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Credit: DisneyWalt Disney Imagineering has filed a permit to install sets inside the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park for its newest show, “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” The attraction is set to premiere this winter alongside the release of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 (2025).
Walt Disney World Resort first teased that Zootopia (2016) would take over the Tree of Life at Destination D23 2023. The show is set to replace It’s Tough To Be A Bug!, which opened alongside Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park on April 22, 1998.
The theme park attraction actually opened seven months before the premiere of Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998). Disney California Adventure Park debuted a version of the 3D film attraction in 2001 but closed it in 2018 to make way for Avengers Campus.
It’s Tough To Be A Bug! will play its final performance on March 16, 2025. As the bugs pack their bags after nearly 27 years inside the ornately carved Tree of Life, Walt Disney Imagineering has spent months preparing to transform the space for its new Zootopia residents.
Last month, Walt Disney Imagineers filed permits for the demolition of It’s Tough To Be A Bug! structures inside the Tree of Life. This week, they filed a Notice of Commencement to “install set elements” at 745 W Savannah Cir. The permit contracts Icarus Exhibits, Inc., which was also included on a recent permit for the year-long Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment at Magic Kingdom Park.
“Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” is expected to premiere sometime later this year, coinciding with the premiere of Zootopia 2 on November 26. The show will feature an all-new song performed by Ginnifer Goodwin, the original voice of Judy Hopps.
Early concept art and posters for the attraction suggest it will include an advanced Clawhauser audio-animatronic, similar to the one in Zootopia: Hot Pursuit at Shanghai Disneyland.
Changes Beyond the Tree of Life
The closure of It’s Tough To Be A Bug! isn’t the only major change hitting Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park this year. In January, much of DinoLand U.S.A. closed permanently to make way for Pueblo Esperanza, a new Tropical Americas-themed area.
Pueblo Esperanza is expected to open sometime in 2027, though Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t announced an exact date. It will feature two attractions inspired by Encanto (2021), and an Indiana Jones reskin of DINOSAUR.
DINOSAUR, The Boneyard play area, and DinoLand U.S.A.’s three Quick Service dining locations will remain open through 2025. The entire land is expected to close sometime in early 2026.
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t announced an exact opening date for “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” inside the Tree of Life. Follow Inside the Magic for updates on this and other Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park expansions!
What upcoming addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park are you most excited about? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!