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News Country Bear Jamboree is getting new songs and acts
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lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The franchise mandate was issue during the very successful opening of Expedition Everest. It never had anything to do with market pressure.
I think another part of the sigh of relief is the plot wasn't "Hey folks let's get all these bears together for a Musical Jamboree! What do they all play?".
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
I think that Disney's catalog of film IP has grown so expansive that, in order to satisfy visitors, you almost have to dedicate a lot more space to it. The number of people who come for (and the number of investors who push for) Star Wars, all the most popular princesses, Marvel, and the like almost certainly outweigh the number of people who want a thematically on-point frontier-themed show with country music from half a century ago. And contrary to what people who care about themed environments might wish, the reaction is often neither surprise nor delight at something so carefully themed; it's indifference to old technology and confusion at real estate being taken up by something completely disconnected from the contemporary perception of the company. This disconnect can be overcome with a ride that is exciting on its own merits (Everest, Soarin', etc.), but I think things like Country Bears and Tiki Room are increasingly hard sells to the uninitiated.
Moth
Well-Known Member
Imo between some of the jokes here and Tiana's dialog, there's a writer problem at WDI that might need fixing. Preferably before they touch the problem children at EPCOT.
Eugh. Especially before Spaceship Earth.
Part of the theme park cycle of things. In this case, Disney has catered to it for a decade and a half, so the expectation will sort of become there.
Then again, perhaps her comment with Great moments with Mr. Lincoln did not mean characters(why would Disney characters be there?) as much as she was expecting something more, like Hall of Presidents of American Adventure vs a single Animatronic on a stage that once wowed.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
That I understand, and is fair.
You can absolutely see the back and forth pull of wanting to do another Vacation Hoedown type show while appeasing the higher ups. I'm sure they tried hard to strike a balance, but to me the Country Bears singing "kiss the girl" just doesn't work. That's just my own opinion.
There's many songs and guest singers they could have used in the show. I'm not even that big on country music, but the potential was absolutely there and they did bring on genuine talent.
I think they could have won over even cynical old me with a new Jamboree, but that was unlikely with the direction they took. Again, honestly surprised to see it has 8 Disney movie songs. I was expecting 3-4. With the rest being original songs, real country songs, or ones from older shows (like "great outdoors")
We have to realize that a huge part was to change it with cost effectivness. So owning the rights for synergy was a huge part to keep the thing in their minds for falling apart. There was never a huge reach of ambition here.
By next Fourth of July, I expect most of the theater to play pretty empty again.
Frontierland just had so much investment, and by aiming for no one thing, they have a product that is more for no one than what was all there previously.
By next Fourth of July, I expect most of the theater to play pretty empty again.
Frontierland just had so much investment, and by aiming for no one thing, they have a product that is more for no one than what was all there previously.
The show seems to try to cram the songs in too. Instead of section of them. It plays a lot of them. And the results sometimes feel hectic. Particularly the slides in try everything go by way too fast to look like what they are supposed to be, an old slideshow, and sometimes it seems they change before the audience comprehends the sight gag.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Absolutely.
In the 90s, the new stuff was Lion King, Aladdin, Mighty Ducks and the nostalgia push was for Zorro, Herbie, Anette and Old Yeller (both of which got lots of exposure thanks to cable and home video)
Now the new stuff is Encanto, Inside Out and Frozen and the nostalgia push is Lion King, Aladdin and Mighty Ducks (now media distribution makes it harder to spotlight or discover a title organically)
Disney is very much a generational thing, and often clusters titles in its catalog to hit certain demos.
david10225
Active Member
I love how Melvin, Buff, and Max are much more animated, even joining in on the chorus of some songs. My recollection is they mostly just swayed and nodded before, but now they keep time to the music. Is it my imagination or are there mouths more articulated?
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
But this, again, comes down to where people are in 2024 versus where they were in 1955 or 1966. I think Walt Disney's great genius was that he was able to fairly instinctually interpret a kind of middle-American sensibility, with its mix of nostalgia and optimism in post-WWII America. What would such an interpretation look like today if you turned it into a theme park shorn of all the thorny edges?
