Disney World's latest attraction, the highly anticipated Zootopia: Better Zoogether! 4D show, has been met with a wave of scathing criticism from its first guests, who have taken to social media to express their profound disappointment.
A Disappointing Debut
The new show, which made its grand debut on Friday at Disney's Animal Kingdom, replaces the long-running It's Tough to Be a Bug! experience in the Tree of Life Theater. It was promoted as a chance for visitors to 'celebrate Zoogether Day' alongside the beloved film's characters, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. However, the initial excitement quickly turned to outrage for many.
Guests flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their frustrations. One user did not hold back, declaring, 'Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is straight garbage' and labelling it their 'least favourite attraction on property'. They criticised the show's format as a 'horrible clip montage with no overarching theme' and complained that the pacing was too fast to follow on the dim 3D screen.
Specific Criticisms and Fan Backlash
The negative feedback highlighted several consistent issues. Many reviewers pointed to what they perceived as 'corny writing', an 'absurdly awful' original song, and poor sound balance that drowned out dialogue with loud sound effects and music. A common complaint was the show's failure to align with the conservation message that is a cornerstone of Animal Kingdom's theme.
'Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is the perfect example of how this company is run by bean counters with total disregard for thematic integrity,' one person scathed online. Another added, 'The new show has nothing to do with conservation, nor the park's overall message.'
Some guests expressed nostalgia for the previous occupant of the theater, which had entertained park-goers for 27 years before closing in March. 'I thought it was horrible. It's definitely not an improvement over It's Tough to be a Bug!' read one post.
A Defence for the New Attraction
Despite the barrage of criticism, the new Zootopia show did find some defenders. Several social media users argued that the attraction is primarily intended for children, not the adults who were leading the online charge against it.
'When will you guys get you're not the target audience for this attraction?' one user asked in response to the negative posts. Another chimed in, 'My kids liked it so… sorry bro almost like it wasn't meant for you or something.'
Other positive comments described the show as 'cute' and noted that it was noticeably less frightening than the often-intense It's Tough to Be a Bug!, making it more suitable for young families. One supporter wrote, 'For the average family with young kids, this show has high-energy moments, recognizable characters.'
The new attraction, which is the first Zootopia-themed experience at Disney World, features an advanced Officer Clawhauser audio-animatronic and an original song. Disney's official description invites guests to 'leap, laugh and let loose' in a celebration of how we are all 'better zoogether'. However, for a significant number of its first riders, the magic was decidedly missing.
