It’s Tough To Be A Bug Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It’s Tough To Be A Bug Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It’s Tough To Be A Bug Opened On: April 22, 1998.

See this page for all of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction reviews.

Location: Discovery Island, inside the root system of the Tree of Life. If you’re looking at the front of the Tree of Life, the entrance to It’s Tough To Be A Bug will be to your right across from Flame Tree Barbecue. Leaving DinoLand USA along the path that connects it with Discovery Island, the entrance will be right in front of you. Dug and Russell meet to the left of the entrance.

Extra Magic Hours: Morning.

Show Length: 10 minutes.

Type: 3D Show.

Similar To: Muppet Vision 3-D, with fewer Muppets.

Requirements: None.

Scary Factor: This section does include “spoilers.” Low for most people 12 and older, but it may frighten kids younger than that. Spiders, termites, beetles, hornets, and more make appearances, and there are several effects that add to the terror, including smoke that fills the room, a sting that comes from the back of the seat, insects dropping from the ceiling, and the sensation that bugs are running under your feet.

This show may not be for you if you have an aversion to bugs. At the same time, all of the bugs are “cartoony” like in the movie, and not particularly realistic. If you want to avoid the slight “sting,” sit with your back away from the seat when the bees show up and they arm their stingers.

There isn’t a whole lot you can do about the spiders dropping from the ceiling.

What to Expect: It’s Tough To Be A Bug is more intense than you might imagine. The theater is dark, loud, and there are a number of effects that “add” to the experience.

Otherwise, It’s Tough To Be A Bug is a fun 3D show that most guests enjoy, or at least tolerate.

You can watch the show in full here to get a better idea.

Take a minute to look around the area underneath the Tree of Life, where you’ll wait for at least a couple of minutes to enter the theater. There are a lot of funny posters advertising movies starring bugs.

Where to Sit: Seating is bleacher-style with backs and relatively comfortable.

Upon entering the theater, a cast member will direct you to file down to the end of any given row. Let people enter the row in front of you until it’s about half full. This way, you’ll have seats in the center. If you’re nervous about whether someone in your group will be scared during the show and need to leave early, plan to head into a row in the back as soon as possible. Then move all the way down the row for a quicker exit. The exit is at the opposite side of where you originally enter the theater. The best seats are in the back few rows. Here, the 3D effects are slightly more “in your face” so to speak. Typically, at least a few people leave in the middle of the show.

FastPass+: Yes – Lowest Priority. There is no dedicated seating for FastPass+ users. FastPass+ only guarantees a seat to the following show and only benefits the guest if a show is near capacity. That’s rare.

Total Average Experience Time with FastPass: 20 minutes, assuming you arrive about ten minutes before the next show starts. Shows are continuous, so guests fill the theater after the previous group exits.

4th FastPass+ Availability: It’s Tough To Be A Bug will have more availability than any other Animal Kingdom attraction. On busier days, the return window may be a couple of hours out.

Expect to Wait:

Most days, you’ll just need to wait as long as it takes for the next show to begin. That should be between one and fifteen minutes. During incredibly busy times, you may need to wait for the current show to finish, then wait through the following show, before there will be space in the theater. Even if this is true, It’s Tough To Be A Bug will still have one of the shortest posted waits in the Park. Everything else will be even more slammed.

When To Go: This is an attraction that you can safely save for the late morning or afternoon. The theater and much of the queue area are well air-conditioned. That makes it a nice break from long lines and the heat, at least if all the bugginess doesn’t bother you. The theater is also large enough that just about any waiting crowd can file in with room to spare.

Early Release: It’s Tough To Be A Bug debuted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom seven months before Disney released the movie in theaters. And here it still sits, over 20 years later.

Rating: 6/10

Commentary: It’s Tough To Be A Bug is a unique 4D experience with a number of interesting effects. This is a better show for teenagers and adults than it is for younger kids. At the same time, some kids love it, while some adults can’t handle it. The great majority of people do enjoy the show – just be careful if you have kids who got scared during other attractions. After being terrified here, it may be difficult to convince them that more benign shows are just fine.