Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park has introduced a new show, “Zootopia: Better Zoo Gather.”
The 9-minute immersive experience celebrates the “Zootopia” biome and opens Friday at a Florida park. The show marks a full-circle moment for Zootopia 2 co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who began talking more than three years ago about bringing something unique to Animal Kingdom.
“We started our journey with the first Zootopia,” Bush says. “We came here as part of our research and spent a lot of time with the animals here and behind the scenes,” Howard said, adding that working with Walt Disney Imagineers on the idea was a great warm-up for the pair as they prepared to dive into “Zootopia 2.” “We hadn’t touched these characters in a while, so it was really exciting to involve the character animators and learn how to move the characters to do crazy things.”
Some of those “crazy things” include a spitting walrus, spectacular ice skating, and a mouse drone show.
The show itself blends 3D technology and 4D elements to immerse audiences in the sights, sounds, and smells of the world of “Zootopia.” Mr. Bush and Mr. Howard worked closely with Chris Beatty, creative portfolio executive at Walt Disney Imagineering. Beatty emphasizes that the key to creating the show was telling a clear story in a short format.
“Two hours is not enough time to develop the characters and understand their relationships and who they are,” Beatty explains. “We need to be clear about the story we want to tell and how we want to tell it to our guests.” For Imagineering, it all starts with the story. The research team focused on the idea of interconnectedness between all living things and how these elements live in symbiosis with each other. Zootopia’s story of harmony between different biomes provided a strong foundation for Beatty’s team. Once that was established, “it was easy to start imagining places like Tundra Town, Sahara Square, and new environments in development like Marsh Market.”
Marsh Market is a new addition to Zootopia 2’s aquatic and reptile environments. To immerse the audience in this world, Beatty says, “We’re using water. It’s not just 3D animation where a giant tongue comes out and bubbles up the audience.” He added: “The water effects were perfectly synchronized and the audience went wild.”
In addition to the return of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, the show will revolve around Officer Clawhauser, voiced by Nate Torrence. Howard describes the beloved character Clawhauser as “our good luck charm.” She added: “Everyone loves Close. He was in the first and second movie and now he’s a big part of the show.” Howard concluded that “it makes perfect sense to have Clawhauser’s pranks be the centerpiece of the show.”
“Zootopia 2” will be released nationwide on November 26th.
