Construction Update: Disney Makes Changes Around the Tree of Life in Preparation for Its Newest Attraction

In two weeks from Friday, Disney World will welcome its newest attraction. Zootopia: Better Zoogether will open on November 7, and Disney’s construction crews have been hard at work getting the area ready for the updated show.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether will take over the Tree of Life from It’s Tough to Be a Bug, which closed in March to make way for the updated attraction. After the eight-month refurbishment, the new show is ready to take over the Tree of Life theater.

To prepare for the new Zootopia attraction, Disney’s crews have been busy adding new signage to the area, including the ride’s marquee, exit/entrance signs, and restricted access signs. Disney also has crews working at the base of the Tree of Life, painting, replacing, and treating some of the wood around the base.

Disney has also restricted access to some of the Tree of Life viewing areas to complete the remaining work around the new attraction. However, the new Zootopia show will also bring two big changes to the area around the Tree of Life.

New Meet-and-Greet

Earlier this week, Disney shuttered the Wilderness Explorers Clubhouse, where guests could meet Dug and Russel from Up. The duo has been moved temporarily to the rear of the Tree of Life, where they are currently meeting guests. It is still unclear exactly where the two will land once the construction around the Tree of Life wraps up.

The area once occupied by Dug and Russell is reportedly being turned into the new meet-and-greet area for Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Disney has yet to confirm this change; however, with the new Zootopia attraction coming, putting its two main characters there makes the most sense.

New Structure

As Disney prepares for the opening of Zootopia: Better Zoogether, they are building a new structure along the pathway to the exit of the attraction. It is unclear exactly what this structure will be, but it appears to be just a covering for guests as they exit the attraction.

In these final two weeks, Disney has been busy getting Zootopia: Better Zoogether ready for its first audience, and it can’t come soon enough, as Animal Kingdom needs this updated attraction.

Are you excited for the new Zootopia attraction at Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.