2 Popular Disney World Characters Have Been Moved To A Hidden Spot

We would argue that Animal Kingdom is going through a bit of an identity crisis. It feels like they’re currently going through their middle school closet and throwing out anything that won’t look cool when they hit the high school hallways.

Hi Dug! Hi Russell!

DinoLand U.S.A., unfortunately, didn’t make the high school cut and will be closing forever in February 2026. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are making it into the freshman class because Zootopia: Better Zoogether opens on November 7th. Plus, those adorable animals are setting up a home in the park. To make room for the new wardrobe (by that we mean attractions), some of our favorite friends have moved locations!

Dug and Russell from the hit movie Up have found a new home in Animal Kingdom! Their previous meet and greet was located in front of the Tree of Life, right next to the entrance of the new Zootopia show.

Dug at the old meet and greet!

Now if you want to meet the cuddly pup and Wilderness Explorer, you’re going to need to search a bit! If you’re looking for these friends, it’s not the easiest location to find. They’re still located on Discovery Island, but head to the left of the Tree of Life and stop when you see Creature Comforts and Terra Treats.

The path to take to their meet and greet!

You’ll walk down the path past the Cotton-Top Tamarins to the back of the Tree of Life! (Even if you aren’t going to meet Dug and Russell, this is an amazing spot for photos with the park icon.) If you’re going closer to their designated time, you can look for Cast Members in green shirts and blue shirts to help you find the right spot.

The line!

Once we found the spot, we were lucky enough to see our old pals still smiling! In previous years, we’ve seen different characters meet at this spot, but it still hasn’t become much easier to find, especially if you’ve never journeyed back here!

There they are!

You can see where their new location here on the map below!

©Disney

Their previous meet and greet location is surrounded by walls, adding to the large number of construction walls throughout the park. While Disney hasn’t confirmed it, we do speculate that this is where the new Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps might be!

Construction walls!

Disney hasn’t confirmed where their new location will be, but they did share that it will be near the Tree of Life! They also confirmed the meet and greet will open on November 7th, along with the new attraction.

©Disney

We’re excited to see that Russeel and Dug still have a home in Animal Kingdom. Selfishly, we’re hoping Carl comes to visit them for the holidays with his holiday outfit for the upcoming festivities. As always, be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for more Disney news, tips, and tricks.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether! — A Show in the Tree of Life at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom

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