An iconic Shanghai animation studio has turned its beloved characters into an immersive summer playground, drawing parents and children from across the metropolis and beyond.
Shanghai Animation Film Studio which produced the classic animations like "The Monkey King" and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" recently opened China's first immersive theme park built entirely around classic Chinese animation IPs.
Sun Wukong, the Calabash Brothers, Detective Black Cat, the Nine-Colored Deer, the heroes that shaped generations of childhood memories, now greet visitors at the park inside Shanghai's Global Harbor this summer.
Besides, children are able to play a series of games at the park, such as climbing and going down the slide.
Parents bringing their kids queue daily at the park and many of them are eager to hand the stories they grew up with to their offspring.
"The moment I walked in the park I was hooked as these are the characters I watched as a child. Now I hope to introduce them to my daughter. She loves these cartoon characters like Detective Black Cat, Sun Wukong and little Nezha," said a parent.
The park is not only a must-visit for families in Shanghai but also attracts many parents and children across the Yangtze River Delta.
Local tour operators have stitched the attraction into broader itineraries: a new hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus links major landmarks of Shanghai including the Jinmao Tower and North Bund via bundled tickets that cost less than single traditional entries.
"It seamlessly connects all the major attractions, combining two kinds of resources. Before, you could only ride a bus; now you can hop on a boat as well. That's why sales have taken off, up five- or six-fold compared with last year," said Zhou Weihong, manager of a tourism enterprise.
Interactive cartoon theme park gains popularity in Shanghai
