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WALT DISNEY CO. is about to open the first Zootopia land at Shanghai Disneyland Resort as the entertainment giant expands its global theme park presence and taps into China’s growing demand for domestic travel.
The new attraction, based on the popular animated comedy-adventure of the same name, will open on December 20 and will feature iconic landmarks from the film and themed restaurants. One of the main draws is the ‘Hot Pursuit’ ride, which sees visitors join Agent Judy Hopps and her partner, Nick Wilde, on a police chase to find kidnapped pop star Gazelle.
This is the second major themed land launched in rapid succession by Disney, after the first in the world. Frozen attraction which opened in Hong Kong in November. They are part of a push to further expand the company’s theme park and resort business, with plans to nearly double spending in the segment to $60 billion over 10 years, against a backdrop of major changes in the film and television industry as well as challenges related to streaming. business.
It is also a sign of the continued strength of domestic travel demand in China. Facing a series of economic headwinds, many Chinese are avoiding expensive overseas trips and favoring vacations at home. Experiential activities were the big winners and activities like surfing, visiting theme parks and visiting rural areas gained popularity this year, according to travel provider Ctrip.
Shanghai Disneyland Resort has been a major beneficiary, especially during key holiday periods. During the peak summer season, some visitors arrived as early as 5 a.m. to queue for entry and some of the most popular attractions had wait times of more than three hours.
The $5.5 billion theme park opened in 2016 and Disney owns it. 43% of the project, with the rest held by state-owned consortium Shanghai Shendi Group Co. A regular one-day ticket costs 475 yuan, although this can rise to 799 yuan on certain days such as public holidays.
Released in 2016, Zootopia grossed over $1 billion worldwide and is China’s highest-grossing imported animated feature film of all time. Disney announced earlier this year that a sequel was in the works. — Bloomberg
