Reimagined Country Bear ‘Musical’ Jamboree Coming in 2024
Walt Disney World has announced a new stage show coming to Grizzly Hall in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom that’ll reimagine Country Bear Jamboree. This post shares all of the details, concept art, and everything we know about the plan–plus comprehensive commentary and our conflicted feelings about the Bear Band doing a new act.
This news was announced during the “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at Destination D23 on September 8, 2023. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
This was one of many announcements and reveals at the 2023 Destination D23. Others include a new scene with Ahsoka in Star Tours, a first look at the Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and a debut timeframe for Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion. And that’s just what has been shared so far for Walt Disney World. We’ll have a recap of every announcement very soon.
During Destination D23, Imagineer Chris Beatty shared that he and his team love the Country Bears, which is why they’re bringing an all-new act to Grizzly Hall for the Bear Band to perform. The new show is coming in 2024, and will be called Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
When Country Bear Musical Jamboree debuts, the Bear Band will be reinterpreting favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music. Imagineers are envisioning the new experience as a homage to the classic musical revues in Nashville and they’re working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound.
The Country Bear Jamboree will still have the fun and friendly tone fans enjoy with the same famous characters like the loveable Trixie, Big Al and others. Here’s a look at the concert-style poster art Imagineering created to promote the reimagined Country Bear Musical Jamboree:
Turning to commentary, this is a tough one. There’s almost certainly dramatically different reactions between the longtime and diehard Walt Disney World fans who were attending Destination D23 in-person versus more casual and newer fans.
For a lot of you, Country Bear Jamboree is nothing special, a relic of another time that has aged poorly and is long overdue for replacement. That describes a lot of people, and to them, this change will undoubtedly be embraced with enthusiasm and cautious optimism, at minimum. For others, not so much.
It’s no secret that we’re Country Bear superfans, frequently encouraging readers to make a bearline to Magic Kingdom’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Grizzly Hall. That’s where they can find Country Bear Jamboree, a show that is best appreciated by audiences with sophisticated senses of humor, good looks, and great taste in attractions and animals.
Joking (but not really) aside, we absolutely adore Country Bear Jamboree but also, we’ve expected it to be removed and replaced for years. We’ve been saying for over a decade that this is the type of attraction that would never be made today, and not just because it’s a stage show with a lot of Audio Animatronics. Country Bear Jamboree features a unique brand of irreverent humor, and some of the lyrics elicit audible reactions from the audience because they’re unexpected from a Disney attraction.
It’s going to take a while to gather my thoughts about this news, so for now, I’ll share what I wrote earlier this year in Reimaginings Inside the Park and ‘Beyond the Berm’ Expansion at Magic Kingdom:
As much as I hate to admit this, Country Bear Jamboree is on borrowed time. There are a number of reasons why Walt Disney World might want to do something with the beloved bear band. I love Country Bear Jamboree and will defend it until the end (if anything, I sincerely believe it has gained appreciation in the last few years, too!). But I’m also a realist.
Country Bear Jamboree is not going to exist in its current form forever. A decade from now, I’ll be satisfied if the Audio Animatronics bears simply still exist…but are singing different songs. That’s probably the best case and most realistic scenario, barring a catastrophe for the company, economy, or tourism tanking in a way that essentially causes the parks to freeze in time. (No damage inflicted, but also no development done–we call that the “Disneyland Paris Effect.”)
To be abundantly clear, this does not mean that I’m on board with reimagining Country Bear Jamboree. Again, this is a matter of (trying to) come to terms with reality, and the small miracle of the Country Bear Jamboree and those songs still being sung in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in the year 2023.
For me, this announcement mirrors finding out IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was being replaced. I knew it was an inevitability for years, and more than anything else, was thankful that we got to see it so many times before it was retired. Like that, Country Bear Jamboree has had a great run. Also like that, I wish it would stick around Walt Disney World forever, but ‘get’ why that is unrealistic.
Unlike IllumiNations, this attraction will live on with the Country Bears sticking around, which is more than I honestly would’ve expected even a few years ago. Frankly, that is a colossal distinction between the two changes. If aspects of IllumiNations were modernized and reimagined to be incorporated into a more crowd-pleasing nighttime spectacular, I probably would’ve been personally sad but completely understanding. That’s the crossroads, of sorts, for me with this Country Bear news.
