Joe Rohde ‘peer-reviewed’ Zootopia: Better Zoogether for Animal Kingdom | Exclusive
“Zootopia: Better Zoogether!,” the new 3D show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, was “peer-reviewed” by Joe Rohde, the park’s former Imagineering executive.
Danny Handke, creative director of “Better Zoogether,” told Attractions Magazine about Rohde’s involvement with the attraction during an interview on Nov. 3, 2025.
“We peer-reviewed with Joe Rohde a lot to say, ‘Does this story we’re telling, Better Zoogether, work in Tree of Life Theater?'” Handke said.
Rohde was the lead designer of Animal Kingdom leading up to the park’s 1998 opening and oversaw its artistic vision as a creative executive until his retirement from Disney in 2021.
“He knows with Animal Kingdom, we have to expand Animal Kingdom and try to bring in other stories,” Handke said of Joe Rohde. “For a while, ‘Zootopia’ was something that was bantered around quite a bit. And it was hard because it is a story of animals with hands.”
This was seemingly contrary to the ideals of Animal Kingdom. In 2019, Rohde wrote on X (at the time Twitter) why “Zootopia,” which Walt Disney Animation Studios released in 2016 to immense success, wasn’t featured in Animal Kingdom: “The animals are proxies for humans and human issues rather than animals in their own right facing animal-related issues.” Rohde said when it comes to selecting characters for Animal Kingdom attractions, “We try to enforce the ‘no pants’ rule. Classic characters excepted.”
Eventually, in “peer-reviewing” the development of “Better Zoogether,” Rohde changed his mind when considering how the attraction embodies the three requirements everything in the park must include, a list long publicized and championed by Rohde himself:
- the intrinsic value of nature
- transformation through adventure
- the interconnectedness of all living things
Handke continued, “I think Joe justified it by saying, ‘Okay, this celebration is Zoogether Day. You’re getting that messaging that animals are connected. We’re being transformed; we’re going on an adventure with these humanized animals. They still maintain their animal instincts.’ The wolves howl; they start to howl and everyone howls. The rodents are mighty as a group. You saw the connectedness of all things water in Marsh Market. Bringing those elements … He felt that we got that messaging across.”
Handke said the show especially exemplifies that last bullet of Animal Kingdom’s philosophy, the interconnectedness of all living things. “In this story, we leaned toward the last one,” he said. “What if we did a story about a holiday, a Zootopian holiday: Zoogether Day, like an Earth Day? This is about all the animals celebrating, ‘Hey, we’re all animals. We’re predator and prey. We’re big and small. Let’s celebrate that we share this world together. We built this Zootopia together.'”
Indeed, they did literally build not only Zootopia, but also the Tree of Life. An illustration in the queue adds some major lore to the icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom: the Tree of Life was made by the animals of Zootopia. One of those animals? None other than Joe Rohdent, a caricature of Joe Rohde.
Within the mythology of the attraction, guests wear “CarrotVision” glasses that allow them to feel in-theater effects even though they’re meant to be watching a livestream broadcast. The reasoning: “Carrots are good for your eyes. They enhance your other senses,” Handke explained. “The idea is that when we put on our glasses, we’re starting to see and hear things like bunnies.” He admitted, though, there’s “a little disbelief there” required of the audience.
In reviewing the show, Rohde was particularly fond of a specific special effect. Handke said Rohde last visited the attraction about a month ago and implored the team, “Don’t lose the water,” referring to the spray effects that splash the audience during the show. “I love the water.”
“It’s something that the park needs, which is something more for families with kids,” Handke said.
Photo by Blake Taylor
Along with the opening of “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” on Nov. 7, 2025, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde will begin meeting & greeting guests at Animal Kingdom. Looking toward the future, the park will welcome a new “Encanto” attraction and an Indiana Jones ride (the latter replacing Dinosaur) in 2027.
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