Zootopia in Shanghai is ‘Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese’

Imagineers designed Shanghai Disney Resort with a vision for the destination to be, as coined by Disney CEO Bob Iger, “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese.” During her Disney Legend induction at D23 Expo 2022, retired Imagineer Doris Hardoon reflected on how the phrase informed the teams’ approach to creating Shanghai Disneyland.

“It laid down a direction for us, a bearing, for all of us Imagineers to do what only Imagineers do,” Hardoon said. She continued, “We do the impossible. … We have vision, we take risks, and we make a difference with blood, sweat, tears, and especially with love.”

Let’s take a look at how, in the new Zootopia land’s blend of signature Disney storytelling with proudly Chinese influences, the expansion carries forward the park’s vision of being “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese.”

Authentically Disney: A Vibrant City of Mammals

Having opened in 2016, Shanghai Disneyland remains the newest Disney park to date, and therefore the most sweepingly high-tech. Zootopia will continue the park’s streak of innovative technology leveraged for the purpose of engaging the guest in a story with favorite characters.

Rather than Zootopia being an empty shell, the city will be a living community, vibrant with the activities of its citizens.

For example, facades throughout the city display the names of fictional businesses and their proprietors. Even though guests can’t step inside all of these establishments, details of sight and sound affirm the businesses’ legitimacy. Among the storefronts revealed in a recent press release are HowlKTV, Beaver Dentist, Hibernation Hotel, Arctic Spa (below), Bongo’s Music Shop, and Pangolin Climbing Gym.

Morgan Lee Richardson is a former Imagineer who served as the creative design lead for Zootopia in Shanghai (as well as World of Frozen, opening Nov. 20, 2023 at Hong Kong Disneyland). Richardson described the design process in a recent Instagram post.

“My scope was the city itself,” Richardson wrote, “the streets of Savannah Central, the towering skyline, facades with rodent-sized windows, rhino-sized doors, hamster habitrails, leafy lamp posts, tall giraffemobiles. I’m an animal lover who was lucky enough to be entrusted with the design a mammalian metropolis.”

Throughout Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, creative signage in the city’s infrastructure reflects a diverse population of animal species. Disney released the graphic design elements below in a press release this week. The road signs read: “merging mammals,” “no texting while driving,” “no grazing,” “giraffe clearance,” “mind your horns,” and “slow: cubs at play.”

Distinctly Chinese: Details Specific to Shanghai Culture

Much of the humor in the “Zootopia” film itself is derived from puns (like “pawpsicles,” an in-universe sweet treat which, of course, guests can purchase in the Shanghai land). While cute and comical, many of these jokes are largely dependent on language.

In adapting the city of Zootopia for Shanghai Disneyland, Imagineers specified the movie’s brand of humor for the park’s primary audience, as detailed by Disney in press materials.

“Mane Street” reads as a clever pun to the English speaker. Here, the boulevard is also known as “Ma Lu.” This doubles as the Chinese meaning of the word “road” and including the Chinese word that means “horse.”

Bongo’s Music Shop also carries multilayered meaning. The first Chinese character used when spelling the word “Bongo” is pronounced the same as the Chinese word “ling,” which means “bell,” providing appropriate wordplay for a music shop.

Another area of the land doesn’t contain a pun, but is nonetheless specific to Shanghai’s culture. Nocturnal Alley in Zootopia emulates a “longtang,” an alleyway of traditional Shanghai style that will be familiar to many guests.

Zootopia in Shanghai Includes Trackless Dark Ride and Streetmosphere Puppets

Guests could seemingly keep busy by simply roaming Zootopia and observing its architectural embellishments. That being said, several attractions will open with the land on Dec. 20, 2023.

Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, a trackless dark ride, is the land’s anchor. It will feature both Audio-Animatronics figures and animated characters on screens.

“Zootopia Park Apartments” is the name of the land’s “streetmosphere” entertainment. In the windows above Zootopia’s walkways, animal residents in puppet form will interact with one another.

Meanwhile, Fashions by Fru Fru will serve as a retail location. Within the land’s lore, Fru Fru, the arctic shrew from the movie, operates the store.

Revisit Zootopia’s Journey from Blue Sky to Grand Opening

It’s been a long road to Zootopia’s arrival. Disney first announced the project in January 2019.

By summer 2021, the expansion was well under construction and Imagineers were hard at work preparing the land’s Audio-Animatronics figures.

At D23 Expo 2022, the Disney Parks pavilion gave attendees a sneak peek at the “Zootopia Park Apartments” puppets. Also at D23 Expo 2022, Imagineers revealed the Zootopia: Hot Pursuit ride vehicle.

Fast-forward to September 2023, and Zootopia only awaited its finishing touches.

For more about the creation of Shanghai Disneyland and the Imagineers’ vision of building a park that’s “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese,” check out episode 6 of “The Imagineering Story” on Disney+.