Walt Disney World has added characters to the pre-show of Zootopia, an attraction that opened last year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Mayor Brian Winddancer is currently appearing on screen ahead of the 4D show Zootopia: Better Zoogather, which takes place in a theater surrounded by the park’s iconic Tree of Life. He is a horse and actor turned politician who appears in Zootopia 2 and is voiced by actor Patrick Warburton.
The Animal Kingdom attraction opened in early November last year, and the animated film hit theaters a few weeks later.
“We were so excited to welcome him to the show as part of an all-new pre-show sequence,” Walt Disney Imagineering Story Lead David Brescia said in a video on Disney World’s social media platforms.
“Anytime we have an opportunity to come in and add a little bit of magic or enhance the guest experience, we’re really excited to do that,” he said.
Warburton recorded the Wind Dancer character for this attraction. The actor also appears in a new pre-show video for Epcot’s attraction Soarin’ Across America.
Disney World: ‘Zoo Gather’ actor bares fangs on Clawhauser character
The video also shows various teams at Disney checking out the technical aspects of additions to the theater. The show itself features Zootopia characters Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), and the storyline revolves around Zoogather Day and Gazelle’s (Shakira) concert. The theater also includes an animatronic Clawhauser voiced by Nate Torrence. This attraction replaced the theme park’s opening day attraction, the “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” show.
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