Social Media Criticizes 'Zootopia 2' For Lack of Originality

Disneys Zootopia 2 is dominating the box office this week and receiving high praise from critics, confirming that audiences were eager for a sequel that doesnt rely on political messaging in unusual settings. However, directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard sparked online debate by revealing that the film almost featured an extended recreation of Clarice Starlings first encounter with Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, but with anthropomorphic characters.

We did word-for-word the opening scene when Hannibal Lecter meets Clarice, Bush told Variety. At that point, we realized we might have lost some of our younger viewers.

The revelation was shared on the DiscussingFilm social media account, leading to criticism from fans who argued that parodying adult films is a key part of creating engaging childrens entertainment, and avoiding it could make animated movies less clever. Examples cited included Space Jam referencing Pulp Fiction, Aladdins Genie imitating William F. Buckley Jr., and the Animaniacs show filled with pop-culture jokes from the 90s that kids loved.

One fan pointed out that the Animaniacs episode Hearts of Twilight parodied Apocalypse Now, with the Warners attempting to stop a Jerry Lewis-like character from producing a thinly-veiled version of Lewis controversial Holocaust clown film. Such references were often lost on children but added layers for adults.

Parodying adult films in family movies offers benefits: it entertains adults while allowing children to enjoy scenes at face value, or recognize them later as cultural references, helping them feel more connected to wider pop culture.

That said, Zootopia 2 did include mature parodies. There is a notable nod to Stanley Kubricks The Shining, and a revised version of the Silence of the Lambs homage remains, just shorter than the originally planned four-minute scene, which included dialogue directly lifted from the Oscar-winning film.

Additionally, the first Zootopia contained subtle references to Breaking Bad and The Godfather, though most children likely missed these nods entirely.

Author: Grace Ellison