News Country Bear Jamboree is getting new songs and acts

[Haymarket2008]

I’m not necessarily defending the Country Bears singing Disney songs…but…

In fact, I’d rather they didn’t. Yet the characters don’t exist in their own isolated story in time and place. They exist IN Frontierland IN the Magic Kingdom IN WDW. The bears putting on a show while singing popular Disney tunes isn’t out of the realm of their possibilities, imho.

 

[MistaDee]

Yes and no. Historically the Country Bears have had 3 entirely different editions to present. This is merely the 4th. This gives them the option to do something new down the line.

They could have easily trashed this and made it a dining location. The Country Bears singing songs from the Disney songbook may be low hanging fruit, yes, but I’d much rather a large amount of capital investment be thrown at them than their outright removal.

The company recognize their popularity. I don’t think they would have kept them around if they weren’t.

Yeah this is actually an example of Disney doing right by the theme park fans and keeping a classic around. Having them sing from the Disney songbook is perfectly reasonable, even logical by my reckoning.

 

[PREMiERdrum]

I've been a bit pessimistic on this one, as it just doesn't seem like something they'd get right.

However, the folks I talk to have been very upbeat about it.

I think we're in good shape here.

 

[𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖗97]

I've been a bit pessimistic on this one, as it just doesn't seem like something they'd get right.

However, the folks I talk to have been very upbeat about it.

I think we're in good shape here.

What gives me the most hope is actually the improvements to the animatronics that will make it easier to do the NEXT show, which could very well be a limited-run return of the original (a la Soarin' in DCA) or Christmas. Someone on here said that the changes would make it easier to run different shows, but I don't remember who.

 

[JustInTime]

I guess now is a good time to mention that the portraits in the lobby are staying, and that the frames were painted gold.

What a great way to pay tribute to the original show! @wdwmagic is this what you said fans would be very happy about?

 

[jeanericuser001]

They could have easily trashed this and made it a dining location

The country bear restaurant. Country bears perform while the crowd chows down. A disney equivalent to chucky cheese without the arcade of course. That would be right up there with a tiki birds restaurant at the Polynesian.

 

[Haymarket2008]

Also it seems the stalwart preservationists and artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily did the costume design for the new show.

You can’t get much better than that when it comes to people who care about history and legacy of the Disney parks.

 

[Delta-7]

The country bear restaurant. Country bears perform while the crowd chows down. A disney equivalent to chucky cheese without the arcade of course. That would be right up there with a tiki birds restaurant at the Polynesian.

Who’s ready for Five Nights at the Country Bears’??

 

[MisterPenguin]

Remember, the bears were singing "Country" songs from the 1950s and 1960s. That was the good ol' Frontier fer ya!

They're still singing modern songs but in various "Country" genres.

And hopefully losing the gag that uneducated, inbred looking, backwards Hillbillies that talk funny are just hilarious.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

However, the folks I talk to have been very upbeat about it.

People working on the attraction you mean? They're hardly going to say anything negative about it if there's any chance it might make its way out onto the internet. There was a lot of praise for Epcot's Luminous prior to opening too.

And hopefully losing the gag that uneducated, inbred looking, backwards Hillbillies that talk funny are just hilarious.

I'm a so-called "backwards hillbilly" who was born and raised in Tennessee and still occasionally has traces of a deep southern accent and dialect, they should keep the gags. The show was a thousand times tamer at ribbing on hillbillies than even The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. Even the people it gently poked fun at don't consider it to be offensive. In fact, that was one of the largest demographics who enjoyed the original.

Remember, the bears were singing "Country" songs from the 1950s and 1960s. That was the good ol' Frontier fer ya!

They're still singing modern songs but in various "Country" genres.

The songs they played were not recognizably tied to the modern era in terms of sound or lyrics. That's the thing about country music from the 50s and 60s, the vast majority of it even at the time sounded like it could belong from a much older era.

