Zootopia: Better Zoogether Easter Eggs and References

ZNN reporter Scruffy Foxwell here to talk about Zootopia: Better Zoogether’s (ZBZ) Easter eggs and references within the attraction. Just before entering the attraction’s indoor waiting area, the outdoor portion has pictures depicting Zootopia’s brief history and its broken down, word for word as spoken by a young Judy Hopps from the first Zootopia film.

It’s noted that in the first two pictures, there’s a snake present as a predator probably to add to Zootopia’s lore of snakes once being a part of their own animal kingdom and isn’t present afterward which could allude to something we don’t yet know as of the posting of this report.

Lore-wise, the fourth picture seems to indicate that it was the citizens of Zootopia or “Zootizens” who carved the Tree of Life and even have the tree within the city of Zootopia. The large iconic tree was previously seen within the 1st, 3rd, and even 5th picture, indicating that the tree itself was around long before establishing a theater inside the iconic tree.

Upon looking closer at the mice in the fourth picture, one is designed just like retired Imagineer, Joe Rohde who was the lead Imagineer behind Animal Kingdom who championed the theme park using his attention to detail and understanding of both conservation and humankind and our relationship with animals and nature. He overlooked the actual Tree of Life which stands as Animal Kingdom’s park icon ever since it opened on Earth Day in 1998.

We’re invited inside the Tree of Life as official Zootizens of Zootopia celebrating Zoogether Day within the Tree of Life Theater.
Upon entering the indoor queue and waiting area for the actual theater, plenty can be found that help expand Zootopia’s world.
Walking inside, you’ll be asked to pick up 3D glasses which are thematically from Hopps Family Farm which seem to suggest that carrots were used to make the 3D glasses and help to experience the effects of the show which is actually a livestream of various shows that are seen within ZBZ’s actual show. “Carrot•Vision” may be a reference to Muppet•Vision 3D, another 4D show that closed earlier this year (2025).

First thing seen after picking up 3D glasses is a round sphere with paw prints all over it. According to a plaque seen next to it, early mammals formed this sphere composed of each biome in the spirit of unity, peace and “pawsperity”.
A behind-the-scenes detail about this sphere is that it was kept from the previous attraction, It’s Tough to be a Bug, because it serves as a support beam for the Tree of Life Theater structure.

Various lamps fill the space which reinforces the notion of coming together as a community as ZBZ stresses. The lamps seem to reference Animal Kingdom’s logo also seen on Animal Kingdom’s lamps.

Once in the middle of the queue space, a large board filled with references can be seen:

Starting at the top left corner, a note can be seen for a lost phone, a “National Giraffic” magazine (a reference to National Geographic) and a first place blue ribbon from the Carrot Days Festival in Bunny Burrows.

Next is Duke Weaselton’s “totally legit” DVDs with in-universe references to Zootopiafied Disney films such as The Little Mermaid (“The Little Marshmaid”), Encanto (“Engato”), The Three Caballeros (“The Three Caballos”), the in-production as of this post, Frozen IV (“Floatzen IV”), Mulan (“Moolan”), Wish (“Fish”), The Emperor’s New Groove (“The Emperor’s New Hooves”) and Moana 2 (“Meowana 2”). Just below Duke’s ad for more of his DVDs is an ad for a buy-one-get-one jumbo pop at Jumbeaux’s Cafe where Nick and Judy first met and where Nick got a jumbo pop to melt down to make pawpsicles.
Ads for Mystic Springs Oasis with a note about Yax offering yoga classes as seen in the Zootopia+ short, “Hopp on Board” and the Lemming Brothers Bank with a “follow us” joke of course referring to how lemmings follow one another including when Nick sold them pawpsicles in the first film.

A picture of the stage manager for the Zoogether Day broadcast, Sam from the Zootopia+ short, “Dinner Rush” who can be heard on the attraction’s intercom inviting Zootizens inside the theater. An ad for the Carrot Days festival can be seen next to Sam.

A button for “Zootopia Conservation Fund” is a reference to Disney Conservation Fund. A real life organization that Disney owns to help conserve the planet and is often stressed within Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.

At the far top right is a ZPD poster featuring Nick and Judy, placing the attraction’s story either after Zootopia or Zootopia 2 but it’s unclear as to exactly when as of the time of this post or if the show is non-canon.

On the bottom left, there’s a Zootopia Times article that alludes to a side plot with our hero cops, now detectives, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps now headlining the Zoogether Day celebration as grand marshals and Dawn Bellwether still at large as a prison escapee, marking the second Zootopia attraction she’s escaped ZPD’s jail.

Ads for “The Cub” Community Theater with in-universe animal puns about parodied theater shows in real life like Taming of the Shrew which seems to feature Fru Fru and “It’s Tough to be a Bunny”, a reference to the Disney and Pixar 4D attraction that was in place before ZBZ, “it’s tough to be a bug”. A reference to the in-universe show and Zootopia+ short, “The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia” can be seen underneath and below the theater ad.

A help wanted ad from the Rainforest Rivera restaurant seen in the “Dinner Rush” episode of Zootopia+ where Sam either still works or used to work.

A brochure for the National History Museum reveals that there’s a Zootopia University and that platypi just might be a mammal species in the world of Zootopia. Could the grand re-opening of the museum help place when the attraction’s story takes place place?
A “Preybill” program, parody of Playbill, advertising “Lapines Misérables”. A pun on Les Misérables. And a poster featuring Gazelle referencing Shakira’s (Gazelle’s voice actress) Hips don’t Lie with “Hooves don’t Lie”.

