Disney Shares New Robot Prototype For Possible 'Zootopia' Meet and Greet

Disney fans are looking forward to the day they get to step into the City of Zootopia -- an upcoming "Zootopia"-themed land area coming soon to Shanghai Disneyland.

During an SXSW presentation, Disney Parks has shared a first look at a new dynamic robot prototype that could possibly be used for future meet and greets with small characters, such as Judy Hopps from "Zootopia."

Disney Parks shared a photo of the new robot to Twitter, which looks just like Judy Hopps from the Disney film, "Zootopia" as it features long rabbit ears and is small enough to be her size.

"How cool is this brand-new prototype robot that Disney Imagineers just shared for the first time?" Disney Parks wrote on Twitter. "This is the first look at this dynamic robot that can fall down, get back up, and even do a somersault! #SXSW."

https://twitter.com/DisneyParks/status/1634255986671120384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1634255986671120384%7Ctwgr%5Ecda8b724ac47511e61183cab7ddcd4aa02e2e46d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwdwnt.com%2F2023%2F03%2Fphoto-disney-parks-shares-first-look-at-small-dynamic-robot-for-potential-future-meet-and-greets%2F

In an Instagram Reel, fans can watch the robot do a somersault and then stand back up on its own two feet -- all by itself!

"Disney Imagineers showing their prototype robot has us like 🤖👀🛼 #SXSW #Disney #DisneyParks #Rollerskates #Robot #Technology," they captioned the video.

The technology is extremely impressive and could possibly be used for future meet and greets with small characters. Though Disney did not confirm what they would be using these new robots for, Disney Parks is gearing up to open its new "Zootopia"-themed land area at Shanghai Disneyland, meaning the company could be thinking about creating a Judy Hopps meet and greet for the land using these robots.

The robot was developed by Disney Imagineers Tony Dohi and Morgan Pope, who were also the brains behind the iconic Spider-Man “stuntronic” which is currently being used at Avengers Campus.

Disney fans could not get enough of the robot so they quickly took to the comments section on Disney Parks' Instagram Reel.

"Judy Hopps!! How awesome!," one fan commented as another wrote, "Oh wow!!! It’s wild that this is our reality and not in the far off future! 🤯👏."

"Wowww really neat what y’all are doing over there Imagineers 😮👏," a third chimed in.

While others commented things such as "Wow! This is amazing!" and "I cannot explain how much I want to work in the R&D department! My passions in one place 🙌❤️ #imagineering @waltdisneyimagineering."

At this point, an opening date for the "Zootopia" land coming to Shanghai Disney is unknown, but it is expected to debut sometime in 2023. The soon-to-be land will feature a new major attraction, where Guests can spot both Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from the film. And at Destination D23, Disney shared a look at one of the animatronics -- Yax -- under development for Zootopia Land.

Disney also suggested developing a “Zootopia” and “Moana” land to replace DinoLand, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Florida, however, the ideas are still in the very early stages and nothing is set in stone at this time.