At some point, I’ll collect my thoughts and offer more comprehensive commentary about what makes Country Bear Jamboree so special. (Or perhaps not–I could never bring myself to do an IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth tribute post.) For now, here’s what I wrote several years back in My Top 10 Walt Disney World Attractions:
For so many people I’ve encountered, enjoyment of Country Bear Jamboree hinges upon whether they enjoy folk or country music. If they don’t, all of the bears in the world cannot save this attraction for them.
Bob Dylan’s forays into them aside, these musical genres are not my jam. The thing is, Country Bear Jamboree is not a simple country music concert performed by robotic bears. Instead, it’s simultaneously a love-letter to the genre, and a send-up of stereotypical Southern life. It borders on social satire, and in the process contains some of the best witty and irreverent humor ever showcased in a Disney theme park.
Most importantly, its irreverent humor is delivered in a playful and fun manner. Even as Country Bear Jamboree spoofs hillbilly culture, it does so in way that’s unlikely to offend. I grew up in rural Michigan and lived in Indiana for years, and rather than finding this humor offensive because it hits too close to home, I laugh at its astuteness.
Perhaps I just enjoy self-deprecating humor, but I think Country Bear Jamboree is a hoot, and one that makes me nod silently while laughing. When Big Al first appears, I think we all can relate. Who among us has not sat on our porch shirtless and shoeless, with jugs of empty moonshine scattered around our couch while watching the cars pass? (No? Just me. Okay then.)
Beyond Country Bear Jamboree’s catchy music and irreverent humor, the characters are excellent. Even though the runtime is fairly short (and shorter now than it used to be!), the character development is strong. By the end of the show, you have a good sense of each bear’s personality and their quirks.
When I think of the best theme park characters from Walt Disney World, Figment, Dreamfinder, Sonny Eclipse, and about 8 of the Country Bears come to mind. Talk about a strong ensemble! Country Bear Jamboree is like the Wet Hot American Summer of theme park attraction casts.
At the end of the day, none of this should really be necessary to persuade you that Country Bear Jamboree is among the best attractions at Walt Disney World. If you’re against singing, robotic bears, you are against America. It’s as simple as that.
Ultimately, the jury is still out on the Country Bear reimagining news for us. On some personal level, we will be sad to see the current Country Bear Jamboree go. That much is a given, as we love the irreverence and humor of the current selection of songs, and have endless nostalgia for the current show. It’ll be tough to say goodbye to Country Bear Jamboree in its present form.
However, how difficult that is really depends upon the execution of the replacement. If Imagineering is able to replace the current show while maintaining the Bear Band’s sense of humor, personality, and charm will go a long way for us. If Country Bear Jamboree’s successor manages to be the same ‘ole bears but performing different tunes, it’ll end up being pretty easy to accept this change.
That’s particularly true if the new show actually ends up being both good and popular, drawing larger crowds. Although we (selfishly) enjoy being able to easily grab a last-minute seat at Country Bear Jamboree and have plenty of space around us, there’s nothing we’d love more than the Country Bears playing to packed houses, having to wait in 15 minute long lines to see them, and have the Bear Band stick around for decades to come. If a new generation of Country Bear fans is forged in the process of this reimagining, that’s a big win in our book.
In other words, this is one of those rare things that’s potentially both a personal negative and bigger picture positive. There’s almost no world in which a replacement for Country Bear Jamboree improves upon the original for us. At the same time, we realize it’s a show of a different era, and overdue for a modernization to make it more appealing to modern audiences and new generations of Walt Disney World guests. If Imagineering is able to thread the needle and offer something that satisfies both the casual diehard and diehard demos, it’ll be a bittersweet success.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the reimagined of Country Bear Jamboree announced for Magic Kingdom at the 2023 Destination D23 event? Are you a disappointed diehard, cautiously optimism, or openly enthusiastic about this news? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Despite growing up near Disneyland, and being 5 years old when the “Bears” arrived there, I’ve never been able to appreciate or enjoy the show. Not even for nostalgia reasons. Which is funny, because I’m extremely nostalgic for most other long-lasting Disney Park attractions. I hated it as a kid, and those views never changed. I recently tried the Bears again at WDW and was reminded at how atrocious it is. I can’t even imagine what most 1st timers must think when watching it.
I was a little pissed a few years back when Disney Execs wimped out on their plans to end it.
That said, I’m now very excited about a new version and will happily give it a shot. I really hope it’s done well.
Every other D23 announcement I felt was either positive or “this is so vague I don’t really have an opinion on it.” This one hurt. Like you, I understand the decision. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m accepted introducing Disney IP into anything new that is produced, but I was hoping this was one of the “sacred cows” that would stick around as a moment in time from Walt’s era.
