Another opening-day attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is being erased. Disney has officially announced that It’s Tough to Be a Bug will close permanently on March 17, 2025, with its final day of operation on March 16, 2025. The 3D attraction, which has been housed inside the park’s centerpiece Tree of Life since the park opened for the first time on April 22, 1998, is being replaced by Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, a new stage-based show featuring characters from Zootopia.
Zootopia Concept Art for Animal Kingdom; Copyright Disney Parks
This closure marks yet another instance of Disney removing classic attractions instead of building new ones, further reducing the number of original Animal Kingdom experiences still standing.
With It’s Tough to Be a Bug closing, only two attractions remain from Animal Kingdom’s 1998 opening day that aren’t either gone or on the chopping block:
- Kilimanjaro Safaris – The only ride left from launch, originally themed around stopping poachers but later altered to remove that story.
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail – A walking path, not an actual ride, featuring live animals.
With each update, Animal Kingdom moves further away from its original mission of conservation and animal education, shifting instead toward IP-heavy attractions that align with Disney’s current branding priorities.
Dinoland U.S.A., another original opening-day land, is set to be bulldozed for Disney’s newly announced Tropical Americas land, featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones. The area’s central attraction, Dinosaur, will be re-themed to Indiana Jones. This will be a cloned ride, as Disneyland already has an Indiana Jones Adventure that features the same exact track as Dinosaur.
Encanto will also feature heavily in the new area, complete with a new dark ride that takes place inside the film’s “casita” set.
In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto,” Antonio may be shy, but his huge heart is his biggest asset—rivaled only by his newly received magical ability to communicate with animals. Directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”) and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino, “Encanto” opens in theaters on Nov. 24, 2021. © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
At least Zootopia: Better Zoogether! still has some connection to Animal Kingdom’s animal-based theme, but Encanto and Indiana Jones? Neither fits the park’s original concept.
Disney announced several replacements for classic attractions and areas at D23 last year, including:
- Tropical Americas (Encanto and Indiana Jones replacing Dinoland U.S.A.).
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether! (It’s Tough to Be a Bug being replaced).
- Villains Land and Cars Land at Magic Kingdom (replacing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America).
- Monsters Inc. Land at Hollywood Studios (destroying MuppetVision 3D).
If Disney were willing to actually expand instead of demolishing existing attractions, these five new lands and attractions together could have made up the skeleton of an entirely new theme park, something Walt Disney World desperately needs to remain competitive against Universal with Epic Universe on the horizon.
Official concept art for the Encanto attraction coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Instead, Disney refuses to build a fifth gate, despite developing less than half of Walt Disney World’s vast property. Meanwhile, Universal is opening its brand-new, state-of-the-art Epic Universe later this year, featuring completely new lands and attractions—not replacements.
Disney, however, remains content to bulldoze history and replace it with the next cash grab.
What classic attraction do you think Disney will get rid of next? Will you miss It’s Tough to Be a Bug? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts.
Given how much the woke hate and despise the police, it’s funny to see how this has aged.