The film opens right after Judy Hopps [Ginnifer Goodwin] and Nick Wilde [Jason Bateman] expose Dawn Bellwether’s nefarious plan to turn Zootopia against predators, a revelation that sends the city into a period of uneasy harmony and cements the duo as a celebrated crime-fighting pair. Now famous for saving the day, they find themselves in demand as the city prepares to celebrate a milestone: the 100th anniversary of the weather walls, the ingenious barrier that lets不同 environments coexist in one metropolis. The mood is festive, and a newly elected actor-turned-mayor Brian Winddancer [Patrick Warburton] leads the celebration while Chief Bogo [Idris Elba] hands out assignments to his officers, though Judy and Nick have already slipped away to pursue a stubborn thief at the docks.
The case at the docks centers on Sootley, a thieving anteater who runs a smuggling ring. The two operate undercover as parents with Finnick, but a sudden alert from Judy’s walkie-talkie pulls Sootley into a high-speed chase that spirals into chaos. Destruction erupts as they pursue the culprit, and a statue is toppled in the melee. Sootley is captured, but Judy discovers a snake scale in the back of Sootley’s van, hinting at a deeper conspiracy tied to a powerful family.
Back at the precinct, Bogo chastises their reckless stunt and gives them a stern ultimatum: stick to assigned cases, or be split up. The two cope with the fallout by joining a “Partners in Crisis” support group led by quokka therapist Dr. Fuzzby [Quinta Brunson], where they briefly acknowledge their differences but insist they are a legendary team capable of working through them.
That night, Judy uncovers news about a gala hosted by the Lynxley family—the ones who trace their lineage back to Zootopia’s founding myth. A display of their family’s journal containing the original weather-wall patents has become a symbol of power and prestige, stirring Judy’s curiosity. A conspiracy video by beaver beanie Nibbles Maplestick [Fortune Feimster] describes the Lynxleys’ history: a legendary snake supposedly bit Ebenezer Lynxley’s tortoise maid, and reptiles have supposedly been gone from the city for over a century. Intrigued, Judy summons Nick for a plan.
The duo crash the gala, ducking past guards as they search for the hidden journal. Judy unexpectedly runs into Pawbert Lynxley [Andy Samberg], the family’s “black sheep” who doesn’t enjoy the same affection from his father Milton Lynxley [David Strathairn] as his siblings. Meanwhile Nick spots a snake scale and catches a glimpse of a hooded figure moving through the crowd. When Bogo steps in to arrest Nick, a dramatic moment unfolds as the figure drops from a chandelier, revealing Milton in a hood—only to be unmasked as Gary De’Snake [Ke Huy Quan], a pit viper whose ambition to reclaim his family’s legacy drives the plot forward. The journal is seized, and a panicked Milton tries to reclaim it, but Judy secures the evidence and the trio escapes through a window, with Gary and a mysterious accomplice watching from the shadows.
The media quickly brands Judy and Nick as fugitives for aiding a dangerous reptile, and Winddancer enlists Captain Hoggbottom [Michelle Gomez] to hunt them down by any means necessary. The fugitives find sanctuary at Mr. Big’s warehouse, where Fru Fru (and her daughter Little Judy) welcome them and offer a path to a new life outside Zootopia. Yet Judy refuses to abandon the mission; Fru Fru points them toward Nibbles Maplestick, who has a knack for connecting heroes with crucial information.
Nibbles leads Judy and Nick to Marsh Market—a segregated enclave where reptiles and other species live in a separate district. There they meet Jesús [Danny Trejo], a basilisk who explains that the journal’s metal cover only reveals legible text to snakes. Jesús details how the Lynxleys expanded their reach into Tundratown and displaced many reptiles, laying the groundwork for a plan to seize even more territory. Hoggbottom’s officers crash the market, forcing everyone to flee, and Jesús helps the trio escape by putting them on a boat.
Gary intercepts again, stealing the journal, and the chase takes them into the Red Line—a deadly water tunnel that only reptiles can navigate safely. Nick saves Judy from drowning, insisting they abandon the mission, but Judy remains resolute. The pair realize they must reach the mountain peak to uncover the truth about the journal, and the carrot pen—a reminder of their earlier victory against Bellwether—becomes a symbol of their determination as it falls to the ground during a heated argument.
The ascent brings them to an isolated house perched on a cliff, where Judy discovers a trove of newspapers chronicling Ebenezer Lynxley and Agnes, Gary’s great-grandmother. The officers arrive, the house starts to crumble, and Judy is saved by Gary and Pawbert, who uses the moment to reveal a larger truth: Zootopia was founded by Agnes to champion coexistence, and the weather walls were her idea, not Ebenezer’s. Yet Ebenezer forged a patent in his own name, drove reptiles from their homes, and framed Agnes for his misdeeds. Pawbert vows to help bring the truth to light, and Nick is captured by the authorities as the stakes rise.
Nibbles uses her wits to fashion a key from a broom handle and help Nick and Judy escape from prison, where Bellwether (concerned but alive) is also being held. The pair reunites with a freed Nibbles and Gary, rushing to locate Reptile Ravine—a desert nook hidden behind the weather wall—while Winddancer watches with a wary eye but begins to understand the danger of supporting the Lynxleys.
The pursuit leads them through the Burning Mammal festival and into Reptile Ravine, where Judy fights to turn the power back on and discovers a lighthouse guiding them toward Agnes’s old home. Pawbert’s betrayal comes into sharper focus as he injects Judy with snake venom and tries to seize the patent for himself. Gary struggles to keep Judy warm, while Nick fights to recover the anti-venom pen.
A tense struggle unfolds on a slippery cliff as Pawbert battles Nick for the pen. Nick manages to kick the device toward Gary, allowing Judy to revive and pull Nick to safety as Pawbert tumbles into the chasm. The moment of truth arrives: the group must reach Agnes’s home to reveal the patent’s true nature. Pawbert, desperate for approval, races toward Agnes’s resting place, but Hoggbottom arrives in time to subdue him.
With the weather wall bypassed, Reptile Ravine is opened to the reptiles’ return, and the original patent is finally found within a music box. The Lynxleys are arrested, and the expansion project is halted, restoring balance to the city and allowing reptiles to go home. Bogo awakens from his coma, and Judy and Nick pass their Partners in Crisis course with flying colors. A celebratory party follows, and Gary’s family returns to thank Judy for her help. Nick gifts Judy the repaired carrot pen, and she records his gentle confession of love, setting the stage for their next case together—tracking down Bellwether, who is trying to escape Zootopia.
The credits roll with a Gazelle concert featuring Shakira, and a final reveal shows Bellwether still behind bars. In a quieter coda, Judy replays the love-filled message on the carrot pen, while the neighbors’ never-ending squabbles fade into the background, and a feather drifts down onto Judy’s window, a reminder that new mysteries—and new adventures—lie just beyond the horizon.
