Hi-diddle-dee-dee, a bug's life for me!
During the conceptual phase for Disney's Animal Kingdom, several ideas were pitched for the space within the Tree of Life, including a restaurant and a show based on The Lion King. Once it was brought to the attention of the team that a film about bugs was in production at Pixar Animation Studios, everything suddenly came together. "It's Tough to be a Bug" became one of the few Disney Parks attractions to open ahead of the film from which it drew its inspiration (the first such attraction was actually Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, which opened a full four years before Sleeping Beauty appeared in theaters).
Guests find themselves "shrunk" as they proceed along the path and down into the roots of the Tree, on their way to becoming "honorary bugs." Outside the Tree of Life Repertory Theater, posters help promote some of the stars featured in the current production:
Just above the entrance, the termites have carved a marquee to advertise the show:
As the audience gathers in the lobby, steer clear of the occasional prop, such as this giant dung ball:
Each Guest is presented a pair of bug eyes, custom-made 3-D glasses designed just for this attraction (of course, one should not put on the glasses until safely seated in the theater, so please don't follow the lead of my wife and kids)...
The walls of the lobby are lined with tracks left by ants, termites and other previous visitors. Here too, while waiting for the voice of the "Theater Lady" to prep everyone for the show, the audience can also take time to enjoy posters promoting other past and future productions... each one a clever, insect-inspired twist on an actual Broadway show:
The posters here are almost as good as the spoof posters found in the indoor and outdoor Muppetvision queue.
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