In the bottom right corner of the message board is a ticket for the concert Gazelle held at the end of the first Zootopia film and as seen from the Zootopia+ short, “Dinner Rush”. Judy’s small shoebox apartment, Grand Pangolin Arms, offering room and board. 2016 is part of the number to call for the apartment complex which is a reference to the year the first Zootopia film released. Below is an ad for moving services or “migration” service as it’s called, lost keys with a “The Big Donut” keychain referencing the donut shop found in Little Rodentia. And finally a reference to runDisney with “runZootopia”, a Disney hosted and themed running marathon event held on Disney Park property.

Across from the message board is a display of in-universe jewelry, “Pawdora”, a pun on the real life Pandora jewelry, a third-party jewelry store often seen in the Disney Parks and Disney Springs selling Disney themed jewelry and sponsors different Disney hosted events including firework spectaculars. There’s even frost around the case displaying the polar bear and a display showing jewelry for a giraffe which is too long to fit in the display.

Before the far end of the waiting area, there are posters displaying what sort of performances to expect within the show. The “Marshmaids” could be a reference to the mermaids seen in tourist attractions displaying mermaids. There surprisingly isn’t a direct reference to Disney’s The Little Mermaid to them or within the show. The “Shrew Angels” is a reference to the Blue Angels, the aero acrobatic fighter jets.

We’re introduced to a new original character, Heidi Howler, a wolf who’s hosting the celebration and we’re welcomed as fellow zootizens of Zootopia to see this livestream of performances across Zootopia.

Upon closer inspection, Heidi wears a bell necklace which gives us a clue to the larger plot of the show.

At the far end of the room is a map of Zootopia where it shows we’re all the performances take place and even go as far to state that they have their own Tree of Life within the city of Zootopia. The very one the attraction takes place, in fact.

In different areas of the room, small items such as a mouse-sized porta-potty, boxes containing drone equipment and even a small balcony and small transport tubes for smaller rodents. On the miniature balcony, a glasses bin can be seen for the “Carrot•Vision” glasses and a small door for rodents to enter the theater. Even the trash cans resemble the trash cans seen in the Disney Parks. The same trash cans seen in Zootopia Land in Shanghai Disneyland minus the tiger stripe design.

These are about all the Easter eggs and references found in the queue line and waiting area, now on to the show itself.

While being seated, in-universe advertisements can be seen including Bugburga being a reference to Zootopia’s popular fast food restaurant where they serve bug meat instead of animal meat. This is already an in-universe product but could this also be a reference to it’s tough to be a bug?

The deleted concept of “Wild Times Amusement Park”. The amusement park Nick Wilde was looking to open in the original dystopia concept of Zootopia.

After being seated and the ads have been shown, the show officially begins. Pictures of two young animals playing soccer can be seen from the conclusion of the first film and a group picture of the Hopps family including Judy.

Clawhauser wearing a Gazelle t-shirt for the Zoogether Day celebration which he wears at one point during Zootopia 2.

After Heidi is accidentally blown off stage by Clawhauser, a silhouette of Sam from the Zootopia+ short, “Dinner Rush”.

Nick calls Clawhauser “donuts” an obvious reference to Clawhauser’s favorite food.

Judy seems to know Nibbles so ZBZ may take place after Zootopia 2.

Fun fact: The “Hey Bub” scene was first created for ZBZ and it worked so well that the animators decided to put it in the sequel.

A Back to the Future reference to Biff’s “Make like a tree and…” line is made by Nibbles only for Clawhauser to incorrectly answer with “bark?”.
When one of the Shrew Angel drones go haywire, Fru Fru finds herself along for the ride and then a scene very similar to how Weaselton narrowly missing the mice tubes bridging the small buildings together.

Judy and Nick save Fru Fru using “The Big Donut” sign to catch the haywire drone. Using the very thing that almost crushed Fru Fru in the first film.
Also during this time, the seats within the audience start to simulate rodents scurrying in the seats. This is a recycled feature they used from it’s tough to be a bug.

So sheep are sabotaging the Zoogether Day celebrations and they’re on their way to sabotage Gazelle’s concert where we find Chief Bogo who is dancing along to Try Everything. After the sheep move past him with Nick and Judy in pursuit, he asks “What in the wild animal kingdom is going on?” which could be a reference to Disney’s Animal Kingdom park or even just as the expression, “animal kingdom” but it honestly works both ways here.
A large fan is then used to sabotage Gazelle’s concert (Clawhauser remarks it’s Gazelle’s “biggest fan”) and the effect and scene is used similarly in Mickey’s PhillarMagic.

It’s revealed that Heidi Howler is actually Dawn Bellwether in disguise so the bell necklace seen on Heidi on her poster starts to make sense. It’s the same bell necklace Bellwether wears.
After Bellwether is blasted “off screen”, we see her sheep butt sticking out of the wall, similar to Donald Duck being stuck in the wall at the conclusion of the aforementioned Mickey’s PhillarMagic.

Gazelle states that “for legal reasons, she cannot.”, as a funny and clever nod to how difficult it probably would have been to get Shakira just to sing in the finale’s song.
In the finale, both Jesús and Gary De’Snake make an appearance towards the end of the song’s finale. Both new characters will be seen in the upcoming Zootopia 2.

After the show’s conclusion, we’re asked to exit the theater and return our glasses where we get one last reference to Hopps Family Farm.

The only thing to note is this sign indicating where stroller parking is. It features Finnick with a pacifier which is fitting since Finnick is often used as a baby in Nick’s hustles.

That’s all the Easter eggs and references I found. If there’s any I missed, be sure to leave them down in the comments. This is Scruffy Foxwell telling you to stay Wilde and to TRY EVERYTHING!