Zootopia 2 3D Movie Review

November 27, 2025 by Jacob Scarberry in zootopia 2, zootopia 2 3d, zootopia 2 3-D, zootopia, Disney , Disney, 2025, 3-D Cinema, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3D Movies, 3D films, 3D or 2D, 3D Worth It, animated movies, zootopia 2 3d review

Zootopia 2 3D Movie Review

Written By: Jacob Scarberry

3D

Stunning. Breath-taking. All the positive adjectives — I can bear-ly put into words how fantastic this 3D presentation was for Zootopia 2. Honestly, I couldn’t even think of what to say at first, because it’s that good.

The depth in Zootopia 2 is incredible — wide, clean, and consistently layered. There are constant pop-outs, including one tranquilizer dart in slow motion that had me literally duck for cover. Cityscapes stretch endlessly, the rainforest district feels almost tactile, and the snow regions look so good they practically made me feel cold. Action scenes are staged with clarity and purpose, with snouts, tails, tools, and debris regularly extending toward the audience.

Zootopia 2’s 3D presentation had zero ghosting, no dimming, and no artifact issues whatsoever — just bright, clean, reference-quality 3D visuals. You can tell the filmmakers planned for the format from the beginning, and the result is Disney’s strongest 3D effort in years.

Go see Zootopia 2 in 3D — you will not regret it!

Final 3D Verdict: 10/10 And Editor’s Choice Award

Movie

Nine years ago, with Zootopia, we got an amazing animated film about bias and racial stigma disguised as a buddy-cop comedy. Now we have Zootopia 2, a solid animated buddy-cop comedy with twice the puns, twice the pop-culture references, and far less emphasis on sociopolitical commentary — maybe a little too light for the times we live in. While it’s fun, Zootopia: The “Squeak-quel” isn’t exactly the sequel I was hoping for.

The plot of Zootopia 2 takes place one week after the duo solved a major conspiracy, with Officers Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) now rookie partners who immediately overstep Chief Bogo’s (Idris Elba, in a glorified cameo) orders. Their mistake causes major destruction and lands them in mandatory therapy for mismatched partners or else be split up. Naturally, they ignore the warnings and jump into a new case: a reptile land-rights conspiracy tied to a century-old murder that drove an entire species into hiding. The duo goes on the run to protect a misunderstood population on the brink of extinction.

Do you like animals? Do you like puns? Do you like both glued together? Because Zootopia 2 has them by the bushel. Some puns land well, others… well, “Nitrous Oinkside” exists. The film also packs in a surprising number of pop-culture references, including nods to R-rated horror movies that’ll fly right over kids’ heads — not always as clever as the movie thinks.

What works, though, are the characters and their chemistry. Bateman and Goodwin still have excellent rapport, and whenever Zootopia 2 focuses on the inner workings of their partnership, it’s touching, genuine, and funny. The voice cast is strong across the board — Fortune Feimster’s conspiracy-podcast host Nibbles is a standout, and Ke Huy Quan is delightful as Gary De’Snake. Hopefully both return.

The visual and technical aspects of Zootopia 2 are outstanding. Disney Animation delivers gorgeous work: expressive faces, fluid body movements, beautiful weather effects, and stellar rendering of physical materials (water, sand, dust, etc.) I also appreciated that the film credits the entire animation studio, not just department heads. Michael Giacchino’s score is charming, though some cues reminded me a bit of The Bad Guys. Sound mixing and editing are top-notch and deserve a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X setup — sadly, my theater only had 7.1.

Besides the uneven puns, the heavy-handed references, and a third act that drags long enough to make you check your watch, Zootopia 2 is a delightful film. It’s not as good as the original, but it is entertaining, visually excellent, and full of heart. The movie could have leaned harder into deeper societal themes — racism, bias, and the reptile community’s oppression — but the character work is strong enough to make it worth your while.

Final Movie Verdict: 7/10

Check out our review of the original Zootopia movie via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/reviews/zootopia

Official Website:

https://movies.disney.com/zootopia-2

ParaNorman 3D Movie Review ( Remastered 2025 Edition )

October 26, 2025 by Jacob Scarberry in 3-D Cinema, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3D or 2D, ParaNorman, animated movies

ParaNorman 3D Movie Review

( Remastered 2025 Edition )

By Jacob Scarberry

3D

Another year, another Laika 3D remaster. Last year’s remaster of Coraline was fantastic (even from the neck-breaking front row I was stuck in) — a real treat for the spooky season. I had high hopes for this 3D remaster, but sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment.

