Walt Disney Imagineering filed a permit to install signage at the Tree of Life in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, possibly for the new Zootopia: Better Zoogether show.
Tree of Life Signage
Notice of Commencement #20250440550 is to “Install signage” at 745 W Savannah Circle, Bay Lake, FL 32830 — the address of the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It contracts Jon Richards Company, which has worked on several theme parks, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney California Adventure, Tokyo DisneySea, and Universal Orlando Resort. The company recently installed set elements at Test Track 3.0 in EPCOT and new signage for Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Magic Kingdom.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether
We don’t know for sure the permit is for Zootopia: Better Zoogether signage, but it seems likely. The new show replaces It’s Tough to Be a Bug inside the Tree of Life. It features a new original song, performed by Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps. It will reuse some of the existing theater effects and include an Audio-Animatronic of Clawhauser, possibly similar to the animatronic in Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland. It’s set to open this winter, coinciding with the release of Zootopia 2.
Previously filed permits for the space were for set installation and modification of the Tree of Life. The signage for It’s Tough to Be a Bug was torn down on its closing date. Directional signs listing the show were removed, and construction work began in the queue. Construction walls went up in front of the attraction’s entrance in June.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug
It’s Tough to Be a Bug had its final day of operation on March 16, 2025. The attraction was a 3D film and was inspired by Disney and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. It debuted with the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on April 22, 1998, months before A Bug’s Life was released in theaters. The show was hosted by Flik and had guests become “honorary bugs,” learning how insects survive in the wild.
Watch the last-ever performance in our video below:
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In Efteling, following DAK, in 2002 opened ‘Pandadroom’ (Panda dream) in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund. It has been a similar kind of ‘5D’ attraction (outdoors landscaped waitrow, preshow in 2D, main show in ‘5D’, and post show large indoors themed play-and-experience ‘grotto’. The film already got replaced in 2019, there, now called ‘Fabula’, but again themed around animals. In the main show, the tree falling down from the ceiling at the end, was saved and included in the script of the new film. The playzone had been altered only a bit, like the panda animatronic being replaced by a ‘the brown bear and the squirrel’ animatronic. Most others are still in place. (Lion, sea turtle, big ape, ice bear, …) The video fragments in the play area were updated to the new film. Also, the ‘under the sea’ dining area was only very slightly altered. I was amazed that Efteling was first to change the program, and now Disney comes second ! :-) :-)