I will miss “Blood on the Saddle” and “Mama Don’t Whoop Little Buford,” but I’m surprised they last this long. I’m just glad they aren’t getting rid of the attraction.
The comments this announcement got on Instagram are hilarious. “You’re ruining Walt’s dream!” scream the people who weren’t even born when Walt died, and believe his ideas about things always changing should only apply to things they don’t like. It’s a theme park, not a museum. When I heard this announcement, I immediately thought of you, and was curious to see what you would have to say, since I knew it would be hilarious, thoughtful, and reasonable.
I’m of two minds about this, personally. On one hand, it definitely needed an update, since it was a country music revue, and songs that were “popular” fifty years ago aren’t going to resonate with audiences today. In the same way that most guests only know Zip A Dee Do Dah from Splash Mountain and not from Song of the South, the only reason most guests would know Blood on the Saddle is because of Big Al, and not because they have a 1966 Tex Ritter vinyl sitting on their record player at home. On the other hand, I don’t know that adding IP was the way to go to give this attraction a facelift. I am not a Country Bears fan, nor am I a country music fan, but I think I might’ve liked to see this get an update with modern country classics. Some Dolly, some Kenny, maybe some early Taylor Swift if you really need to attract the young’uns. Or maybe keep a couple of the OG songs, and make it a tour of country music history from then to now.
On a related note, since the Country Bears were originally designed for Mineral King, there’s a book coming out this week that you will be interested in, Tom. Check out Disneyland on the Mountain, by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer. I got an advance copy of it, and it’s fascinating.
Hopefully the new version will be more …. Wait for it…..bearable than the last. Honestly it was pretty boring.
Tom, as soon as I heard this news last night, my first thought was, “Oh, Tom B is going to be SOOO upset!!? :-(” and I knew this newsletter would at least mention it. I am a major fan of the One & Only O’riginal Country Bear Jamboree and could sing the songs in my sleep so yes, this will take some getting used to. I didn’t notice any particular date or timeline so I’m not sure i can get back there to appreciate it one last time but I’m hopeful!!! My condolences on your expected but still painful news. Yours in commiseration, Amy (lifetime fan of Buff, Max & Melvin too)
Changing the lineup for the Bears is going to make it even more awkward for my family when I sing “Blood on the Saddle” in MK (never giving that up), but my takeaway is that I’m just grateful they didn’t pull the show altogether like they did at DL which is what we assumed would happen. Hoping for the best.
With any luck, we will be at MK at the same time and can sing it together. Heck, I even sing it at home.
I’m not a Country Bears Jamboree fan, but I also hate the thought of classic attractions going by the wayside. Updating the show but keeping the bears sounds like the best of both worlds to me.
But I don’t know that having the bears sing country versions of Disney songs sounds like an improvement. It’s going to depend so much on execution. I just hope they pick songs that make sense. Having countrified versions of Whole New World or Be Our Guest sounds terrible… I’m sure this won’t happen, but I would love it if Zip-a-dee-doo-dah made an appearance in the show. I understand why Splash Mountain needs to go and I’m completely on board with Tiana getting her own attraction, but Zip-a-dee-doo-dah is quintessential Disney World to me. I would love it to be somewhere in the park and if the Country Bears are singing Disney songs, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah gets my vote.
Noooo, our MK day was so busy we didn’t make it to the country bears. I’m dying to see this before it changes but idk when we will be back. I’ll have to watch the refurbishment calendar closely to see when it closes. Hoping to make it back beforehand!
I wish they would do the Christmas version one last time also. It seems forever since I last saw the Christmas special they used to do.
Last night, unbeknownst to me, I had a moment of foreshadowing.
I knew I was dreaming, but it seemed so real.
You were there Tom, kneeling in the pouring rain, face turned upward into the skies above, those giant popping eyes of yours all red from a million tears mingling with the deluge.
Then there came a low rumbling that grew in intensity, before turning into a soul piercing scream, that rivaled Superman’s own when Lois died in his arms. But you could not reverse the Earth’s spinning. You were left to suffer, grieve and shake your fists at an uncaring cruel world.
I woke up in a sweat, stunned, shaking with fear and wondering, “What the heck just happened? What did this mean? Was it a message from God?”
Here was a dream even David could not interpret.
After my heartbeat stopped racing and the cold sweat dried a little, my mind tried to make sense of my experience.
Maybe it was nothing more than the three bowls of ice cream I’d eaten while sneaking a late night viewing of Guardians of the Galaxy after my wife had gone to bed.