The biggest issue is the lack of consistent pop-outs, despite so many opportunities — from particles and storm effects to limbs and objects entering the 4th wall, and the ghastly wraiths haunting the world of ParaNorman. When pop-outs did occur, they were a lot of fun: the zombies’ first appearance as they charge straight toward Norman, the climax with sharp tree spikes bursting from the ground, and a few other scattered (bugs flying out) moments throughout.

The strongest aspect of the 3D is its excellent sense of depth — the environments look fantastic and immersive. Unfortunately, noticeable ghosting appears in several scenes, which knocks the overall experience down a notch.

It’s still an enjoyable 3D presentation overall, but mild compared to Coraline’s remaster — and on its own merits, the 3D in ParaNorman feels fairly weak.

Final 3D Score: 6/10

Movie

What do you get when you mix The Sixth Sense, The Goonies, Hocus Pocus, The Monster Squad, and Romero’s Deadtrilogy? You get a wonderfully entertaining stop-motion animated classic that may not reach the heights of Laika’s previous film Coraline but stands tall as a classic in its own right.

The story follows misunderstood Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), an outcast who can see the ghosts of Blithe Hollow’s former residents. Even his family doesn’t fully understand him — except for his dearly departed grandmother, who still spends time with him — and his friend and fellow outcast Neil (Tucker Albrizzi). Things take a dark turn when Norman begins seeing terrifying visions of the town’s past, which leads to a major freak-out during the annual school play about the town’s witch-hunting history.

Norman’s estranged uncle, Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman, in an all-too-brief role), warns him about a yearly ritual meant to quell the witch’s curse. Norman must perform it before sundown — or the town will face the witch’s wrath. Joined by a ragtag group of family and friends, Norman sets out to end the three-century-old curse once and for all.

When I think of animated horror films for families, I usually think of Hotel Transylvania — fun, but completely safe. ParaNorman, on the other hand, isn’t afraid to mix humor with real menace and emotional weight. Though ParaNorman first hit theaters back in 2012, it’s aged like a fine wine — its themes, humor, and craftsmanship feel just as sharp and relevant today as they did over a decade ago. Kids need more films like this — ones that balance scares, laughs, and meaningful themes without talking down to their audience.

The animation is stunning. Laika’s stop-motion craftsmanship is second to none: every frame is packed with intricate details in the sets, costumes, and expressive character animation. The cinematography beautifully captures the autumnal New England atmosphere, with warm lighting and even subtle touches like sunlight glowing through the characters’ translucent skin. The script is sharp and funny, and directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler handle the material with confidence and heart.

If there’s one flaw, it’s that the movie takes a little while to get going — but once it does, it’s a nonstop festival of frights and delights. It deserves a permanent place in your annual Halloween rotation for generations to come.

Final Movie Score: 8/10

Learn more about how we rate 3D content via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/3d-or-2d-ratingssystem/

Official Website :

https://www.laika.com/our-films/paranorman

Disney's Elio 3D Movie Review

June 20, 2025 by adolph vega in 3-D Cinema, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3D or 2D, Elio, Disney Elio, 2025, 3D films, 3d Movie, 3D Movies, Disney, Disney , animated movies, 3D Or 2D Elio, 3D Worth It

Disney's Elio 3D Movie Review

By Adolph Vega

3D

The 3D in Elio is solid overall, and some moments genuinely wow you, but ultimately it’s hampered by Disney’s reluctancy and ghosting. Many of the space scenes look fantastic in stereoscopic 3d — the layering, the particle effects, the alien architecture — all rich with depth and visual candy. The movie features numerous enjoyable 3D moments, including pop-out scenes and shallow environments that effectively immerse the audience (diorama effect) into the scenes.

