Disney Files Permit for Tree of Life Infrastructure Modifications with Cryogenic Contractor

Mar 11, 2025 in "Zootopia: Better Zoogether"

Posted: Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:20am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new Notice of Commencement for work at the Tree of Life Theater in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The permit lists Incryo Systems as the contractor, with the work described as “modify infrastructure.”

The Tree of Life Theater

Incryo Systems specializes in cryogenic equipment and systems, with experience serving industries ranging from aerospace to theme parks. The company handles repairs, upgrades, and installations for cryogenic tanks, pumping equipment, and vacuum piping.

The permit likely relates to the cryogenic fog system used in It’s Tough to be a Bug!, which creates dense fog effects during the finale scenes featuring black widow spiders and hornets. With It’s Tough to be a Bug! set to close permanently on March 17, 2025, this work may involve either decommissioning the fog system or modifying it for the upcoming Zootopia: Better Zoogether! attraction.

'It's Tough to be a Bug' Queue and Show

Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is scheduled to debut in winter 2025 and will showcase the biomes of Zootopia inside the Tree of Life Theater. While Disney has not provided specific details on how effects like fog may be integrated, this permit suggests that changes to the theater’s environmental effects are part of the transformation.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Poster

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TrainsOfDisneyMay 17, 2026

Broadway shows run 8 shows per week with one dark night. So there will always be two, 2 show days per week. A broadway show is 2+ hours - both broadway shows and Festival of Lion King are approved by equity contracts. I’m pretty sure there are 2 casts per day for lion king at DAK. The open chant being on the track has never bothered me for this production but having more live vocals and even a live band would certainly elevate the show so I get it.

Professortango1May 17, 2026

Professional stage actors perform for 5-8 hours a day. Just like these folks. Aladdin at the Hyperion didn't open with a track of the film nor feature any canned voices. Same with Frozen. And Rogers. Would you like to try again?

JMcMahonEsqMay 17, 2026

Why is weird. Most live productions say on Broadway have one show a day, and maybe certain days that have two. The lion king show at AK performs basically on the hour. How many shows is that a day? You have to manage the voices for the live singers at the park so some use of sound tracks should be expected.

Professortango1May 17, 2026

Opening of the show - who's singing? Because that sounds exactly like the film's soundtrack. This is the first impression they make. Weird how live actors can do it in the thousands of live productions of The Lion King or The Lion King Jr, but Disney just plays the 90's soundtrack and says "good enough."

TrainsOfDisneyMay 17, 2026

Unless I’m remembering wrong - the chant is not lip-synced - it’s on the track but nobody is pretending to sing it. The 4 singers are doing the backup chants live echoing the tracked chant. I’m all for 100% live entertainment (see my love for voices of liberty in other threads) - but this show balances live vocalists and tracks well. If it was up to me we’d have a live band too, but that would increase the budget substantially.

Professortango1May 17, 2026

The opening of Circle of Life and the show is lip synced. They sing the English lyrics live, but the very first impact the show makes is lip syncing.

WondersOfLifeMay 17, 2026

I enjoyed F&F and JF more than Zoogether... By a LONG shot. --Edit, I'm gonna make a poll on this...

PlummetMay 17, 2026

I prefer Fallon's over Zootopia (I'm weird in that I do like both of those attractions kinda) but F&F, nah its so sloppily done and just bad. The queue is the ONLY cool part of it.

HakunaMatata89May 17, 2026

FOTLK is a fun show.

TrainsOfDisneyMay 17, 2026

I’ve seen them all a grand total of once each. I think I liked zootopia best cause at least I could say “it’s for kids, I’m not the target demo.” Plus listening to Jason Bateman is always enjoyable ha.

Tom MorrowMay 16, 2026

I say it is worse than F&F and undeniably worse than Fallon and I will die on this hill. Fallon is actually a decent and competent simulator, it’s just Fallon himself that people don’t like. The ride experience is actually the best of the three theater sims at Universal. F&F is bad, but at its core it’s a high tech ride system which is inherently interesting in itself, has show scenes, has a cool queue, and has pre shows that have turned into something of a comedy skit.

TrainsOfDisneyMay 16, 2026

Hey now….. zootopia is still way better then F&F and the Tonight show ride 🤣

Rich BrownnMay 16, 2026

Saw it. Nice to know Disney can make something almost as bad as Universal's "F&F".

Tom MorrowMay 15, 2026

Fair criticisms and I mostly agree. I don’t think it was ever in the cards to have a Lion King show in a Disney park not have the characters from the film in it though. However I think if the DAK experiences only ever got as un-DAK as this, I don’t think I’d have an issue.