Copyright Variety
Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park has introduced a new show, “Zootopia: Better Zoogether.” This nine-minute immersive experience opens Friday at the Florida park, celebrating the biomes of “Zootopia.” The show marks a full-circle moment for “Zootopia 2” co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who began discussions over three years ago about bringing something unique to Animal Kingdom. “We began our journey on the first ‘Zootopia,’” Bush says. “We came here as part of our research, spending a lot of time with the animals here and behind the scenes.” Howard adds that working with Walt Disney Imagineers to conceive the idea was a great warm-up for the duo as they prepared to dive into “Zootopia 2.” “We hadn’t touched these characters for a while, so getting our character animators involved and learning how to move them around to do crazy things was exciting.” Among those “crazy things” are spitting walruses, an ice-skating spectacular and a mouse drone show. The show itself blends 3D technology with 4D elements, immersing audiences in the sights, sounds, and smells of the “Zootopia” world. Bush and Howard collaborated closely with Chris Beatty, a 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. “We don’t have a two-hour time period to settle into character development, their relationships, and who they are,” Beatty explains. “We have to be very clear about the story we want to tell and how we want to convey it to our guests.” For Imagineering, everything begins with the story. The team focused on the idea of interconnectedness among all living things and how these elements are symbiotic with each other. “Zootopia’s” narrative of harmony among different biomes provided Beatty’s team with a strong foundation. 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 fresh addition to the aquatic and reptilian environments of “Zootopia 2.” To submerge audiences in this world, Beatty says, “We’re using water — not just 3D animation of giant tongues coming out and lathering the audience.” He adds, “The water effects are synchronized perfectly, and the audience goes crazy.” In addition to Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde returning, the show centers around Officer Clawhauser, voiced by Nate Torrence. Howard describes the beloved character Clawhauser as “our lucky charm.” He adds, “Everyone loves Claws. He’s a part of the first movie, the second movie, and now he’s a huge part of this show.” Howard concludes, “It makes complete sense to center the show around Clawhauser’s shenanigans.” “Zootopia 2” opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 26.
