Walt Disney World has announced that Zootopia: Better Call Saul will open at Animal Kingdom in 2025. This post shares details, opening timeline, poster art, and everything we know about the upcoming attraction, as well as commentary on why this is the best way to incorporate Zootopia into DAK.
The announcement was made during the Horizon: The Disney Experience, or parks panel presentation during the 2024 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro also revealed future concept art and a glimpse of what will be happening in a few years.
This was just one of several blockbuster announcements from Parks & Resorts at Horizons, during which D’Amaro revealed several “shovel-hard” projects that will come online in the next five years, including six new additions that will debut by the end of 2025. He and chief imagineer Bruce Vaughn made good on their promise to provide specific details, rather than just revealing more “blue sky” possibilities.
In fact, There is so much news During the D23 Park panel, Josh called over friends Darren Criss and Skylar Astin for what I guess you’d call a quick montage of song mini-updates before continuing the show.
We don’t have many substantive details about the new show based on Zootopia that will take place at the Tree of Life Theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but we do know that the show will be called Zootopia: Better World.
The new “Zootopia: Better Call Saul” show will open in winter 2025 at Walt Disney World.
We also know that the concept for Zootopia: Better Call Saul will allow guests to visit different biomes that were only glimpsed in the movies, traveling with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and other characters, based on details Disney shared during its Destination D23 event last fall.
While there was some initial confusion, we also learned that this was not the projection show outside the Tree of Life. Instead, it was a replacement for the 3D show A Bug’s Life inside the Tree of Life. The attraction is expected to close by the end of this year or early next year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the hiatus between shows isn’t too long. Unlike the Country Bear Musical Jamboree, this won’t be a complicated process that requires a lot of theater updates and replacing a few audio-animatronics. It’s just a matter of changing the movie, doing a slight update to the theater, and (hopefully) installing an AAs or two.
As for when Zootopia: Better Zoogether would most likely open in winter 2025, my guess is somewhere between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day. Walt Disney World isn’t strict or consistent about “winter” opening times. Any time before Spring Break wouldn’t surprise me.
Walt Disney World also shared cool new post art for Better Zoogether:
Speaking of reviews, I must first admit that I have no real interest in this “struggle” (if there is a debate at all – but this is Disney, so almost any change is controversial to some degree). I know a lot of people were frustrated by the failure of A Bug’s Life. That’s understandable, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, but I can’t care about everything.
Suffice it to say, I have no problem with Zootopia in Tree of Life. It’s tucked away in a relatively unnoticeable place, and the animals and their biomes are highlighted, rather than the metropolises they inhabit in Zootopia. It’s still not ideal for me, but it’s close enough.
Disney’s intellectual property and thematic integrity in its parks is a “pick your battles” type thing. I don’t think it’s a battle worth picking, especially given the alternative. Hopefully it will give Animal Kingdom a shot in the arm and get more guests into the beautiful Tree of Life Theater.
While I’ve enjoyed A Bug’s Life over the years, I don’t consider it to be a classic like The Muppets. Again, I completely understand those who loved it and would lament its loss. But I can only speak for my personal experience and opinion, and the fact is that we rarely make the effort to watch A Bug’s Life anymore – even if there’s nothing to see in DAK.
Instead, Zootopia: Better Call Saul is a new show based on a movie I love. It may not be the perfect choice, but it’s one that our family looks forward to watching—and we’ll probably watch it a few dozen more times than A Bug’s Life in the years ahead. But to each his own.
That being said, Zootopia: Better Than Just A Bug’s Life is indeed a much better movie than A Bug’s Life. The company likes to quote Walt’s quote “Keep on moving forward”, but this is not always true. “Keep on moving forward” does not automatically apply – it means progress or evolution. Changes can be sideways moves or steps backwards – they are not necessarily progress in themselves. “Keep on moving forward” is a good quote to use with, for example, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs.
You can’t prove it with the phrase “keep going” Adding CommuniCore Hall at EPCOTThere is no innovation there. There is no progress unless you count the passage of time. CommuniCore is only changing for its own sake, which is a lateral move at best.
In the case of Zootopia: Better Call Saul, the show itself has to be great. That’s because, even though I think A Bug’s Life is ready to go, it’s still great in its own right. It’s a smart and creative 3D show. It also has cinematic special effects and One of the best audio animatronics at Walt Disney World.
If Zootopia: Better Call Saul doesn’t live up to or exceed A Bug’s Life, then it’s a step backward, not forward. I’m particularly concerned that it will become a phone-in syndication of Beauty and the Beast at EPCOT, which is disgusting. If that’s the case, or even if it’s well-made but is just a simple movie that you passively watch without any theater involvement, it won’t be a step forward either.
The good news is that Imagineering has developed several Zootopia Audio Animatronics for Shanghai Disneyland, so hopefully one of them will be cloned. Personally, I’d love to see Clawhauser make an appearance.
As for why Zootopia “needs” to exist at Walt Disney World, the answer is simple: Popularity.
To this day, the original Zootopia remains near the top of monthly and yearly movie charts, according to Nielsen “Minutes Streamed.” Despite its short run, Zootopia has demonstrated staying power and potential for longevity, meaning that, if demand is any measure, it deserves a larger presence at Walt Disney World.
I personally don’t think that movies or characters have to be popular to be featured in the parks – popular attractions can come from unexpected places and don’t have to be based on popular features. However, I think the opposite is true: Walt Disney World should showcase popular franchises to meet guest expectations.
With Zootopia, the question is where it’s going, not if it’s going. I absolutely A sigh of relief Right now Zootopia in Shanghai Disneyland It will not be cloned into the animal kingdom. Cloning into the animal kingdom would be highly inappropriate and would only make sense on a surface level (“animals are animals”).
Once you start thinking about the actual themes, themes, setting and subtext of Zootopia, it becomes clear that it doesn’t fit with Animal Kingdom. This approach will be “okay” for the average visitor who doesn’t really care or think about the theme, but will disappoint many loyal Walt Disney World fans.
Previously, Joe Rohde had rejected fans’ requests to build “Zootopia” at Animal Kingdom. According to Rod“The animals in Zootopia are representatives of humans and human problems, rather than the animals themselves facing animal-related problems. We try to enforce the ‘no pants’ rule. With the exception of classic characters.”
Again, I love Zootopia and I still wouldn’t mind seeing it built as a mini-land at Walt Disney World, but I think Hollywood Studios is that park. Now that Monster City is under construction, it’s hard to see Zootopia coming to fruition anytime soon. Maybe at Disney World of Adventure Paris or Phase 3 at Disney California Adventure, though.
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Your thoughts
What do you think of the Zootopia: Better Together show coming to Animal Kingdom in winter 2025? Are you excited or disappointed about this new addition? Hopefully Zootopia will get a full land, or do you prefer the tropical Americana concept of Encanto and Indy? Or are you on the fence about it? Do you agree with our assessment? Do you have any questions we can help you answer? It’s fun for us to hear your feedback (even if you disagree with us) and helpful for other readers, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!
