Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort Marks One Year with Impressive Milestone Numbers

Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort celebrated its first full year of operation in December 2024, revealing a set of remarkable visitor milestones — including ride cruisers on Zootopia: Hot Pursuit accumulating roughly 220,000 miles of total travel and the hyper-tube Lemmings system commuting over 2.1 million passengers. The land's top food items, including the Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle and Corn Flavored Popcorn, proved enormously popular, with mini Big Donut sales stacked hypothetically reaching eight times the height of Shanghai Tower. Since opening, Zootopia has collected multiple industry awards, including the 2025 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Theme Park Land.

Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort marked its one-year anniversary in December 2024, a milestone celebrated with a revealing set of operational statistics from the past year of operation. The land — the most immersive ever built at the resort — saw its trackless ride system on Zootopia: Hot Pursuit accumulate approximately 220,000 miles of total cruiser travel, equivalent to circling the Earth's equator nearly eight times. The year brought multiple industry awards, including the prestigious 2025 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Theme Park Land from the Themed Entertainment Association.

A Year of Remarkable Firsts

Zootopia made history at Shanghai Disneyland as the resort's most immersive land to date, built around Zootopia: Hot Pursuit — the first trackless ride system ever built in Mainland China. The land brought together the resort's most advanced Audio-Animatronics figures and gave guests the chance to zip through the districts, chat with residents from their windows, and experience a real-life Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle for the first time.

The Ride That Crossed the Globe Eight Times

The trackless cruisers on Zootopia: Hot Pursuit accumulated a total mileage of approximately 220,000 miles across the first year — enough distance to have driven around the Earth's equator almost 8 times. The attraction delivered the resort's most advanced Audio-Animatronics and its first-ever trackless ride system in Mainland China, quickly establishing itself as one of the park's signature experiences.

World-Class Detail — Down to the Hyper-Tubes

Every corner of Zootopia is packed with elaborate storytelling detail — from a barber shop with sheep trimmings to a bank built for animals of all sizes. A giraffe running on a treadmill inside the land logged over 26,000 miles in just the first year. The innovative "hyper-tubes" used by the Lemmings for their daily commute to Lemmings Brothers Bank transported over 2.1 million passengers in the same period.

Food That Stacks Eight Stories High

Among the top three most beloved food items in Zootopia's first year were the Disney Zootopia Pawpsicle, Corn Flavored Popcorn, and the mini size of The Big Donut. If the total number of mini Big Donuts sold in the year were arranged side by side, they would reach approximately eight times the height of Shanghai Tower — the tallest building in Shanghai.

Nearly 260 Themed Merchandise Items Launched

The Zootopia merchandise team introduced nearly 260 themed items across the first year. The most popular pieces were the Judy Bucket Hat, Judy & Nick Walkie Talkie, Judy Hood Blanket, Nick Hood Blanket, and the Nick Fluffy Hat.

A Land for Every Season

The first year at Zootopia also brought several seasonal firsts: the Disney Zootopia Yoga Show in spring, the "Howl-o-Ween" Halloween celebration in fall, and the Winter Snow-Ball Festival to close out the calendar year. Each confirmed the land's versatility as a year-round destination.

Four Industry Awards in One Year

Since opening, Zootopia has received multiple industry honors:

• 2025 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement — Theme Park Land, awarded by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)
• 2024 National Excellent Cases of Cultural and Tourism Equipment Technology Enhancement, from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
• 2024 China Theme Park Excellent Attraction, from the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, for Zootopia: Hot Pursuit
• Gold at the Collision Awards for Zootopia: Hot Pursuit

What Comes Next at Shanghai Disney Resort

The year ahead for Shanghai Disney Resort includes the launch of a new Spider-Man-themed attraction and ongoing expansion projects — including a third Disney-themed hotel adjacent to Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. With Zootopia's inaugural year demonstrating that the land can sustain year-round guest engagement across multiple seasonal programs and award-winning innovation, it stands as a benchmark for future resort development. Upcoming details will be available at shanghaidisneyresort.com.