A new Disney Fun House has been opened in China. It is the 50th Disney Fun House in China and the first one to be themed to Zootopia. Now open, it is available to bring moments of happiness to young patients and their families during hospital stays.
The Disney Fun Houses came out of the celebration of the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort in June 2016. At the time, Disney announced it was donation $3.1 million USD (RMB 20 million) to fund Disney-themed play spaces and therapeutic play activities. These would be called Disney Fun Houses and they would be at 50 children’s hospitals across China. Disney has now achieved this commitment.
The Disney Fun Houses feature Disney characters and are infused with storytelling from beloved Disney films. They provide young patients and their families a space for interactive play activities and are hosted by Disney VoluntEARS and hospital staff.
As Shanghai Disney Resort celebrates its 8th anniversary of being open, this milestone of the 50th Disney Fun House officially open has also been reached. It is located at the Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou. As mentioned above, it is the first Disney Fun House to be themed to the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Zootopia.
The area for the Disney Fun House was transformed with murals that feature Zootopia’s diverse landscapes. This includes the iconic Zootopia skyline and also a one-of-a-kind Zootopia-themed mobile movie theater. This allows young patients and their families to watch favorite cartoons, short movie clips, and documentaries during their stay at the hospital.
As part of the celebration of the grand opening of this Disney Fun House, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde visited hospital wards and delivered Zootopia-themed plushes and hand-made crafts. Disney VoluntEARS also joined young patients for a fun day of dancing and drawing.
Shanghai Disney REsort and The Walt Disney Company China also distributed about 5,000 Disney-themed gifts throughout all 50 of the Disney Fun Houses, spreading extra Disney magic to children across China. In May, two other Disney Fun Houses opened at Shunyi Branch of Beijing Children’s Hospital and Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children’s Medical Center (Fujian Children’s Hospital). There were representatives from Disney China, China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the hospitals in attendance at their opening ceremonies. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse also made surprise appearances to help celebrate these occasions as well.
The Walt Disney Company China and Shanghai Disney Resort have come together to collaborate with China Soong China Ling Foundation and Shanghai Charity Foundation to build 50 Disney Fun Houses in hospitals that span 41 cities of 24 provincial and municipal regions in Mainland China. This brings Disney magic and happiness to those who are undergoing treatment and recovery.
“It’s an honor to be here for the opening of the 50th Disney Fun House,” shared Disney VoluntEAR Mia Gao. “I’m also happy to be here on this special day, International Children’s Day, to accompany the children as a happy VoluntEAR!”
Disney has a long legacy of supporting seriously ill children and bring joy, inspiration, and hope to them. This goes back to the days when Walt DIsney would bring animators and characters to visit hospitalized children. Today, that support has grown to include millions of dollars of in-kind donations that provide engaging play spaces, theme park tickets, complimentary first-run movies, toy deliveries, and hospital visits from beloved Disney characters.
Disney is committed to helping reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals globally and helping to support meaningful causes in the local community. What do you think of this specific cause? What do you think of the concept of Disney Fun Houses in children’s hospitals? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
