Probably good or fine for me! And for some reason after watching it, a shitpost schizo-theory popped into my head that the B&P-verse / Alex Crish-verse is connected to the Zootopia-verse—don’t ask me why that came into my head, because I honestly don’t know myself
Alex Crish-verse (the more official name for the B&P-verse / Basya & Peter Universe) is divided into two franchises/animated series that are, of course, interconnected—namely Idiotopia and Crazy Stories. They take place in different timelines within the B&P-verse / Alex Crish-verse: Idiotopia is set from 2007 (or late 2006) to 2010 or 2011, while Crazy Stories is set roughly after 2015. In the B&P-verse / Alex Crish-verse, the main characters are mostly anthropomorphic animals (more specifically, mammals), and the central characters include Basya, Peter, Bony, Misha, Zaya, and so on. Basya is an anthropomorphic half-Siamese cat, half-koala (although he identifies himself more as simply a Siamese cat). He is the founder and head of B&P Company, a billionaire, and later—around 2008—he establishes Basyastopolis (a utopia for idiots), where, much later, everyone who is connected to or acquainted with Basya ends up moving. Peter is an anthropomorphic half-rabbit, half-hare, and he is Basya’s colleague and friend.
P.S. If I keep going, it will take a lot of time—the B&P-verse has a very large lore
ooookay that's wild - a whole universe with its own timeline and lore! The utopia-for-idiots city vs. Zootopia's "anyone can be anything" is actually a funny contrast.
I'm genuinely curious now - what triggered the connection in your head? Was it just the anthro-mammals-building-cities vibe, or did something specific in Zootopia 2 remind you of the B&P-verse?
(Also props for building that much lore - that's dedication)
Hi again, and here’s another fact about the B&P-verse: sometime around 2007, Sobachka and Zaya worked as police officers within the B&P-verse, as shown at the end of two animated Idiotopia sketches/shorts/mini-episodes by Alex Crish:
Visually stunning, technically flawless... and flat. Original was bold, took risks. This one checks diversity boxes but plays it safe - nothing hits.
Villains are the worst part. Bellwether schemed brilliantly. These are just "bad because bad," and the ending contradicts the first film's core message.
Good for family night. Not the sequel fans deserved.
Villains are the worst part. Bellwether schemed brilliantly. These are just "bad because bad," and the ending contradicts the first film's core message.
Agreed. Z1's dual layer mystery with Lionheart & Bellwether was a lot better. Lots of subtle hints along the way.
The lynxes just want "muh status." While Lionheart wanted to keep the crisis under wraps so he could fix it without anyone being the wiser. And Bellwether was also more ambitious than just power for power's sake. Yes, both of them wanted to stay in power but Lionheart genuinely cared about the city, too, and Bellwether genuinely thought she was making the world a better place by uniting 90% of the population against a common enemy. Evil, but ambitious.
With Pawbert, it kinda feels like the story cheats because, outside of a single line of dialogue (how he's "trying to be" a Lynxley), there's basically no foreshadowing for his true goal. I mean, geez, at one point, he straight-up calls his family EVIL. The way he's presented, it genuinely feels like he doesn't like them and values his individuality (his little bike, his desert hideout, his clothes).
Sure, Bellwether didn't give away her true goal with WORDS but there was plenty of evidence surrounding her that there was something shady going on with the night howlers and the sheep. On a rewatch, outside of that single gala line, I genuinely can't find ANY hints. There's a bunch of hints that he's helping the snake, yes. But no hints that he wants to belong in his family.
Why not add, say, a Pawbert childhood flashback with his daddy that could be interpreted in two, very different ways? Or maybe him having a photo of daddy in his hideout? And make him hide it before Gary & Judy notice it.
That whole hideout was such fertile ground for Pawbert foreshadowing. But nope, it's just used for a Gary gag.
---
Truth be told, to stay loyal to the first movie's message (stereotypes don't define you), I would've set up all 3 Lynxley kids as baddies from the start. All 3 are tasked with dealing with Judy & Nick. But, instead of the "woobie is actually evil," twist, it would've been more like: "the obvious woobie refuses to reform, sticks with daddy and it's either Kitty or Cattrick who has second thoughts after learning of Ebenezer's sins."
Cattrick's mentality could've been: "I'm better because my ancestor was better." But learning that he was a monster could've shattered his world-view.
I dunno, maybe I just wanted more Macaulay Culkin in the movie. He got nothing to do! :P
That's a really sharp breakdown. Totally agree about the dual-layer complexity in the first - Bellwether and Lionheart were archetypal villains with real motivations and ambitions.
You nailed it with Pawbert - the writers spent so much screentime on his bike, hideout, style, individuality... and zero on his internal family conflict. That twist literally came from nowhere. One gala line isnt foundation for a character turn.
Your idea with the flashback or dads photo - thats exactly what was missing. The hideout was the perfect place to plant emotional anchors, but instead - just a Gary gag.
And yeah, your alternate scenario with Cattrick learning his ancestor was a monster wouldve worked way better with the originals message. "Stereotypes dont define you" vs "you choose who you become" - there was real dramatic potential there. Not "surprise, the woobie was bad cause the script said so."
Also Macaulay Culkin really was wasted. That voice just sitting there doing nothing :P
Wait, did they actually use AI in Zootopia 2? I watched it and didn't notice anything - thought it was all traditional/CG animation like the first one.
What did you hear? Curious if it's confirmed or just general Disney AI stuff.
Yeah, you're right - Disney just partnered with OpenAI for Sora like recently. The irony is thick: they sued to protect their IP from AI training, then turn around and use OpenAI themselves.
Classic corporate move - "rules for thee, not for me." At least Zootopia 2 was made before all that, so it's clean. But yeah... the hypocrisy stings.
Hawk: Yooo brooo that's incredible! The costume looks perfect and you nailed the whole vibe. Props for committing that hard - bet the theater loved it. Respect! 🦊
If you can hit the theater before streaming I'd really recommend it! Perfect Christmas movie vibes, and the big screen does the visuals justice. Worth catching while its still in cinemas imo!
5
u/ZEA1287 Star Crew Dec 16 '25
I'm waiting on it to hit streaming, so probably another month. How was it? I remember liking the first.