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Country Bear Jamboree closing for lengthy refurbishment in August
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
MansionGoer13z
Active Member
Gotta concur with her. I wish they could somehow replace the animatronics with live bears that would be a site to see. Of course I'm only kidding about the live bears.Series of texts when I read this news...
Me: Sad news for me
Wife: What?!
Me: Country Bear Jamboree will be closed for refurbishment from August 22- October 18th
Wife: What are they doing to it? Making it not suck?
She's evil! We're going 9/29-10/6
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
Loved Country Bears as a kid- even like the movie ( my guys watched it over and over when they were 4). I remembered the moose in the lobby that talked to you when I was little. i was just fascinated by it! I hope it gets the "love" that it deserves!
Baloo62
Well-Known Member
I would love to see some additional seating in the holding tank. There are what, like five small benches in there? When we went three weeks ago, people were laid out all over the floor - plus it was hot as blazes in there with no circulation. Thankfully, the auditorium was nice and cool. I commented to my wife that the sound was very low and difficult to understand. But I still enjoyed the show as usual since my first visit in 1976. Glad to hear its getting some TLC.
Cornballman
Member
I agree. Wish there was more seating or possibly one of those new lovely interactive queues......
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Clever Name
Well-Known Member
We can only hope that “lengthy refurbishment” is Disney speak for either a permanent closure or major upgrade. Break dancing and rapping bears would be a move in the right direction.
puntagordabob
Well-Known Member
Hope your trolling cuz if not...sigh.....
Clever Name
Well-Known Member
WDW has been making some great strides in improving the parks. Getting rid of such old and outdated attractions such as Mr. Toad, Snow White, World of Motion and Horizons are steps in the right direction. It’s not always possible for them to close these outmoded attractions and sometimes an update can help.
HM, PoTC and IASW are just a few of the attractions that have been improved with major updates. CBJ would be perfect for a Hip Hop make over. If Disney can work out the licensing they could weave a TUPAC hologram into the mix as well.
Obviously, a small group of people would object to changing their precious “classic” attraction but that’s not a problem. The group of people that enjoy this attraction is very small and is growing smaller every day. Disney could also work Duffy into the show and dress him up in a Hip Hop outfit. They could work in a Kayne West bear as well.
Modernization and updating this show will bring the crowds back. Yo, Yo...............Yo.
HM, PoTC and IASW are just a few of the attractions that have been improved with major updates. CBJ would be perfect for a Hip Hop make over. If Disney can work out the licensing they could weave a TUPAC hologram into the mix as well.
Obviously, a small group of people would object to changing their precious “classic” attraction but that’s not a problem. The group of people that enjoy this attraction is very small and is growing smaller every day. Disney could also work Duffy into the show and dress him up in a Hip Hop outfit. They could work in a Kayne West bear as well.
Modernization and updating this show will bring the crowds back. Yo, Yo...............Yo.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
It will be interesting to see what actually gets done as Garner Holt came to an new agreement with Disney regarding audio-animatronics, the details of which I still don't understand.
I doubt that when the Magic Kingdom opened the imagineers knew that the Country Bears would be going strong over four decades later . . . with the same show. Despite the timeless appeal of the songs, and the technology, if the show pushes 50 years, then they need to upgrade and update it.
With modern technology, I just don't see why they can't add more (or any) seasonal shows. It makes sense that if they did it like in Tokyo with several shows, then they'd get more repeat business. Isn't that the overall purpose of MK, to get the guests to enjoy going on the rides? Walt updated Jungle Cruise pretty quickly, Country Bears has been left to stagnate, I think that is the reason why some folks skip it.
I enjoy seeing the old show, as it left Disneyland, but a new show would be so great to hear about and see.
I doubt that when the Magic Kingdom opened the imagineers knew that the Country Bears would be going strong over four decades later . . . with the same show. Despite the timeless appeal of the songs, and the technology, if the show pushes 50 years, then they need to upgrade and update it.
With modern technology, I just don't see why they can't add more (or any) seasonal shows. It makes sense that if they did it like in Tokyo with several shows, then they'd get more repeat business. Isn't that the overall purpose of MK, to get the guests to enjoy going on the rides? Walt updated Jungle Cruise pretty quickly, Country Bears has been left to stagnate, I think that is the reason why some folks skip it.
I enjoy seeing the old show, as it left Disneyland, but a new show would be so great to hear about and see.
SerialBachelor80
New Member
To address some concerns I spoke to a cast member...
-The refurb is to replace the benches and carpeting in the theatre.
