Another opening-day attraction at Universal Studios Florida has taken its final bow, and the Unofficial Guides team was there during its closing week to say goodbye to Animal Actors On Location!
On Monday, November 2, 2026, Universal Orlando hosted its final scheduled performances of Animal Actors On Location!, prior to the production’s closure. Animal Actors On Location! was a live show featuring performing dogs, birds, pigs, and a menagerie of other animals in a covered outdoor stadium.
Watch a full performance of Animal Actors On Location! filmed during the show’s final week:
This show integrated video segments with live sketches, jokes, and animal tricks performed onstage. A human trainer acted as the host, explaining how the animals were conditioned to execute the tricks. Several of the animal thespians were veterans of TV and movies; many were rescued from shelters. The demonstration made use of audience volunteers (mostly children) in a couple of segments.
If you’ve seen the bird show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’d recognize many of the bird routines in Animal Actors. What set Animal Actors apart was the use of varied and unusual kinds of animals, as well as the opportunity to see the animals being trained onstage. The animals were trained using only positive reinforcement—that is, rewarding the animal when it performs the correct behavior—and no negative
reinforcement (punishing for incorrect behavior).
The furry stars rotated frequently, and animals were always adorably unpredictable, which made this show one of the park’s top-rated attractions across all age groups. However, even during peak times, there was never a problem getting a last-minute seat for the show, and the stadium was covered but not enclosed, meaning that it was still hot during summer and cold during winter.
With the end of Animal Actors, the E.T. Adventure ride is the only opening-day attraction still currently operating at Universal Studios Florida—at least until the Horror Make-Up Show reopens later this year. As hard as it is to lose another piece of Universal Orlando’s original legacy, we are excited to see what Universal will do with the show’s former location.
Although no announcements have been made about what type of “new experience“ will be coming, speculation ranges from a show using roughly the same footprint, an expansion of the adjoining DreamWorks Land, or an entirely new development that could replace the neighboring Simpsons area.
Will you miss Animal Actors On Location!, and what do you want to see replace it? Let us know in the comments below!
For all there is to see and do at Universal Orlando, check out The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter here. Be sure to follow us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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