Rabbits or Redlining?: Zootopia 2 Tackles Discriminatory Zoning Through Fresh Sequel

Disney streamlines themes of historical redlining initiatives in America through an ostrasized reptilian neighborhood, executes message without overdoing it

Disney-released image shows the "perfect" city of Zootopia (Disney).

When initially going to see Zootopia 2 with my friends, we arrived with the conceptions of a bland Disney sequel plot mixed in with some charming scenes of Nick Wilde (I mean, who didn't put him on their "hear me out"cake?). While the flirty fox clips were a fun addition, I was more so blown away by Disney's execution of a relevant social issue while not being shoved in our faces. Zootopia 2's execution of unfair planning policy without making racial and socioeconomic groups a painful 1 to 1 comparison to real life was refreshing, and made the plotline both digestible and kept the focus on the issue of prejudiced city planning instead of American politics.

The city of Zootopia is a sprawling metropolis designed for mammals of all habitats. It’s divided into four districts: Tundratown, Sahara Square, Rainforest District, and Little Rodentia; each tailored to different climates and species through "weather walls." These walls are massive structures built to maintain the natural environments of each species, while allowing them all to coexist in a single region. Consequently, this causes both a cultural and social separation between districts, subtly reinforcing divisions and limiting interaction between different groups, which matches segregation and the effects of urban planning on community dynamics in the real world.

While unacknowledged in the first film, Zootopia 2 officially introduces reptiles into the storyline, a significant switch from their traditional "Mammal-only" policy. Dynamic duo Juda Hopps and Nick Wilde, now pretty much celebrity status, jump in again to save Zootopia from corrupt billionaires controlling the government and their policies to keep the city's power and money within the 1 percent...the billionaire family in question? The Lynxleys, a feline family planning to expand the tundra region through a new expansion called Tundratown (essentially gentrification), channeling funds to their area through ruthless manipulation of the mayor.

Zootopia, in many ways, is a model city: it’s walkable, well-planned, and visually designed to accommodate a diverse range of species, climates, and lifestyles. However, behind the Hopps and Wilde pay a visit to Marsh Market, an underfunded and marginalized reptilian "hood" cut off from the city’s economic growth. 

While viewers may have a one-sided view of these run-down communities in real life, viewers are able to understand the purpose of such neighborhoods. Without policy to properly implement such communities, governments end up pushing those groups out of their perceived “inclusive” infrastructure through ostracization. This process, called redlining, is a very real phenomena that many traditionally lower-class socioeconomic groups have faced across the globe. 

Zootopia 2 proves that a city’s design is heavily influenced by districts, policies, and who controls them to shape opportunity and exclusion. By highlighting Marsh Market and the elites’ manipulation of power, the film makes systemic urban inequality tangible to children, all while keeping the story fun and accessible. It’s a clever reminder that fairness and inclusion have to be built into our cities by accountable governments, not just hoped for.