Walt Disney World announced that Zootopia: Better Zoogether will open next winter at Animal Kingdom. This post shares details, opening timeframe, poster art, and everything we know about the upcoming attraction–plus commentary about why this is the best way of integrating Zootopia into DAK. (Updated March 3, 2025.)
An update on the Zootopia 3D stage show was shared during the Parks Panel presentation during the D23 Expo. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years. In addition to this new Zootopia show, Disney finally pulled the curtain back on Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, which is Walt Disney World’s next big expansion project that will bring Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions to the park.
These were just a couple of blockbuster announcements for Walt Disney World, during which D’Amaro revealed several ‘shovel to soil’ projects that will come online in the next 5 years, including over a half-dozen additions that will debut before the end of 2025. Zootopia: Better Zoogether is basically a stop-gap until Tropical Americas debuts.
We still don’t have many substantive details about the new show based on Zootopia that’s being created for the Tree of Life theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, we do know that it’ll be called “Zootopia: Better Zoogether.”
The new Zootopia: Better Zoogether show will open in Winter 2025 at Walt Disney World.
March 3, 2025 Update: Walt Disney Imagineering has filed its first two Notice of Commencement construction permits for Zootopia: Better Zoogether. The second filing is assigned to frequent Walt Disney World collaborator Icarus Exhibits with a scope of work listed as “install set elements.” Ironically enough, Icarus Exhibits just had another, almost identical permit filed for show scenes on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Prior to this, another Notice of Commencement was recently filed for “Facility Demo, General Construction, Electrical, and Area Development” at an address corresponding to the Tree of Life Theater. This suggests that the interior will undergo a material transformation before the new Zootopia show zoopens in Winter 2025.
That’s notable because it was entirely conceivable for Imagineering to leave the interior of the Tree of Life largely unchanged. The inside of the theater isn’t really themed to “bugs,” it’s themed to “tree.” And even with Zootopia taking over, it’ll still be inside of a gigantic tree.
Granted, it makes a whole lot more thematic sense for bugs to be inside of a tree than the mammals from Zootopia, but perhaps there could be some sort of story explanation. That’s going to have to happen regardless of how the interior changes, because guests are still going to walk inside of a gigantic tree to see the show. Honestly, I’m fine with taking the path of least resistance, leaving the gorgeous interior mostly untouched, and hand-waving away the inconsistencies. It beats spending a lot of time and money to redo the interior, only to produce something inferior to what was there before.
Officer Hopps reporting for duty! 🎙️🐰 Join Ginnifer Goodwin for a behind-the-scenes making of – singing of? 😉 – the new Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opening Winter 2025 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/3ppylPs5Nh
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 3, 2025
Prior to this, Disney gave fans a first look at Zootopia: Better Zoogether, via a behind-the-scenes video of a recording session for this all-new show. The video features Ginnifer Goodwin, voice of Judy Hopps, singing a few lines from a new original song that will debut with Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Starting with the positive, it’s good to see Disney spending the money to get Goodwin back to voice Judy Hopps as opposed to using a cheaper sound-alike. Here’s hoping Jason Bateman also returns to Zootopia: Better Zoogether. An original song also shows a level of ambition that’s nice to see.
The negative is that this sounds slightly cringey. In fairness, it’s possible to properly assess the finished script and show from a brief clip. But I really hope they don’t overdo it with the ‘zoo’ puns, as they’re not clever and just make everything more of a mouthful. One thing that’s great about It’s Tough to Be a Bug is that the writing is sharp, with humor that works for adults and not just kids.
Based on details Disney previously shared, we also know that the concept for Zootopia: Better Zoogether has guests visiting the different biomes you only glimpse in the film, traveling along with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and other characters.
Although there was some initial confusion, we also know that is not a projection show on the exterior of the Tree of Life. Rather, it’s a replacement for “It’s Tough to Be a Bug,” the 3D show inside the Tree of Life.
Speaking of which, Walt Disney World has also announced that It’s Tough to Be a Bug will close in March 2025. So you don’t have long to see it before the show is exterminated.
As for when Zootopia: Better Zoogether is most likely to open in Winter 2025, our initial expectation was sometime between MLK Day and Presidents’ Day. Walt Disney World isn’t very strict or consistent on openings during the ‘winter’ season, but those were the most logical targets–especially with Dino-Rama closing and the park losing capacity during the Tropical Americas construction.
Obviously, this is wrong. With It’s Tough to Be a Bug closing in mid-March, that would only leave a few days for the conversion of Zootopia: Better Zoogether before Winter 2025 ends. This conversion is going to take months, not days.
From that, it’s now clear that Walt Disney World actually intends for Zootopia: Better Zoogether to open in November or December 2025. This defies their normal season conventions. Typically, Disney means January through early March (pre-Spring Break) when referring to winter. November and December is almost always referred to as the “holidays” or “late” from a seasons perspective.
Technically, next winter begins on December 21, 2025 and runs through March 20, 2026. But I wouldn’t put much weight on the technical timing of the season. Given the closing date of It’s Tough to Be a Bug, my guess is that the goal is to have Zootopia: Better Zoogether open by Thanksgiving. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if it debuts before then–as early as mid-October. That’s more likely than the show slipping into 2026.
Seasons don’t have much meaning in Central Florida, a region that starts celebrating Halloween in early August. In trying to decode Disney (probably a fool’s errand), I’d imagine that the Winter 2025 opening of Zootopia: Better Zoogether actually means the start of the winter holiday season. In which case, anytime between Veterans Day weekend and New Year’s Eve makes sense. Accordingly, the real date range for this supposed “Winter 2025” opening is roughly November 7 through December 31, 2025.
