A little over two weeks after officially opening, Zootopia: Better Zoogether!’s main animatronic is already down.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether Clawhauser B-Mode
Zootopia: Better Zoogether! officially opened to guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on November 7. On November 23, our reporter let us know that the Officer Clawhauser audio-animatronic, which plays a major role in the attraction, was not functioning and that the character was in B-mode.
Instead of the animatronic character appearing inside the theater with guests, Clawhauser is onscreen via a satellite drone. He is wearing the same Gazelle outfit as his animatronic — and in which he appears in Zootopia 2 — and also appears in a production booth setting so he can wreak havoc by triggering in-theater effects.
The space where the animatronic appears was completely shadowed, although we could make out the items on the desk.
When the show transitions into the different segments, Clawhauser similarly flies onto the screen to engage with Nick and Judy as they conduct their investigation.
Watch our video of the first part of the show operating in B-mode, with the spot where the animatronic would normally appear on the right:
Clawhauser remains onscreen for the final act of the show in which Nick and Judy figure out who’s behind the Zoogether Day sabotage and make sure justice is served.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
The new 3D show replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug! in Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life Theater, Zootopia: Better Zoogether! brings guests together to celebrate of Zoogether Day, but Nick and Judy must intervene when things go awry. Many of the in-theater effects from It’s Tough to Be a Bug! have been recycled for the show.
Check out Tom’s honest review of Zootopia Better Zoogether and watch our complete show video (with the fully-functioning Clawhauser animatronic) below.
Have you had the chance to see Zootopia: Better Zoogether! yet? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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