Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
A controversial attraction will close its doors forever this weekend in Disney World.
Credit: Disney
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Walt Disney World is home to dozens of rides and attractions, some of which are considered the best in the world. Whether guests are sailing the high seas on Pirates of the Caribbean or tackling the Forbidden Mountain on Expedition Everest, they can expect immersive, story-driven experiences around every corner.
However, 2025 is a special year for the Walt Disney World Resort, as several attractions and entire lands are set to close. This includes It’s Tough to be a Bug, which will permanently wind down its operations at the end of this weekend.
It’s Tough to be a Bug Closes Forever
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This weekend marks guests’ last chance to experience it’s Tough to be a Bug at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The immersive 3D show will hold its final performance on Sunday, March 17, 2025.
Known for being both funny and frightening, It’s Tough to be a Bug is one of Disney World’s most unique attractions, blending 3D technology with some incredibly convincing practical effects. One of the highlights of the show is the massive Hopper animatronic that pops out in the middle and then proceeds to attack guests using his army of bugs and insects.
During this section of the show, guests are attacked by all kinds of insects, including black widow spiders and hornets. While the spiders just dangle above guests, the hornets actually do “attack” guests with small rubber “stingers” in the back of their seats.
It’s far from painful, though the effect may startle some guests. The moment typically causes a lot of panic and laughter during the show.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug opened alongside Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in 1998, making it the latest opening-day attraction to close at Walt Disney World. The attraction has long been controversial, mostly because of how scary it can be for younger guests or for those who are not big fans of bugs.
The show takes place mostly in the dark and features many loud noises and 4D effects, like the previously mentioned rubber stingers, as well as sprays of water and other “toxic” chemicals.
Credit: Disney
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It’s Tough to be a Bug is closing to make way for a new show inspired by Disney’s Zootopia franchise. Named Zootopia: Better Zoogether, this new show will follow in the footsteps of It’s Tough to be a Bug, offering guests an immersive, 3D experience, only this time hosted by Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, and the rest of the Zootopia crew.
The decision to close and retheme It’s Tough to be a Bug has been a divisive one, seeing guests debate whether or not the talking animals from Zootopia even fit in with the rest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. On the flip side, many guests are happy to see It’s Tough to Be a Bug go away, as it may be too intense for some younger guests.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether is slated to open this Winter.
Will you miss this attraction? What is your favorite show at Walt Disney World?
It will be a sad day for me when they close IT’S TOUGH TO BE A BUG. I really enjoyed the show.