of Stole My Line - A Fireside Film Podcast.
What is Stole My Line - A Fireside Film Podcast?
Stole My Line is a film podcast unlike any other; yes, your hosts Grant and Drew talk about movies, but they do so with smoke in their eyes, cicadas in the background, and rain on the horizon. Join in as they review new releases and discuss the greatest films ever made.
But, I was like, they just killed off Nick. I'm like, I love Zootopia too now. If they
Grant:had killed off Nick, I think this would be your favorite animated movie ever. Grant. Drew. I have
Drew:a very important question for you.
Grant:How important? Is it, like, super important?
Drew:It's probably out of 10 on 11. Okay.
Grant:Alright. I'm ready.
Drew:What is your favorite animal? Oh. Loki,
Grant:growing up, it was like a cheetah because they were fast.
Drew:Wow. That's like such a layman.
Grant:But I'd say right now, I'm a big owl fan.
Drew:Really? Yes. That's very sophisticated. Sure. Yeah.
Drew:Yeah. Mine's a turtle. Why? A turtle and a bison. Okay.
Drew:Well, you you just didn't answer my question. I don't know. I've always liked turtles.
Grant:Is it because you, like, emotionally wanna, you know, curl up in your little shell and just not not open up to anyone? Welcome back to Soul My Line, a fireside film podcast. I'm Grant.
Drew:I'm Drew.
Grant:And today, we're talking about
Drew:We're talking about Zootopia two. Tootopia. Tootopia. As we call it around here.
Grant:Yeah. Around the business.
Drew:That's what our crew calls it too. We have so many people back there.
Grant:Yeah. Hey, guys. So many. So excited for our well paid production crew back there. Yeah.
Grant:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're talking about Zootopia two. I actually really like the first Zootopia, by the way.
Grant:Okay. I'm like strangely a big fan. Not that like I watch it all the time, but every time I see it, I'd be like, man, this is a banger movie.
Drew:I feel like I've I saw it a lot when it first came out. Yeah. And then I had to chat GPT a summary sitting in the trailers for the version did. I didn't expect that.
Grant:I was
Drew:like, okay. Thought it
Grant:was like, yeah. Haven't watched Zootopia probably in two years. Like, that's fire. So, yeah. No.
Grant:Well, what did you think of your just like, I don't know, knee jerk reaction to Zootopia two? What what are your thoughts?
Drew:My knee jerk reaction is, it's a good movie. Yes. I laughed. Mhmm. And for the record, I was I had like twelve hours of work, and it was midnight.
Drew:So like Yeah. I wanted to go to sleep, but like I also didn't wanna leave because I was enjoying myself. So I feel like that speaks speaks volumes.
Grant:Yes.
Drew:But it's low key the same movie.
Grant:Yeah. So If you like the first Zootopia and don't really care to watch a slightly bigger version of the first Zootopia, you will like Zootopia two. Yes. And you say that. The first Zootopia is pretty good, like we said.
Drew:It is pretty good.
Grant:And the themes of the first Utopia are also pretty good. Yes. And so I feel like even though it is kind of reskinned of the first movie, it's still like the core of it is still pretty good.
Drew:And there were a couple moments that we'll get into when we get into spoilers that I did appreciate and were like fresher than the new the first movie. But overall Yeah. There was a whole lot of plot points. It was like, that was in the first movie. Oh, that oh, that was that was just the first movie.
Grant:There were even sometimes they were self aware of it of like, oh, last time this happened. I wonder if this will happen again, and then it happens. It happened. Yeah. It's kind of just, yeah.
Grant:I I mean, they were self aware. No. I think when I go to watch a kid's movie like this, I try to put away all of, like, or at least most of the, like, hyper critic, like, film stuff because I'm trying
Drew:to see
Grant:it, like, as if I was a kid or a parent showing my kid this movie, which I'm currently in either phase of life right now. Right. So, I feel like I'm able to zoom out and like, know what? As a kid's movie, this provides value here and here, you know? Well, agree.