The details began to fade.
I started questioning myself.
Perhaps it wasn’t even you at all, but Charlie Brown, who bears a striking resemblance.
Yes. That was it, the Mets had dropped another one. This was my mind dealing with another lost season.
Then today, I read this.
Of course! Now it all makes sense.
I’m a Met fan, I’m no stranger to lost seasons.
It was the other round headed white boy who makes me laugh when I read his antics.
It was you Tom, out in that horrible thunderstorm without an umbrella. No hippopotamus in sight.
There are no words, there never are. Yet, being a fellow traveler, I feel a responsibility to try. Despite knowing it won’t ease your pain, with all due respect and love, I send my condolences to you and your family.
This is absolutely epic and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for the kind words JoAnna.
as a fellow superfan, i actually look forward to this. hearing the bears will remain is the best i could hope for. the show, sadly, is a shell of it’s former glorious self. so much has been cut out, to say nothing of the holiday and summer overlays. if the bears can stay and tech be brought into this century, i look forward to it. just please keep big al and blood on the saddle.
Disneyland is our home resort and while I didn’t enjoy the CBJ as a kid, it now makes me deeply nostalgic when we catch it in MK or TDL. It almost feels like a magic time capsule I can share with my kids. Having said that, we recently watched it in Tokyo and some of the English lyrics made me worry they were living on borrowed time.
I’m glad to see they are being preserved as an attraction and withhold judgment on the new songs, stylings, and jokes until I see/hear them. Would be nice if the kept the original content at night and had a more modern Disney version during the day…but if they don’t change the actual bear animatronics much, they can always bring back the original shows as a revival when they need to juice park visitor numbers in a slow season.
I have been dreading this news for a long time.
I appreciate that you are giving a balanced view of the news, but this makes me so sad. This is one of the few attractions that is pretty much how it was in 1971 and that I remember from my early trips to WDW in the 1980s. And now that it’s not at DLR anymore, it’s one of the attractions that sets WDW apart and makes it unique. I’m really sorry to see them shoehorning in Disney songs, although I guess I appreciate them keeping the bears at all. I just wish they could leave some things alone and respect the long time fans as opposed to catering to newer and infrequent visitors. If they come for carousel of progress next I will really be upset !
I hate country music but I love the Country Bears. I’m really disappointed with this decision. I just hope the characters will continue to roam Frontierland. Interacting with the bears is always a highlight of our trips.
Are they really going to put a blond hairpiece on Liver Lips and change his name to Romeo?
It’s the connection we made with any animatronics that always made Disney special.
And now, it’s the connection we have with the nostalgia of the remaining animatronics that continues to make Disney special.
FWIW, in my case, it has nothing to do with the music (I listen to jazz).
Small World, Carousel of Progress, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, etc. have all been updated.
Country Bears is long overdue.
Sigh… this is disappointing news. I can’t see anything made today having rhe quirky charm of the original. It will presumably be the same handful of beloved Disney songs that are used in every show and parade.
I’m sure they will put in plenty of screens to make up for the removal of all the AAs. Then onto carasoeul of progress followed by us long time fans begging them to keep space rangers the same.
No,no,no. I’m heartbroken by this news. I have loved the Country Bears for 30 years now (Big Al and his iconic song being my favourite. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting him his summer – I was star struck!).
I can’t believe they are going to make them sing Disney songs, it’s a travesty!
Like you I’m unbelievably glad the Hall and the bears are staying but upset things have to change.
Wow so much to take in here. First of all, kudos for the designation of World UNESCO site, Grizzly Hall. I actually laughed out loud. Secondly this is near and dear to our hearts as we remember the longer funnier more irreverent edition and quote lines ALL THE TIME. Just this morning my husband prepared pork ribs and was talking about the blood and I immediately did Big Al and we laughed at each other. If you want to make my daughter’s head spin, then screw up on purpose the lyrics of I’ve got a woman, she’s got me, something something something . I recently got the set of plush bears from Amazon a couple months ago when you posted link that they were available because again IMO that’s a merchandising marketing opportunity Disney missed big time ! We have pictures of Big Al hugging our granddaughter that are treasures. I don’t accept change easily and still see no good reason why Kitchen Kabaret and Food Rocks isn’t somewhere in the Land pavilion, but I digress. Hoping you name baby girl Trixie or Teddy Beara. Thanks always for your informative posts that always have humor. Disney has a recent history of taking a good thing and ruining it lately, so I’m nervous.