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Animal Kingdom Brings Back Tree of Life Awakenings as Zootopia Show Nears Debut

Disney’s icon now carries a Zootopia backstory that has prompted fan pushback and a public clarification from a retired Imagineer.

Overview

  • Tree of Life Awakenings returned November 1 with showtimes at 7:15 p.m. on opening night and 6:15 p.m. nightly through November 8.
  • Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, a new 4-D production replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug!, officially opens November 7 with Annual Passholder previews set for November 5–6 and some slots still available.
  • Queue signage places the Tree within the Zootopia universe, depicting citizens carving the icon and showing the theater on an in-world map, which has fueled online disagreement over the park’s thematic direction.
  • Retired Imagineer Jim Shull labeled the show “woke” in a now-deleted post, then clarified he had not seen it in person and congratulated the creative teams while saying he misses the prior conservation message.
  • Beginning November 7, Animal Kingdom adds Zootopia-themed meet-and-greets, specialty food and drinks, and a coordinated merchandise rollout across Discovery Island.