It’s Tough To Be a Bug! Quietly Returns to Disney World After Three Months
After closing its doors on March 16, 2025, It’s Tough to Be a Bug! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park was expected to remain a distant memory, replaced by a Zootopia (2016)-themed 3D show. However, in a surprising twist, the Tree of Life attraction has quietly returned to the spotlight after a three-month hiatus, with Disney Parks fans discovering that remnants of the old show are still very much present at Walt Disney World Resort.
In September 2023, Walt Disney Imagineering announced plans to replace It’s Tough to Be a Bug! with a new Zootopia experience. It wasn’t until February 2025 that Walt Disney World Resort revealed the official closure of the attraction in March to make way for the new show, “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” The Zootopia show is set to debut later this year, coinciding with the release of Zootopia 2 (2025).
But despite the closure and the announcement of a new attraction, the old Tree of Life show hasn’t completely disappeared. Disney Parks fans were taken aback when Redditor u/Hal0927 shared a photo of a sign at the Walt Disney Presents exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The sign, which is next to a model of the Tree of Life, still reads: “Inside the massive trunk, guests experience the 3-D adventure ‘It’s Tough to Be a Bug!’”
When will they notice?
The discovery that It’s Tough to Be a Bug! lives on in this small corner of the park has caused many Disney fans to take notice, though most weren’t shocked that Walt Disney World Resort had yet to update the display.
“There’s a bunch of smaller details on signage throughout the resort that gets missed for years simply because they get forgotten about or they were never thoroughly documented to begin with,” u/itsmleonard commented.
“LMAO considering they haven’t taken remaining outdoor signage for Stitch’s Great Escape in MK—this will be up until a remodel of this location happens,” added u/loreleibailey.
It’s unclear when Disney will update or replace the sign. Many fans speculate that the sign will stay up until the Zootopia: Better Zoogether! show officially opens later this year. The new attraction is expected to feature a brand-new song by Ginnifer Goodwin (the original voice of Judy Hopps) and an advanced Clawhauser audio-animatronic, similar to the one featured in Zootopia: Hot Pursuit at Shanghai Disney Resort.
The ongoing changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park don’t stop with the Tree of Life attraction. Earlier this year, much of DinoLand U.S.A. closed in preparation for a major overhaul. Crews are currently transforming the area into Pueblo Esperanza, a Tropical Americas-themed land. Expected to open in 2027, Pueblo Esperanza will feature two new attractions inspired by Encanto (2021) and an Indiana Jones retheme of DINOSAUR.
The original DINOSAUR ride, The Boneyard play area, and DinoLand U.S.A.’s Quick Service dining locations will remain open through the end of 2025. Their permanent closure is expected in 2026, though an official date has not yet been announced.
An official opening date for Zootopia: Better Zoogether! and the new Pueblo Esperanza area has yet to be revealed. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates on these new projects and other ongoing developments across Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
Should Walt Disney World Resort change the It’s Tough To Be A Bug! display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your thoughts with Disney Dining in the comments!
