Disney Announces 'It's Tough to be a Bug!' Closing Date

Posted: Monday February 3, 2025 12:10pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has announced that "It's Tough to be a Bug!" at Disney's Animal Kingdom will permanently close on March 17, 2025. The long-running 3D show, housed inside the Tree of Life, will make way for "Zootopia: Better Zoogether!"—a new attraction set to debut in winter 2025.

'It's Tough to be a Bug' theater

"It's Tough to be a Bug!" has been a staple of Disney's Animal Kingdom since the park's opening in 1998. The attraction, inspired by Pixar's "A Bug's Life," takes guests on an interactive journey into the world of insects, featuring 3D effects, animatronics, and in-theater surprises. Its closure marks the end of an era for one of the park's original attractions.

The new "Zootopia: Better Zoogether!" will bring characters from Disney's "Zootopia" into the heart of Animal Kingdom. While Disney has not yet shared full details, the experience is expected to immerse guests in the world of Zootopia.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Poster

Work on the transformation will begin immediately after "It's Tough to be a Bug!" closes in March, with construction progressing toward the winter 2025 opening timeframe. More details about "Zootopia: Better Zoogether!" are expected to be released in the coming months.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

Cmdr_Crimson26 days ago

With the Zootopia 2 opening Nov 26th this would fit that timeline so after it gets released the new attraction opens just around afterwards...

FrontierSpirit27 days ago

Think I like Meteorological and Astronomical Winters better. I’ll assume it’s not open by Dec. and if it is my girls will love it! If not, I won’t mention it.

MisterPenguin27 days ago

Take the earliest time that anyone would say it is "Winter" and the latest time anyone would say it's still "Winter." That.

FrontierSpirit27 days ago

What does opening Winter 2025 mean? Meteorological Winter: December, January, and February. Astronomical Winter: Approximately late December to late March. What’s a Disney winter type timeline?

FigmentFan8228 days ago

2 Posters, one of which was a foreign market poster, and being 3rd in line in a huge cast picture list is NOT at all making a "big deal" out of it. You're stretching this farther than silly putty.

Brer Panther29 days ago

I recall she was the first cast member to be announced after Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman. There were articles online about her being in the film. The character got at least two posters. When the full "main" cast of the film was announced at the 2015 D23 Expo, she was right next to Ginnifer and Jason, the third listed in the cast list - BEFORE characters who actually had a role in the film's plot like Chief Bogo, Mayor Lionheart, and Dawn Bellwether and instead of Mr. Big, who ALSO had a role in the film's plot unlike Gazelle but wasn't listed because he wasn't voiced by a celebrity. There was definitely a big deal made about Shakira being in the movie.

peter1143529 days ago

Explain when and how they “made a huge deal about the fact that Shakira was in the movie”?

FettFan29 days ago

"Smithers....release the sea lions."

FigmentFan8229 days ago

Um, I'm not recalling at all any type of marketing or promotion of the Gizelle character to make people aware there was a character voiced by Shakira. No trailers focused on her at all. They never attempted to misdirect you that Gizelle was a major character.

Brer Panther29 days ago

Y'know what I love about Zootopia? They created a character for the sole purpose of putting Shakira in their movie and then made such a huge deal about the fact that Shakira was in their movie, and the character only had, what, five lines outside of the song?

Disgruntled Walt29 days ago

So proud that we've got the OG one here, and it still holds up. I love the crashed police car in the queue. Best queue at Great America (though Viper is pretty good too).

FettFan31 days ago

Strong disagree; just look at Busch Gardens. It can be done, and can be done well….but not by the current leadership. I still greatly miss Warden Wilson. Even though we all knew he was a prerecorded sound effect and voice actor, I always got a kick out of seeing how many children (and quite a fair number of adults!) were craning their necks out of the trucks to try to spot him flying overhead.