The other point I'd make about the company now lacking a Walt-like guiding star is that it's a publicly-run company and CEOs trying to imagine themselves as the next Walt generally provokes more ire than praise from fans. I'm not going to say how they have been running the parks or the company as a whole is the best they could have done, but I would also say trying to channel Walt in either the pre- or post-Eisner era hasn't generally worked out well. So, again, living in the world of the real rather than the ideal I kind of ask myself what is the best possible scenario.
That's basically what I meant when I mentioned where the line blurs between purists and general fans. I do think there is some gap between saying all they should do is IP and saying that the inclusion of more IP never had anything to do with market pressure.
Sneakman
Well-Known Member
Tbh if I could bring back one or two songs from the past for this show and replace them, here’s what I’d do. Second Remember me Reprisal > blood on the saddle. And tbh if I was an imagineer and I had permission, I’d bring back two different worlds, as I feel like that’s a classic country bear bit that could still land with most audiences.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
Let’s have Big Al sing, “Let It Go.” His constant, droning refrains becomes actual satire!
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
But, see, he REMINDS people of a joke. That’s even better then an ACTUAL joke!
The Chatbox Ghost
Active Member
I think the public's perception of what "Disney" is largely reflects entertainment and media as a whole. Disney was once known for innovative, original stories, and groundbreaking technology used to create unique experiences- this also being during an era that pretty much all entertainment companies were constantly making new things to push boundaries, sequels being something rarer than original works. The Tiki Room, Pirates, Small World, Country Bears- all of these, at the time they were made, were original and new projects that still felt like Disney thanks to their charm and whimsy. Same goes for Disney's movie output- even when something was brand new, you could tell when it felt like "Disney"- charming, innovative, fun, etc.
But with Hollywood's shift towards recognizable properties, nostalgia, and avoiding risks, Disney especially has fallen into a repeating cycle of the same characters, songs, stories, etc., so now instead of expecting new things from Disney, people expect more of the same stuff they already know. Disney makes more and more Frozen sequels, and people then ask why Frozen isn't in [X] park. Inside Out 2 makes a billion dollars and people immediately go "how do we fit this into the theme parks?" People who have grown up in the post-Eisner era of Disney have no clue Disney parks could have new experiences exclusive to them being made, not anything you can find on Disney+.
Of course, both camps (wanting Disney to make new original things and wanting Disney to use the stuff we know and love) have existed in both periods of time- when Magic Kingdom opened, people asked where Pirates of the Caribbean were, depriving us of an original attraction; and today you have plenty of people asking Disney to create new experiences for the parks (myself being one of those people). Perhaps someday, if entertainment ever goes back to taking risks and trying new things, we'll see that reflected in the parks. I am sure there's Imagineers who want to create their own things and not just make what Disney wants to synergize. The new CBJ show feels like a middle ground to that- they were told to use Disney songs, so they did it in a way that still feels unique to the Country Bears and their brand of weird, mean-spirited, and goofy humor- as much as they could get away with, at least.
Epcot81Fan
Well-Known Member
Important to note people are actually defending the Country Bears singing “A Whole New World”.
Wow.
You can’t even be embarrassed for them anymore.
Wow.
You can’t even be embarrassed for them anymore.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
Yeah, when I heard he was doing friend like me I was like “oh that’s a fun idea” but then I saw it and I’m like…. Huh?
Can we not resemble Davy Crockett either?
The Chatbox Ghost
Active Member
Something current execs at Disney don't seem to realize- Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion didn't become popular (and more importantly to them, profitable) because they were based off a movie people knew. They were unique experiences only found in the parks (before the movie adaptations) and their fandoms grew from that. They're iconic BECAUSE they're original, not in spite of it. Disney is too afraid to take changes and waste precious money on something that could gasp potentially not sell a million princess dresses.