Grant:Yeah. Well, I don't have a ton of stuff I want to talk about before.
Drew:Yeah, let's just get into spoilers.
Grant:Yeah. If you want to go
Drew:see Ezio Tokyo, I feel like it's a pretty solid family movie. A 100%.
Grant:If you don't care to see it in theaters, it will be on Disney plus probably in two weeks. So, go. Yeah. You can you can tune in on that, I guess. But yeah, we're gonna talk about spoilers for Zootopia two.
Drew:Don't know if I'd ever thought I'd say that. Did you care?
Grant:But yeah, spoilers for Zootopia two. Yeah. So, I mean, I still kinda got faked out by the villain twist.
Drew:I mean, I did too.
Grant:Which is funny because they literally replay the first movie, like, and the twist at the beginning of the movie and everything. That is And and then when they were like, well, something normally happens here, and then it, like, the twist happens, like, oh, okay.
Drew:I mean, my jaw was on the floor for about half a second, and I was like, wait. This is literally just the first movie.
Grant:Yeah. Which is okay. Feel like it's okay.
Drew:Yeah. Was like, yeah.
Grant:Yeah. Well, okay. So, how do you feel about the overall story? I I know we keep saying it's kind of a reskin, but, you know, did you kind of feel attached to any of the characters? How did you feel about Nick and Judy, which I feel like were very strong in the first movie.
Grant:I know it's a fox and a bunny, but they were very watchable. So, I don't know. Hit me with some of those thoughts.
Drew:Yeah. Mean, think I think as far as as like a buddy cop movies go. Mhmm. Which is basically what this was. Yes.
Drew:It's a very solid rendition of that. And I mean, I think I haven't seen the first movie in probably six years. Mhmm. But it it did feel very familiar relationally. And I know, like, in the beginning, Nick kinda starts off as, like, a little bit of an antagonist, and then they grow, and they become friends.
Drew:Yeah. But, like, well, I think there was actually relational depth and like Yeah. Their relationship had a character arc
Grant:almost Yes.
Drew:Which I appreciate. And then I think the ending is super sweet and there's lots like of application. Yeah. Yeah. I I completely agree.
Grant:I mean, some of it's a little on the nose. Right.
Drew:I mean, it's very also, it's
Grant:all about opening up and, like but that's a very applicable theme to everybody, and it's a good theme to teach or good morals to teach your kids. 100%. No. You shouldn't, you know, judge someone for how they look or how you what you think of them before you talk to them. Like, all that stuff is really great.
Grant:And that's what was great about the first movie too. You know? It's very anti racist, which is, you know, we're in full support here. Stole my line. We are not racist.
Grant:We're do we not agree with racism here, so we're gonna put a stole my line stamp of approval on Zootopia two. But, yeah. I think, yeah. It it could be this could have been kind of just a cash grab. Because the That's true.
Grant:And, I mean, maybe to some extent it was because it's just a recycled IP. It is. But But for it being a sequel, which is just Hollywood nowadays, they actually put a lot of love and care into this movie, which is something I could tell and I appreciated a little bit.
Drew:It feels like a well meaning cash grab. Yeah. As opposed to like, I don't know. Give me a cash grab. Now You See Me three?
Drew:Now You See Me three. Yeah.
Grant:Yeah. Check out this review up here. I wonder if we'll remember to bookmark that. Something about this movie too, which I don't know if you felt this way. It was incredibly detailed.
Grant:I feel like every frame of animation in the background or in the foreground just had little references to literally everything.
Drew:That is true. It would this was a very, almost surprisingly meta movie.
Grant:Yeah. We're which, like, if you're a kid, you're not gonna understand The Shining reference.
Drew:Yeah. I know. I was like, that's the Shining.
Grant:I I was watching this with my fiancee, and she was like, what? I was like, this is Shining. She's like, I don't know what that is. I was like, well, okay. I guess you're not the target audience for that joke, but I I still really appreciated all the little animal references Yeah.