That being said Elio is a science fiction movie, but it’s absolutely haunted by 3-D ghosting. Sadly this issue is not just in one or two spots — it’s frequent and frustrating. You’ll go from an impressive scene that looks near-perfect to a blurry double-vision mess that ruins the moment in the next scene. Honestly, Elio has bipolar 3D — and that’s not a reference to the 3D glasses. It swings between fantastic and awful, and frustratingly averages out to be fine overall… when it should’ve been stellar. It’s a shame, because when Elio leans into the 3D format, it really excels. I do not believe this issue with the theatre’s presentation. The 3D trailers before this movie were 100% fine. Regrettably, I believe Disney itself is hindering the 3D potential of its animated films. There’s one scene with a character aiming a gun right at the screen — a perfect pop-out moment — but the gun that’s popping out of the screen is blurred. Why?! It just seems as if Disney deliberately instructed the 3D team to refrain from fully embracing the format. I’m sorry to state this, but if this were a DreamWorks animation film, the 3D probably would’ve been better implemented, and it would probably have received a much more positive review. Perhaps Disney is hesitant to fully commit to stereoscopic animation, perhaps due to concerns about potentially harming children’s eyes. While Disney animated films generally have good 3D visuals, they don’t seem to be fully exploring the potential of 3D. This is particularly disheartening for me, a die-hard 3D enthusiast, as I can envision a version of this movie that would be breathtaking in 3D.

Elio also has many darkly lit scenes, and those are always an issue with 3D. Elio’s 3D is orbiting greatness. Sometimes it’s closer, and sometimes it’s farther away, but it never quite lands where it should be. Elio should have been a 3D showcase, but sadly it’s a disappointment. With a heavy heart, overall I have to give Elio 3D aspect only a slight recommendation.

Final 3D Score: 6/10

Movie

Disney has an uneven record with sci-fi, and Elio unfortunately keeps that streak going.

The story centers on Elio, a lonely boy who dreams of being abducted by aliens — and then actually gets abducted. The aliens mistakenly believe he is the leader of Earth, which (of course) sets off a string cosmic misadventures. It has that rewritten-a-few-too-many-times feel — probably because it was. I accurately predicted a solid 60% of the movie’s plot points. The characters are fairly one-dimensional, and simplistic. I thought the huge conflict in this movie was dumb and poorly conceived. Overall it feels like a short film that got stretched into a feature-length runtime.

This movie provided me with a roller coaster of feelings and tones. There are laughs, but it’s not fully a comedy. One horror-inspired sequence was genuinely hilarious and had me laughing out loud. The movie has heart and even some real emotional swings, but not all of it feels earned. I don’t care enough about these characters to shed a tear, even though the movie is trying to make me (and the audience) cry. Is the movie an adventure movie? Yes. Is it an emotional journey of self-discovery? Yes. Is it silly? Yes. Is it serious? Yes. Elio is the perfect example of a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

I do respect that the space alien designs steer away from the usual “different face ridges or human with blue colored skin” formula. The aliens have truly bizarre, non-humanoid, non-bipedal designs that look not of this world, but they are also so alien that it’s hard to connect with them. As a lifelong sci-fi fan, I wanted to love that aspect more than I actually did.

The film has two standout cameos that fans of sci-fi will absolutely recognize. I won’t spoil them here, but they fit the movie perfectly— a little too perfectly — like the film was elbowing you and saying, “You see what we did there?” Yet, I had a huge grin on my face. There are also clever nods to classic sci-fi films, which were genuinely fun to find. Unlike the cameos, the sci-fi references in the movie are very subtle. If you don’t know the reference, it’s perfectly fine.

Visually, the animation is colorful, but the art style is forgettable — generic, even. It has the same visual design as Disney’s Strange World, and honestly feels like Pixar / Disney is just recycling assets at this point. It’s not uncommon for Disney to revisit its classic animated films, such as the original Snow White and Robin Hood movies. This video showcases that aspect perfectly, and I imagine in the future someone will do a similar video with Strange World and Elio. It’s still disappointing and robs Elio of a fresh distinct look.

Before I conclude this review, I must mention that this movie includes both a mid-credit and post-credit scenes.

Mid-credit scene:
A basic 5-second moment. The scene is a cute continuation of the story, but it’s not particularly special.
Post-credit scene:
A teaser for an upcoming Pixar animated lizard movie. This ‘trailer’ is skippable and pointless. Don’t waste your time waiting for this scene - it’s truly not worth it.

While Elio does contain a few enjoyable moments, it’s not a movie that people are likely to revisit in the future. I love sci-fi, and I couldn’t love this uneven movie. The premise of Elio is cute, but the execution is entirely derivative.

Final Movie Score: 6/10

Learn more about how we rate 3D content via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/3d-or-2d-ratingssystem/

Official Website :

https://movies.disney.com/elio