A very impressive and portable Duke Weaselton audio-animatronic made its debut today at the grand opening ceremony for the new Zootopia land in Shanghai Disneyland.
What’s Happening:
- During the grand opening ceremony for the new Zootopia land in Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro was interrupted on stage by this impressive new audio-animatronic
- Duke Weaselton, the smart-mouthed weasel, is shown skating alongside and “pushing” a cart, before jumping up to the second level of the cart, where he tried to persuade Josh to make him an honorary ambassador of Zootopia.
- Duke is a demonstration of the next iteration of robotic technology, which Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development (R&D) and Disney Research first displayed earlier this year at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference.
- At SXSW, Disney Imagineers unveiled an untethered, dynamic robotic character on skates that could steady itself and even perform a somersault — movements humans can relate to that generate emotional connections with the bunny character.
- With Duke, Imagineers have combined the ability to do all kinds of dynamic maneuvers, with their expertise in building expressive, animated faces.
- To pull off this achievement, not one, but two robots working together in sync were required. Not only was Duke a robotic figure, but so was the kiosk itself!
- Take a look at the full interaction below:
- According to theme park reporter Scott Gustin, this special Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development project was created just for the opening event, and is not currently planned to appear in the land.
- The Disney Parks TikTok shared a slightly closer look at Duke Weaselton.
More on Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland:
- Beginning tomorrow, December 20th, transport into the mammalian metropolis of Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland. This immersive land includes the all-new attraction Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, featuring a trackless ride system and the latest in audio-animatronics technology, as well as a one-of-a-kind atmosphere show where the animal residents will interact with each other and guests throughout the day.
- Check out more of our coverage from the opening of Zootopia at the links below:
Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disney travel planning
Fill out the form below for a free,
no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com
no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com