Grant:Feel like the creators had a very good, I don't know, just understanding of, you know, oh, here's a little animal thing. If you love animals, you will probably love and appreciate all the little quips in Zootopia too. But
Drew:And I think, like, as an adult, there's there's a lot to to to, like, the Leo DiCaprio meme with him pointing at the screen. Yes. Like, there's a lot of that for above 20 year olds. Yeah. If you like movies.
Drew:Yes.
Grant:So Also, did I think I sent you this, but did you know that they were supposed to have, like, a four minute silence of the lambs reference?
Drew:Yeah. I kinda wish they did. I
Grant:I think it was when the what was the mayor?
Drew:Horse?
Grant:No. No. No. It's Bonnie? The sheep?
Grant:It was the lamb, the sheep, something weather? I forget her name.
Drew:I don't know what her name was.
Grant:They called her smell weather in the first one. Okay. I don't remember what it is. Whatever.
Drew:Weatherbee? Weather Bell?
Grant:Bellwether. I bet you it was Bellwether. I have not seen Zootopia one in a while. I haven't either. But I'm sure it was when they kind of interacted with her a little bit.
Drew:I it okay. This wasn't a jump scare. But when she flipped on the light, and it was just her, like, in the sound, I was like, oh.
Grant:I thought it was kinda funny. No. Yeah. I I think kids probably would have been that into that part, but, like, that would have been funny to see. I I don't know.
Grant:Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.
Drew:Another scene that had me, like, laughing out loud was when they they just, like, had this locked off shot on the seal as he was, like, backstroking. And it was, like, for thirty seconds. And it's just, no no no lines, no nothing. It was just, like, like, that is the funniest thing I've ever seen in
Grant:my entire do know there's a lot of originality in this movie. For it being a reskin of the first movie.
Drew:I agree.
Grant:There's a lot of the jokes are funny. They'll hit for literally anybody. Yeah. I I don't know. I don't really have much else to add there.
Drew:And I think Disney kinda gets crap for like, like, breakthroughs of animation, right, in general at Disney. But recently, they've kinda gotten crap for like, just the same animation style over and over and over again. And Zootopia two is no different. Gotten that backlash too. It's true.
Drew:Zootopia two is really no different, but I think it is still impressive.
Grant:Mhmm.
Drew:Like, just the the scale of the movie.
Grant:Yeah. When they were going through the party thing, I think I saw some posts about this, but it's like the biggest animated movie of all time in the sense of they're the most moving animated characters on Right. Like, I don't even know the rendering hours that were required for just some of those shots. It was insane. Here's a question.
Grant:I actually thought about this in the movie.
Drew:Okay.
Grant:Do you think you could go blindly into this movie and understand, like, half of the characters and everything? I know they have the recap at the beginning, but a lot of I feel like there were a lot of references to the first movie, even in Bellwether or whatever her name being included, that, like, if you did not really catch the first movie, you're not gonna have any clue what's going on. Like, feel like the first movie had a very I don't know. They established the world very well and how everything works and everything. I feel like you kinda pick up pick up where you left off, but if this is the first time you're entering the Zootopia universe, that's the dumbest thing I've ever said.
Grant:If if this is the first time you're, like, catching up with Zootopia, do you think you'd understand this?
Drew:I think, yes, except for the whole weather wall thing. Oh, yeah. Which was low key kind of a big part of the plot. Yes. And I had forgotten about that, and I was like, what's a weather wall?
Drew:Mhmm. And I was like, oh, yeah. Like, the the divide of, like, Zootopia.
Grant:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Drew:And I will say, the MacGuffin, I didn't love. Like, the journal thing. Oh, yeah. I thought it was fine, but I mean, again, I know it's a kids movie, so like
Grant:At a certain point, can't ask
Drew:for At
Grant:a certain
Drew:point, you can't ask for like a a metal journal that only one snake can see?
Grant:Yeah. It was definitely a little like It was just like, whatever.
Drew:Okay. But it's
Grant:fine. Yeah. Yeah. No. I I agree.
