Japan Just Beat Zootopia at Its Own Game With the Power of Anime
TOHO Cinemas rolls out ZOOHO Cinemas, a limited-time crossover with the Zootopia franchise, amping up hype for the sequel hitting Japanese theaters December 5, 2025.
Japan just dropped a marketing stunt that actually deserves the word 'genius'. TOHO Cinemas spun up a limited-time alt-universe site called 'ZOOHO Cinemas' to hype Zootopia 2 ahead of its Japan release next Friday, December 5, 2025. It looks like the real TOHO branding at first glance, then slowly morphs into a full-on Zootopia takeover the deeper you click. Very silly, very clever, and yes, very effective.
So what is 'ZOOHO Cinemas' exactly?
It’s a special microsite built by TOHO that asks a simple question and then commits to the bit:
"What if TOHO Cinemas existed in the world of Zootopia?"
Every corner is loaded with animal puns and franchise nods. There’s a 'Howl Theatre' tucked in there, the concession stand is reimagined with carrot-centric snacks (Judy Hopps would approve), and nearly every click turns up another Zootopia gag. It’s only live for a limited time, so if you want to poke around, don’t wait.
And it won’t stop at the website
On December 5, TOHO is flipping the switch on an actual Zootopia-themed theater experience. Daytime shows will feature cosplayers as characters like Gazelle; night screenings hand the spotlight to nocturnal animals. It’s the kind of nerdy production detail that tells you the team went all-in, not just on the site, but on the in-person rollout too.
The posters are the star attraction
TOHO didn’t just decorate; they spoofed some very recognizable titles with Zootopia-flavored twists. It’s one of those rare campaigns where the parody art is good enough to frame. Highlights:
- Toy Story 5 becomes 'Snake Story 5', starring Gary the snake from Zootopia 2
- Fantastic Four shifts to 'Fantastic Fur'
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 morphs into 'The Devil Wears Fluffy 2'
- Detective Conan: Romantic Killer is reworked as 'Detective Conan: Zoomantic Thriller'
It’s goofy on purpose, but the execution is razor sharp. You’ll swear you’re looking at real posters until the animal puns start hitting you.
Why this works (and why Japan is so good at it)
Japan knows how to blur fiction and reality in a way fans eat up. Tie a beloved IP to something tangible, and the internet does the rest. We’ve seen similar moves before: nationwide scratch-card lotteries dressed up with One Piece; instant noodle collabs with Gintama, Re:Zero, Sword Art Online, and Kaguya-sama. This Zootopia x TOHO push is the same playbook applied to a Disney franchise, and it fits like a glove.
Timing, rollout, and where to watch
The campaign surfaced online today via posts from Japanese fan outlets (November 28, 2025), and the 'ZOOHO Cinemas' site is live for a limited window. The physical Zootopia-themed theater experience kicks off December 5, lining up with the film’s Japan debut. If you’re in the U.S., Zootopia 2 is already in theaters right now; Japan gets it next Friday.