The world’s first Zootopia-themed land set to debut at Shanghai Disneyland offers a glimpse of what the future could hold for the Disneyland resort over the next couple decades under a reimagined long-term vision for the Anaheim theme park resort district.
A Zootopia-themed land was pitched in 2021 as a possible project for a proposed theme park expansion in the DisneylandForward plan presented to the city of Anaheim.
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The new Zootopia land officially debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at Shanghai Disneyland following an extended soft opening.
The backstory for the new land finds the animal residents preparing for a Zootopia Day concert starring Zootopian pop star Gazelle.
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The Zootopia: Hot Pursuit trackless dark ride will serve as the centerpiece of the new land with riders recruited to help the Zootopia Police Department crack the case of Gazelle’s kidnapping — just before the big concert.
Riders climb into a ZPD police car for an action-packed chase through Tundra Town, Sahara Square, Mystic Springs Oasis and the Rainforest District.
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Photos show an imposing audio-animatronic figure of Zootopia Police Chief Bogo in the Hot Pursuit queue. In the pre-show scene, the horned buffalo police chief orders his new recruits to board police cruisers to back up Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on a mission to rescue Gazelle from her kidnapper.
The new “Zootopia Comes Alive” show features Fru Fru the shrew, Koslov the polar bear, Flash the sloth, Yax the yak, Duke Weaselton the weasel and the Hopps bunny family. The audio-animatronic characters appearing in the windows of the Zootopia Park Apartments interact with each other and the audience during the show.