Acrylic boards have been added to the sides of Zootopia: Hot Pursuit ride vehicles at Shanghai Disneyland after a young guest jumped from the ride and was struck by a vehicle late last month.
Zootopia Hot Pursuit Ride Vehicles
X (formerly Twitter) user @pomemaru_d shared this photo of a new safety board on a ride vehicle. The photo was taken on January 11 and they compared it to a photo from January 9, which shows no additional safety measures on the police car-inspired ride vehicles. The acrylic boards are transparent, so it doesn’t obscure the view of the ride’s set pieces, but makes it harder to climb out of a vehicle.
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit opened to the public with the rest of the new Zootopia land on December 20, 2023. Just a few days later, on December 24, guests on social media reported that a child on the ride dropped their mouse ears and jumped out of their vehicle to get them. The guest was then run over by one of the trackless cars.
X user @CHINA815890545 shared photos of the aftermath of the incident, which may be too graphic for some. No announcement or statement was made regarding the level of injuries the young guest sustained.
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit reopened the next day after a brief closure and Shanghai Disney Resort stated, “All guests are required to comply with the resort’s operational guidelines as they experience the attraction.”
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit utilizes a similar trackless ride system to Mystic Manor, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. To our knowledge, this is the first time one of these trackless ride vehicles has struck or run over a guest.
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit sees guests joining the Zootopia Police Department as rookie officers and backup to Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. It’s set after the events of “Zootopia.”
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