Country Bears Vacation Hoedown

[Walt Disney1955]

Here is an interesting thing about Country Bears. My grandparents went to WDW in 1973 with my dad and a buddy of his. So they spent a day at Magic Kingdom. One thing my grandparents liked was CBJ. The show hasn't changed really at all, other than they took a couple of songs out of it. So I always have a little bit of a tie to my grandparents every time I see that show, because it really isn't all that different from the time they saw it. That's the thing that modern Disney, and many fans, don't seem to understand. That is what has always been the charm of Disney compared to other places. They preserve their old attractions.

 

[Djsfantasi]

The problem with attraction overlays is that while they are playing, you do not get to see the "classic" version. Most folks do not visit WDW regularly, and if you only get to see it once, you want to see the original. In DL, they can have Haunted Mansion Holiday because that park caters more to locals and regulars, but even that gets some pushback.

So why not only use the audio for an overlay only a few times per day?

After all, they are audio-animatronics… With modern control systems, the movements should be triggered by the soundtrack. So an overlay needn’t require programming. And if a particular figure isn’t doing anything, Disney must have something like Steve Axtell’s AutoAlive or dj’s ButAlive to animate them without programming?

 

[WondersOfLife]

So why not only use the audio for an overlay only a few times per day?

After all, they are audio-animatronics… With modern control systems, the movements should be triggered by the soundtrack. So an overlay needn’t require programming. And if a particular figure isn’t doing anything, Disney must have something like Steve Axtell’s AutoAlive or dj’s ButAlive to animate them without programming?

Agreed. You'd think Disney has enough brains with one braincell to collectively create one bread and literally just make it an alternating show so that it is different each time you're on it.

They can do it with star tours, why not do it to CBJ, philharmagic, Muppets, ect

 

[Robbiem]

Agreed. You'd think Disney has enough brains with one braincell to collectively create one bread and literally just make it an alternating show so that it is different each time you're on it.

They can do it with star tours, why not do it to CBJ, philharmagic, Muppets, ect

I can never understand why they dont make a randomised AA show. It would be a good way to make a show repeatable

 

[tl77]

I wish they would create a longer show that was a combination of the original Country Bear Jamboree and the Vacation Hoedown, because the vacation show had some great songs and effects, and all the bears had the painted backdrops behind them instead of just the black curtains of the original show. I'd rather it was like a 25-30 minute show that only ran once or twice an hour to a full house, it feels like they've really diminished it. It should be scheduled "appointment viewing" like Hall of Presidents, American Adventure, or the Nemo and Lion King shows, being in there with just a hand full of people is kind of disappointing

 

[WondersOfLife]

I wish they would create a longer show that was a combination of the original Country Bear Jamboree and the Vacation Hoedown, because the vacation show had some great songs and effects, and all the bears had the painted backdrops behind them instead of just the black curtains of the original show. I'd rather it was like a 25-30 minute show that only ran once or twice an hour to a full house, it feels like they've really diminished it. It should be scheduled "appointment viewing" like Hall of Presidents, American Adventure, or the Nemo and Lion King shows, being in there with just a hand full of people is kind of disappointing

Again, I don't know how people come to this show when it's empty unless it's late at night. It's been full of people every time I've gone.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I can never understand why they dont make a randomised AA show. It would be a good way to make a show repeatable

And yet two other bands had been doing that for many years before they scrapped them...

 

[WondersOfLife]

And yet two other bands had been doing that for many years before they scrapped them...

I could be wrong, but those may not be if the same quality. Lol

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Rumor in another thread is that they're gonna give the show a new script about the Bears visiting Disney World.

I really don't like the sound of that.

That would be wierd,since don't the bears inhabit frontierland?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I could be wrong, but those may not be if the same quality. Lol

Yet they have done more shows and songs even if their movements were small and clunky .

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

Yet they have done more shows and songs even if their movements were small and clunky .

Haha, indeed! In fact, I just finished programming a custom show last night for this guy. The program I use was created by a fan, made specifically to program AAs and even full AA shows. With today’s technology, reprogramming CBJ shouldn’t be a huge obstacle, but rewriting the show with new dialogue would require some attention to detail and effort to match the original in quality.

 

[Djsfantasi]

Haha, indeed! In fact, I just finished programming a custom show last night for this guy. The program I use was created by a fan, made specifically to program AAs and even full AA shows. With today’s technology, reprogramming CBJ shouldn’t be a huge obstacle, but rewriting the show with new dialogue would require some attention to detail and effort to match the original in quality. View attachment 660336

LOL, I have written similar software (& trademarked the language name),

Any given show is different each and every time a guest experienced it.

If I can do it, I’d expect Disney could do it better.

 

[Weather_Lady]

It would be cool if they did update the technology and program in some new combinations (and/or restore some of the old songs to their original length). I do miss the longer version of the show, which is partially preserved on some old records my sister and I had when we were little, which we listened to 10,000 times: some variations would be amazing. Country Bear Jamboree -- along with Pirates and the Haunted Mansion -- left such a strong impression on me that they're the only attractions I remember from my first visit to WDW at age 6, and they're still among my favorites today.

Apropos of nothing, not only have we always seen CBJ with full houses (one exception: our August-during-the-pandemic visit, when there were few guests and half the seats were blocked off), but one time 3 or 4 years ago, we were seated next to an apparent superfan (a very normal-looking grown woman who appeared to be in her 40s) who literally sang/whispered/stomped/clapped along with every. single. sung. or. spoken. word. of. the. entire. show. It would have been annoying under most circumstances, but the look of complete, rapturous joy on her face made it so endearing that we couldn't help but feel happy for, and with, her.