#WDW needs Zootopia land

[hyperfixed-owl]

Don’t mind me just quietly sobbing over the footage from Zootopia land opening at Shanghai Disney and wondering how I can get all the merch 😭

[lynxmuse]

Ok, so this dropped then exploded while I was, amusingly, at Disneyland.  :D 

A Zootopia-themed land!  Coming to Shanghai Disneyland!  Colour me excited! Not much to go on right now save this one piece of concept art and that there will be one new “state-of-the-art” attraction but... well, I’m both a Zootopia fan and an architect, so let’s start some rampant speculation!

Starting with, I don’t envision this being an especially large addition to the park.  Noting only a single major attraction, I think it will mostly be what we see above, a single re-creation of the main downtown square (with the symbolic watering hole at the centre) just north of Savannah Central.  That’s still a good idea -- the location is one of the most iconic of the movie, not to mention that skyline (matte painting in this case?).  Plus it leaves space for the majority of what’s been announced there: entertainment, merchandise, and food options.  I think it will be similar to main street, only Zootopia themed. 

Actually, strike that -- they claim this will be all-immersive, which I would instead take to mean something more in-depth like the all-over themeing and mini-attraction-based like Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge will be.  I’d expect small, walk-through experiences along with themed shops (also not all that unlike say Hogsmeade in the various Potter-lands).  And if they do go all-out like Galaxy’s Edge, could we see something similar where there are "no” cast members, but where employees are all in full role-playing & costumed mode?  That would be exciting!

Also exciting in the art above is that Judy is her correct-scale self!  If that’s a walk-about, either they’re committed to finding someone the right size who can wear the costume, have some sort of animatronic magic up their sleeve, or it’s just artistic license.  :P

As for the one “major” attraction, I’m pretty sure it will be something that showcases a trip through the city and leverages the diversity (and fun!) of all those environments.  I’d guess either something that re-creates the initial train ride in, or, more likely, something that emphasizes the police caper aspect (can we hope to see more Nick in his officer uniform!??!  yes please!) to more fully engage the movie.  The police station has prominence in the concept art;  the ride could start there, with the precinct forming the line and pre-ride show experience (here animatronics could really shine) (and seeing the Rocket animatronic at California Adventure really shows they can make awesome furry animatronics!), then joining Judy and Nick in a police cruiser (also shown in the art above) for a chase through the city.  Imagine going room to room, being blasted by heat in one, cold in the next, misted in the third, and so on... :D

So, yeah, rampant speculation!  I’m going to keep my eyes on this one for sure.  Will it travel to other parks in the future?  If it proves successful, I’d guess yes... likely WDW resort next (I’d guess Hollywood Studios).  Japan would love it too, I think.  Love to see it out in California, but space there is getting pretty tight. 

Either way, I’m excited for this!  And if I need to travel to Shanghai to see it, then I will.  :D