Does anyone else still get shudder-inducing flashbacks to the time when Disney STUNG us on the It’s Tough To Be a Bug attraction? But really…what was up with that?! It’s safe to say we were VERY relieved when Disney confirmed that the new iteration of its Tree of Life show, Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, would NOT feature any stinging effects. But Disney did tease other 4D effects, which left us wondering…what’s next? Well, we got the chance to preview this attraction EARLY (it officially opens November 7th), so we have all the details on what to expect.
Time to celebrate Zootopia Day!
Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the new Zootopia: Better Zoogether! show is taking over inside the Tree of Life Theater (formerly the home of It’s Tough to Be A Bug). Now that we’ve seen the show, we have to tell you, some of the new effects were NOT what we expected. Beware, spoilers ahead!
While we appreciated the old It’s Tough to Be A Bug show, we were happy to hear that there won’t be anything poking us in the back in the new Zootopia show. Honestly, we saw kids and adults alike surprised and scared by the effects from It’s Tough to Be A Bug, especially if they didn’t know what they were getting into (at LEAST once every show, we saw parents have to take horrified kiddos out of the theater). Spiders dropped from the ceiling…acid bugs…and the Hopper animatronic often gave us nightmares.
The Hopper animatronic
Now, as a reminder, Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is still a 4D show, meaning not only will you get your 3D CarrotVision glasses, but there are also effects during the show that will interact with you. (By the way, the glasses are the same ones Disney used for the old show — no changes here!)
These look familiar!
So what does the show REALLY feel like? If someone’s wildly opposed to 4D elements, will they hate it? Now that we’ve gotten a chance to check it out, let’s dive into what you can expect during this ride. This post will contain spoilers, so if you don’t want to know the details, look away! We’ll just tell you that while there are effects, little ones are not likely to feel scared, and although there’s one thing that bumps under your seat, it’s not unpleasant or uncomfortable.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
The first thing you’ll want to know is that you don’t need to wear the 3D glasses the whole time — in fact, the show will tell you when to put them on, and we actually really liked that it wasn’t necessary to wear them during the entire show. It also wasn’t a 3D-heavy show, which we enjoyed. There were 3D elements to the show, but again, you won’t need those glasses on every second. It’s not like things are jumping out at you the entire time.
They’ll tell you when to put on the glasses!
When it comes to the actual effects from the show, you do get splashed with water and feel a burst of air, and depending on where you sit, you might get blasted pretty good, so be prepared for that. There’s only one time when you feel something move under your seat, and it’s more like a massage ball effect — nothing unpleasant (when a character gets captured on the flying contraption, that’s when it’s coming!).
Celebrating Zoogether Day!
There is also a smoke effect in the show, so if you’re sensitive or adverse to such effects, we recommend avoiding the middle left side of the theater. Bubbles are also used during the show on both sides of the theater. With that, we’ve covered all of the 4D effects! We should also point out that the context in which these effects are used is WAY less menacing and scary than in It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It seems like Disney did NOT want you to leave terrified this time.
Are you looking forward to this new show?
Here’s a handy little video from Disney that shows off all of the effects! As you can see, the 4D effects are fun and interactive, but not scary.
A round of a-paws🐾 Cast had a Wilde time at the preview of Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opening November 7 at Animal Kingdom 🌳 pic.twitter.com/BgOBeBAMNn
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) November 1, 2025
We also have to really quickly shout out the Clawhauser animatronic, which looks amazing! He moves seamlessly and is clearly framed as the star of the show. We think lots of people will enjoy him!
Clawhauser!
Overall, this show is about nine minutes long, and it’s very cute. We think fans of Zootopia will adore it, and anyone who’s looking to give their legs a little break will appreciate it. We can’t wait for the public to see it in just over a week, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Disney World news in the meantime. Stay tuned to DFB!
An EXCLUSIVE ‘Zootopia 2’ Popcorn Bucket Is Coming Soon…But Not Where You Think
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Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Zootopia: Better Zoogether! Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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I am disappointed but not surprised in the new Zootopia show will not raise the bar and by taking the next step like the Bug show did. Bugs not only raised the bar, but leapfrogged its own standard. This new Zootopia show does not appear to provide any groundbreaking out of the box imagine that thinking. From what feedback I am hearing, I will not rush to see it.