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Signs in the Zootopia: Better Zoogether! queue reveal that Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life is now canonically in Zootopia. Tree of Life Now in Zootopia Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opened for Cast Member previews this week at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and with those first looks came a big revelation about the Tree of Life. As you make your way through the outdoor portion of the Better Zoogether queue, you encounter a series of five signs that present the history of Zootopia and specifically the origins of Zoogether Day. All the signs are designed to look like painted wood, with a small Zootopia Day plaque with informational copy. The first sign shows several prey animals, including rabbits, squirrels, and a zebra, around a body of water at nighttime. Glowing eyes and looming silhouettes of predator animals surround them, with a vicious wolf stalking in the foreground. The text on the plaque reads: Thousands of years ago, natural forces ruled our world. The second sign depicts two groups of animals, predators and prey, standing opposite each other on either side of a body of water in a jungle environment. The text at the top reads: The world was divided in two: vicious predators and meek prey. The third sign shows the predators and prey shaking hands across a divide in front of the Tree of Life. The plaque reads: But over time, we evolved and moved beyond our ancient, wild ways. The fourth sign shows multiple species of animals wearing orange construction safety vests and hard hats as they work together to carve the Tree of Life itself. A beaver is nibbling on the entrance door, a fox is chiseling out a root above a tiger sculpture, and several mice and a bear are reviewing blueprints. The under-construction Zootopia skyline is in the background. The caption reads: Our ancestors joined together together in harmony and declared that, “Anyone Can Be Anything!” The last sign in the series is a colorful group shot of Zootopia citizens in front of the Tree of Life below a “Happy Zoogether Day!” banner. Zootopia and fireworks are in the background. The plaque reads: On Zoogether Day, we unite to celebrate the special connection shared among all living things. Finally, a map inside the Tree of Life shows all the locations featured in the Zoogether Day celebration. It places the Tree of Life Theater (the starred number 1) in southern Savanna Central, below Chestnut Hills and near Zootopia Sound. Thoughts on the Tree of Life Change Obviously, this is a massive change to the central icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Tom has some very strong thoughts about this new canon for the Tree of Life and outlines it in his honest review of Zootopia: Better Zoogether: This undermines the entire idea of this park. These few posters alone decimate everything this park stands for. This is like some weird dystopian future where humans died, we’re gone, and it’s like, oh well, someday animals will live together in harmony and not eat each other. No, this park is about the natural order, the natural world, the circle of life. And the circle of life is — kids, some animals eat other animals. That’s how this works. The whole rest of the park tells you about this. And suddenly we have a show where it’s like, nah, someday animals will be better than that and they’ll just live together in harmony, kids, even though biologically some of them have to eat the other animals. Unless they somehow evolve past that at some point, they do have to eat the other creatures to live. … I just don’t understand. We go through the Tree of Life gardens and we celebrate with this tremendous icon of all these beautiful creatures on our earth and just two seconds later we’re like, “This is nonsense, someday animals must be better and learn to not eat each other.” Come on, man! Come on! … Thematic integrity is none. It is none. It makes no sense whatsoever Watch Tom’s full honest review of Zootopia: Better Zoogether below: How do you feel about Animal Kingdom changing the Tree of Life’s backstory to place it in Zootopia? Let us know in the comments and on social media. For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