Magic Kingdom does not rely on locals to patronize the parks like DL does. That is why DL does so many holiday overlays. It was decided by management to not do overlays at WDW so that visitors could always experience the "classic" attractions that many visitors travel very far to experience vs. DL.
-Finally the slide show fits the "old west" theme in Grizzly Hall. However with Disney's efforts to go green recently the lighting around the theatre especially near the stage is being changed out to CFL and is too bright causing the slide show to appear fuzzy.
-The refurb is to replace the benches and carpeting in the theatre.
Magic Kingdom does not rely on locals to patronize the parks like DL does. That is why DL does so many holiday overlays. It was decided by management to not do overlays at WDW so that visitors could always experience the "classic" attractions that many visitors travel very far to experience vs. DL.
-Finally the slide show fits the "old west" theme in Grizzly Hall. However with Disney's efforts to go green recently the lighting around the theatre especially near the stage is being changed out to CFL and is too bright causing the slide show to appear fuzzy.
The Duck
Well-Known Member
Perhaps a new bear featuring the voice of Gilbert Gottfried will descend from the ceiling shouting, "Stop the show! You bears have gotta get a new act!". Yeah. That oughta do it!
I can generally understand the argument that a greater number of visitors to WDW are non-locals who might want to experience an attraction in its "standard" or "classic" mode, rather than a holiday or seasonal version. I don't know if the reality actually supports the argument, but it at least sounds plausible.
However, even assuming that's true for something like the Haunted Mansion, I can't imagine there could exist that many first-time WDW guests who both know about the substance of the "classic" Country Bear Jamboree show and would be bitterly disappointed if, on their one and only ever lifetime visit to WDW, they had to see the holiday version instead.
However, even assuming that's true for something like the Haunted Mansion, I can't imagine there could exist that many first-time WDW guests who both know about the substance of the "classic" Country Bear Jamboree show and would be bitterly disappointed if, on their one and only ever lifetime visit to WDW, they had to see the holiday version instead.
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
Darn it, now you've fed him. Now he'll never leave...
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
Well, that's all nice, but I hope that the sound and the AAs get an upgrade too. Last time I visited, I had trouble hearing the voices clearly, and the AAs' movements were about as fluid and mobile as your average Furbee.
ellie-badge
Well-Known Member
Great news! The Country Bear Jamboree is a classic attraction that I still love to this day, and I'm so happy to hear that it will finally get some loving once again. I hope one day that Disney decides to give it an extensive refurbishment and update or replace most, if not all of the animatronics with newer ones, but that's just a pip dream at this point. The same applies to the holiday special returning, as many others before me have mentioned.
ellie-badge
Well-Known Member
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
I don't buy any of this, and I doubt that any of the regular cast members would have/give this information.
Two months for benches and carpeting? You're kidding, right? You can a crew to put in a carpet in a day, and I would think the benches would take a similar amount of time. Surely they are performing maintenance on the animatronics.
Have you see the cars in the parking lots for the parks in WDW? The license plates are from Florida and states around florida, like Georgia, Louisiana, . . . repeat business is becoming a big deal at WDW, look at DVC. But as others have noted, that shouldn't have anything to do with CBJ, once in a lifetime visitors don't know about CBJ in most cases, and would enjoy either show.
I don't get what your saying regarding the lights around the stage . . . equivalent lumens CFLs are available, but LEDs are better and look more like incandescents, plus they have dimmable ones. You don't say this is being "fixed".
This is the same poster who said elsewhere that putting an E-Ticket on TSI won't be done because it would decrease park capacity. Totally untrue! E-Tickets and their queues hold a lot of guests, a lot more than the trails on TSI. I like TSI, but this "explanation" makes no sense.
As the TSI explanation is false, and as the CBJ explanation looks like it is made up, I believe none of this.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
Highly, highly unlikely. CBJ is only in WDW in the continental US, and not advertised very much. Tourists from Europe don't go home and complain about CBJ being different, they probably wouldn't even complain about, for example, Expedition Everest being down (though that is more likely happening if they did some research). That being said, if CBJ did disappoint, they're once in a life time tourists who won't be back . . . ever. If they are planning a return trip, then they might decide to come in summer to see what they missed. Nobody is going to City Hall and complaining that because CBJ is the Christmas Show and not the original they are immediately going back to Thailand.
We all know why the Christmas Special is gone, it is money, pure and simple, and perhaps laziness. Years from now we'll hear about a Frontierland manager/suit who saved money by canceling the CBJ Christmas Show and was promoted for his brilliance, the guests complaints swept under the rug.