We can probably narrow that a bit further thanks to the opening date of Zootopia 2 on November 26, 2025. It’s possible that Zootopia: Better Zoogether opens simultaneous with that new film, especially if the show somehow contains spoilers. However, it’s more likely that the new show opens in advance of the movie as part of the marketing push. The most likely date range narrows to November 7 and November 26, 2025. If I had to bet on a specific opening date for Zootopia: Better Zoogether, I’d go with November 21, 2025.
Walt Disney World also shared cool-looking new post art for Zootopia Better Zoogether:
Turning to commentary, I have to start by conceding that I don’t really have a dog in this “fight” (to the extent that there even is a fight–but it’s Disney, so just about any change is controversial to some degree). A lot of people are upset to be losing It’s Tough to Be a Bug. That’s understandable, but I’m just not one of them. Sorry, but it’s impossible to care about everything.
Suffice to say, I have no major issue with Zootopia inside the Tree of Life. It’s tucked away and relatively insignificant, and the animals and their biomes will be highlighted rather than the metropolis they inhabit in Zootopia. For me, that’s still not ideal, but it’s close enough.
Disney IP in the parks and thematic integrity are a “pick your battles” type of thing. I do not view this as a battle worth picking, especially given the alternative. Hopefully it gives Animal Kingdom a shot in the arm, and more guests into the beautiful Tree of Life theater.
As much as I’ve enjoyed It’s Tough to Be a Bug over the years, I do not view it as a classic like MuppetVision. Again, fully feel for those who do and will lament its loss. But I can only speak to my personal experiences and opinions, and the fact is that we seldom make an effort to see It’s Tough to Be a Bug anymore–and that’s even with a shortage of things to do at DAK.
Conversely, Zootopia: Better Zoogether is a new show based on a movie I love. It may not be a perfect fit, but it’s something we’re looking forward to enjoying as a family–and probably will dozens more times over the years to come than we would It’s Tough to Be a Bug. To each their own, though.
With that said, Zootopia: Better Zoogether has got be an actual upgrade over It’s Tough to Be a Bug. The company likes to bandy about the “keep moving forward” Walt quote, but that doesn’t always ring true. “Keep moving forward” doesn’t apply automatically–it implies progress or evolution. Changes can be lateral moves or steps backwards–they are not inherently progress. “Keep moving forward” would be a good quote to accompany, for example, the opening of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.
You could no use that “keep moving forward” quote to justify the addition of CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT. No innovation occurred there. There was no forward progress unless you count the passage of time. CommuniCore was change for its own sake, and at best a lateral move.
In the case of Zootopia: Better Zoogether, the show itself has gotta be good. That’s because, even though I think it’s ready to be retired, It’s Tough to Be a Bug is excellent for what it is. It’s a clever and creative 3D show. It also has in-theater effects and one of the best Audio Animatronics in all of Walt Disney World.
If Zootopia: Better Zoogether doesn’t meet or exceed It’s Tough to Be a Bug, it’ll be a downgrade as opposed to progress. My fear, in particular, is that it’ll be a phoned-in sing-along similar to the Beauty and the Beast one at EPCOT, which is an abomination. If that’s the case, or even if it’s competently created but is only a simple film that you passively watch without any in-theater engagement, it also will not be an improvement.
The good news is that Imagineering has developed several Zootopia Audio Animatronics for Shanghai Disneyland already, so hopefully one of those will be cloned. Personally, I’d love to see Clawhauser make an appearance.
As for why Zootopia “needs” a presence at Walt Disney World, the answer is simple: popularity.
To this day, the original Zootopia still ranks well on monthly and annual lists of movies per Nielsen ‘minutes streamed’ data. Although it’s not that old, Zootopia is already demonstrates staying power and the likelihood of longevity, meaning it’s arguably deserving of a greater theme park presence at Walt Disney World if you’re going by demand.
I personally do not believe a movie or characters have to be popular in order to have a park presence–hit attractions can come from unexpected places, and need not be based on popular properties. However, I do think the opposite is true: popular franchises should be represented at Walt Disney World in order to comport with guest expectations.
With Zootopia, it’s a question of where it goes in Walt Disney World, not if. I’m absolutely relieved that the Zootopia land from Shanghai Disneyland is NOT being cloned to Animal Kingdom. It would’ve been a poor fit that only made sense on a superficial level (“animals are animals”).
Once you start thinking about the actual themes, motifs, settings, and subtext of Zootopia, it’s inappropriate for Animal Kingdom. One of those things that would “work” fine for casual guests who don’t really care or think about theme, but one that would’ve upset a lot of diehard Walt Disney World fans.
For his part, Joe Rohde has previously pushed back against fan requests for Zootopia land in Animal Kingdom. According to Rohde, Zootopia’s “animals are proxies for humans and human issues rather than animals in their own right facing animal-related issues. We try to enforce the ‘no pants’ rule. Classic characters excepted.”
Again, I like Zootopia and I still wouldn’t mind seeing it receive a miniland at Walt Disney World, but I think the park for that is Hollywood Studios. And now that Monstropolis is happening, it’s difficult to see Zootopia coming to fruition anytime soon. Maybe in a third phase at Disney Adventure World in Paris or down the road at Disney California Adventure, though.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the Zootopia: Better Zoogether show coming to Animal Kingdom in Winter 2025? Excited or disappointed about this addition? Wish Zootopia were getting a full land, or do you prefer the Tropical Americas concept with Encanto and Indy? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!