A “Zootopia” 3-D show is in the works for the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney announced at Destination D23 on Saturday. The show will replace “It’s Tough To Be a Bug.”
‘Zootopia’ Show Coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The show will explore biomes from “Zootopia” both familiar and brand new and will feature characters from the 2016 film like Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and more. Additional characters included in the concept art include Gazelle, Chief Bogo, Flash, Priscilla, and others (as with all concept art, the image may not be reflective of the ultimate final product).
The attraction will additionally feature an Officer Clawhauser audio-animatronic, which is also seen in the concept art. The animatronic will likely be similar to the one that recently debuted at Shanghai Disneyland as part of that park’s new Zootopia-centric expansion.
Disney also quelled the concerns of some fans by announcing that “Zootopia” theming and attractions will not be coming to the area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom currently occupied by Dinoland U.S.A., an idea introduced as part of the “blue sky” concepts discussed at D23 in 2022. Some questioned the film’s fit in the animal and conservation-centric park, as while “Zootopia” features animals, its allegorical themes and messages are very human in nature.
Disney shared during the “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” panel that they have taken these concerns into account and have thus shifted the location of the film’s presence at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Dinoland U.S.A. will instead be reimagined as a Tropical American-themed land and include attractions inspired by “Encanto” and “Indiana Jones.”
According to the Disney Parks Blog, Disney “Imagineers are currently finalizing the concept and more details will be coming in the future.”
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is the park icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Situated on Discovery Island, it serves as the park’s physical and visual centerpiece. It stands at 145 feet tall and features hundreds of intricate carvings of animals.
The upcoming “Zootopia” show will take over the theater located in the sculpture’s base where “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” is currently shown. “It’s Tough to Be a Bug,” inspired by the 1998 Pixar film “A Bug’s Life,” was an opening day attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, debuting on April 22, 1998. It received a West Coast equivalent in 2001 when a version of the attraction opened in the A Bug’s Land section of Disney California Adventure; that attraction closed alongside the land itself in 2018.
Are you excited about the “Zootopia” 3D show soon coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Will you be sad to see “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” go? Let us know in the comments.
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