Grant:I do think having seen the first movie and knowing about what is it? The Sloth? The Flash?
Drew:That was hilarious.
Grant:Yes. That was hilarious. But if you don't know that bit from the first movie Right. You'd be like Yeah. What?
Grant:Or like I do feel like knowing a little bit of Nick and Judy's story in the first movie does help this movie.
Drew:Yeah.
Grant:So, yeah.
Drew:And honestly, I really liked Nick's arc of Yeah. I don't wanna die. I don't like, self preservation. Mhmm. And then he ends up sacrificing.
Drew:Well, he doesn't actually die.
Grant:He shows that he is willing
Drew:to show that he's willing to sacrifice. And low key, this is just I'm I'm just I'm not a kids movie type of guy. So I was like, they killed wild robot though. I love the wild robot. And I love Spider Verse.
Drew:So like, but I was like, they just killed off Nick. I'm like, I love Zootopia too now. If they
Grant:had killed off Nick, I think this would be your favorite animated movie ever.
Drew:And then Nick definitely didn't die.
Grant:And I
Drew:was like, you know what? It's a kids movie, so I get it. But that would've been awesome. I'm like, oh, that arc would've impacted me so much if he died. I would've been like, oh, that's oh, like I'm crying at midnight in a regal.
Grant:Oh. Yeah. But they didn't. They didn't. It's also a kids movie.
Grant:What can you Yeah. I don't really have much else to talk about with this movie. It's Zootopia two.
Drew:It's it's Zootopia two.
Grant:But I okay. Let's do you feel like we're ready to Yeah. Break I'm gonna say, oh, take your kids to go see this in movie theaters.
Drew:I agree.
Grant:I do. Is not gonna be the best movie you've ever seen in theaters, but it's a good time. Teaches your kids good morals and good ideology or whatever, and there's some funny references if you're an adult and have been in the world for more than twenty five years. Yep. You're probably gonna get every single one of them.
Grant:So, yeah. I was sitting kind of just a few rows back. It was like a morning showing. There was a family in the front row, Loudest kids I've ever been in a movie theater with. It was kinda cute, like, they're fine.
Grant:But anytime anything loud happened on screen, they'd just be like, oh my gosh. It's so loud. I laughed at it. I thought it was funny. Yeah.
Grant:So what we got coming up next?
Drew:We got Knives Out trilogy dropping Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Yes. Heck yeah. Heck yeah.
Grant:It's gonna be lit. Knives Out is in my top four ever.
Drew:The first one. The first one. I knew that, but I hadn't clocked that in a minute. Yeah. That's that is kinda wild.
Drew:I
Grant:Which is I'm not saying it's a top four movie of all time. It's just one of my favorite movies to
Drew:watch. Yeah.
Grant:So yeah. I'm I'm actually so stoked. I'm very curious to see what you think of Glass Onion, and I'm very excited to watch the third one.
Drew:I was definitely lower on Glass Onion than you were, but I haven't seen it probably since it
Grant:came out. I feel like you're gonna like it. Oh. Actually, don't know if you'll like it more.
Drew:The first one is really good.
Grant:The first one is great.
Drew:The second one is questionable, but if you wanna hear the I like discussion that one a lot. So That's dropping Thursday. So
Grant:Yeah. So tune in for that.
Drew:We also got Avatar trilogy Coming up, and we're gonna drop Hamnet whenever we can see it in theaters. But currently, we'd have to drive like two hours to see it because they only did like a selective release until
Grant:I don't
Drew:next Friday.
Grant:I don't understand why Knoxville oh, just name dropped our city. Oh, well.
Drew:It's okay.
Grant:I don't know why our city did that. It just doesn't make any sense. Yeah. But you know what? You live and you learn.
Grant:And we're gonna roll with punches here. Stole my line. So without further ado, take a break. Enjoy the film. Zootopia two It's is a a it's a movie.
Grant:It's a movie.
Drew:We'll see you Wednesday.
Grant:Stole my line podcast. Stole we stole the line.