It's going to be far more difficult to avoid this if they take songs from popular Disney IP. This will scream latter half 1900s (and potentially early 2000s), regardless of it being rearranged with a country sounding twang.

I'm also concerned about the "pop country" part of the PR statement. This presents the danger of potential modern electronic sounding instruments.

 

[Surferboy567]

I'm also concerned about the "pop country" part of the PR statement. This presents the danger of potential modern electronic sounding instruments.

Big Al should now play “Derezzed” by Daft Punk.

 

[ohioguy]

I wonder if they've moved "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to the Country Bears.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

I wonder if they've moved "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to the Country Bears.

They have not. They're trying to phase that song out entirely from the parks and are doing a pretty dang good job at it

 

[TomboyJanet]

I’m not necessarily defending the Country Bears singing Disney songs…but…

In fact, I’d rather they didn’t. Yet the characters don’t exist in their own isolated story in time and place. They exist IN Frontierland IN the Magic Kingdom IN WDW. The bears putting on a show while singing popular Disney tunes isn’t out of the realm of their possibilities, imho.

They should just make them like a band and every now and then just give them new songs and make them a staple of the park you know like how new albums come out

 

[TomboyJanet]

People working on the attraction you mean? They're hardly going to say anything negative about it if there's any chance it might make its way out onto the internet. There was a lot of praise for Epcot's Luminous prior to opening too.


I'm a so-called "backwards hillbilly" who was born and raised in Tennessee and still occasionally has traces of a deep southern accent and dialect, they should keep the gags. The show was a thousand times tamer at ribbing on hillbillies than even The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. Even the people it gently poked fun at don't consider it to be offensive. In fact, that was one of the largest demographics who enjoyed the original.


The songs they played were not recognizably tied to the modern era in terms of sound or lyrics. That's the thing about country music from the 50s and 60s, the vast majority of it even at the time sounded like it could belong from a much older era.

It's going to be far more difficult to avoid this if they take songs from popular Disney IP. This will scream latter half 1900s (and potentially early 2000s), regardless of it being rearranged with a country sounding twang.

I'm also concerned about the "pop country" part of the PR statement. This presents the danger of potential modern electronic sounding instruments.

Wait didn't this happen already when Liverlips picked up the electric guitar?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Wait didn't this happen already when Liverlips picked up the electric guitar?

I haven't seen the Christmas version since the early 90s and don't even remember that. It's pretty darn out of place for the rest of the show though.

I also don't think i've ever seen the Vacation Hoedown show. It's even more out of place as it's not just Liverlips who has something that looks "modern". Cute on its own as a temporary thing, but doesn't fit Frontierland. Better over at Disneyland since that was Critter Country though.

 

[J.E.Smith]

I haven't seen the Christmas version since the early 90s and don't even remember that. It's pretty darn out of place for the rest of the show though.

I also don't think i've ever seen the Vacation Hoedown show. It's even more out of place as it's not just Liverlips who has something that looks "modern". Cute on its own as a temporary thing, but doesn't fit Frontierland. Better over at Disneyland since that was Critter Country though.

In the Christmas Special Liver Lips' Elvis bit was more Gomer's piano, but in Vacation it was mostly electric guitar with harmonicas (Though in the DL version you can barely hear them in the background but they can be heard clearly in the Tokyo version)

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

They have not. They're trying to phase that song out entirely from the parks and are doing a pretty dang good job at it

Yeah, that song is evil and should never be sung ever again!

 

[FettFan]

The country bear restaurant. Country bears perform while the crowd chows down. A disney equivalent to chucky cheese without the arcade of course.

Have you never been to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe?

 

[FettFan]

I guess now is a good time to mention that the portraits in the lobby are staying, and that the frames were painted gold.

Were those not prints of the original Marc Davis art? If so, replacing them would be as bad as replacing the stretching portraits at the Mansion.

^not that these are bad, but they just don't have the same tone as Davis' originals.