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So the big news is Zootopia 2.

Seems to be doing pretty well, not that it was really in doubt. Of course, I expected as much. Even if it was actually bad, it would still do amazingly coasting on the first movie's success, even if middling-to-low reviews that come after it might dampen a future 'Zootopia 3'. Plus, China loves Zootopia for some reason, and Disney loves China. It's going to make at least a billion, regardless of quality. That said, while I haven't seen it myself, I know all I need to with the leaks, clips, and friends who've seen it at this point, and I have no urge to see it even for design research.

It comes off like some weird soft reboot of itself, even an AU fanfic of itself, to be honest. I don't like the way reptiles were clumsily retconned into the world, but I recognize there was no way to add them without it being discordant. I've also never been a huge 'Wildehopps' guy (Blaspheme, I know; Nick X Kris darkhorse ship.) despite shipping them in my fics. (It worked as a nice story parallel for the Dawn and Vern stuff.) Even so, it really sounds like Wildhopps is mainly in the same place that it was in Z1. And aside from my Bellwether devotion bias, there were a million directions the movie could have gone, and I feel like this wasn't the optimal choice. But one thing I've especially noticed in the previews and assorted clips is something I noticed with Zplus as well.

Humor-wise, Zootopia 1 was mostly grounded, or so it seemed. It's been a little while since I've watched it all the way through. But the cartoon physics were very limited, and aside from visual gags, Zootopia and its characters had a nice weight to them—a weight in terms of how real the world felt. In the art book, it's discussed how hard they worked at designing a world built by mammals, and the goal of making it feel like a real place, and that was clear in the first film. But in two, I'm seeing a lot more physics-breaking slapstick, like Bellwether crashing out at her trial, then judo-kicking a table and FNAF-jumpscaring the viewer. Also, the inclusion of what seems like really annoying sidekick characters that don't really give the impression they're also like...real people is worth noting.

Gary is getting pushed hard, and Nibbles seems annoying as well, but I can't speak too deeply to that outside of clips. I'm aware that the horrors of the furry community have put me on the swivel when it comes to snakes that look like Kaa, and the hypnosis and vore fetishists that he represents, but Gary also comes off as extremely pandering to China. Was the whole push for reptiles just to be able to tie this little release up nicely with the 'year of the snake '? With birds now heavily implied for Z3 (which sounds like another awkward retcon in the works), is that to tie in for the eventual year of the rooster? What makes Zootopia's world any more interesting than any other nonsensical animal menagerie movie now that all species are on the table? At least with 'The Bad Guys' it was clear they weren't aiming for a grounded, real-feeling world, and thus there was no need to have hidden species.

And lastly, (so that this whole entry isn't just me doing a review), Zootopia 2 falls just as flat as Zootopia 1 in terms of the racial allegory. Aside from repeating the first movie's refrain, reptiles are more dangerous than general predators. A significant plot point in Z2 is Gary's venom. Mammalian predators don't even have that as a factor in their hunting, and they still historically ate prey. Now you introduce another swath of the animal kingdom, never mentioned, and totally forgotten after a mere century, that eat prey and can poison them. It DOESN'T work.

Anyway, all that rough blather to basically say: aside from one or two mini projects I have in my lineup, I won't be doing Z2 content unless I get commissions for it, and my work won't acknowledge its existence. Zplus is my jumping-off point, and that is pick-and-choose in terms of making sense. So with all that said, let's move on.

I'm really backed up across the board right now. I'm full up on commissions, personal projects, life stuff, the holiday nonsense, and to top it all off, I've got a nasty upper respiratory infection that's been dragging me down since last week that cropped up just after Thanksgiving. I assume I got it from the doctor's appointment I had a little over a week before, as the office had high kid traffic, and kids are like petri-dishes. I'm on some heavy steroids and antibiotics right now to properly kick this thing, but of course, that always hits like a truck before you actually start to feel better. So I'm forced to rest, drifting in and out of consciousness and growing increasingly frustrated that I can't do anything.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some stuff done this evening or at the latest tomorrow. But I'm just setting myself up to shoot myself in the foot if I'm definitive on that. I had worked out this nifty little oscillating schedule that totally derailed in November, so I figure it's best to just focus on cranking out the commissions and rebooting the schedule on New Year's.

So what does that consist of? A Zootopia 2 mini comic based on the trailer (A paid comm), The third Stella set entry (Also a Paid Comm), A Bad Guys Diane and Wolf full color comm (Also paid Comm), and the next Carnival Cryptid I had set up to finish before I got sick. I'd like to get at least two of those totally done before Christmas, and hopefully a third cleared before January starts. From there, we'll see... but I've already started to revise my commission stuff in preparation for whenever the next opening starts, including making a business-only Discord as a Telegram alternative. Why? Because...there's no way to say this that probably won't sound mean, but seeking me out for a commission isn't an open invitation to chat me up in DMs like we're best friends. It's awkward for me, and I tend to be a doormat when it comes to telling people I'm uncomfortable or am not interested in becoming casual acquaintances. I can barely manage my Discord as is, and I really don't need the additional distraction.

That's enough for now, again, thanks to the long-term backers! Especially the fivers, but much love to the Donors! More art soon! Oh, and Merry whatever!

-Wasty