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.
ALSO SEE: What we know about the 6 possible projects in the Disneyland expansion plan
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.
ALSO SEE: Disneyland president tours Frozen, Zootopia lands at Disney’s Asia parks
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.
ALSO SEE: Look inside Frozen land pitched for Disneyland expansion
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.
ALSO SEE: Disney has ‘enough room to build another Disneyland’ in Anaheim, chairman says
Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde walk-around characters will pose for meet-and-greet photos at the Zootopia Recruitment Station.
Jumbeaux’s Cafe will serve ice cream, chocolate marshmallows and the Big Donut — a favorite of Officer Clawhauser.
ALSO SEE: Disneyland may bring back PeopleMover and Skyway for theme park expansion
A cluster of four Zootopia Market shacks will offer slushies at Slothful Slurps, popcorn at Hopps Family Farm, cotton candy at Cottonball Candy and frozen Pawsicles in a variety of sizes at the Jumbeaux pop-up cart.
Shoppers along Mane Street will find Zootopified clothing and accessories in Fashions by Fru Fru, run by the town’s resident fashionista.
A Zootopia-themed land was among the possible projects floated in the DisneylandForward expansion plan.
The DisneylandForward proposal seeks to update a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.
The long-term planning proposal dangled six possible projects based on “Zootopia,” “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Peter Pan,” “Toy Story” and “Tron” as the types of lands and attractions Anaheim is missing out on under current city planning and zoning guidelines.
