Rumor New Orleans Mini-Land and "Reimagined" Country Bear Jamboree

[Walt Disney1955]

With all the talks of CBJ being “outdated”, it really makes you wish Disney never did away with the seasonal overlays…

Its Frontierland..................................it is supposed to be dated. I am starting to realize that even a majority of Disney fans don't really "get" the whole thing with Frontierland. It isn't supposed to be modern. That's the point. It wasn't modern in 1971 either.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Its Frontierland..................................it is supposed to be dated. I am starting to realize that even a majority of Disney fans don't really "get" the whole thing with Frontierland. It isn't supposed to be modern. That's the point. It wasn't modern in 1971 either.

I don’t think they mean that the aesthetic is dated, that the attraction is. No one’s saying to replace the CBJ with a modern look, just that it needs a refresh.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I don’t think they mean that the aesthetic is dated, that the attraction is. No one’s saying to replace the CBJ with a modern look, just that it needs a refresh.

It could use a cleaning and such. I get that. But part of its charm is its innocence and uniqueness.

 

[Bocabear]

The music and style of the attraction was based on Country music from the 40s and 50s...which was about 30 years before the CNJ opened at WDW, but still in adult memory... in 2023, the music that is refenced is from 70-80 years ago. Country music of today is not what it was then at all... While I am not advocating for any sort of modernization, I think the needle could be moved a bit... The show could be freshened up...a few new songs and schtick, a few new characters in the theater...bring the show back to it's original run time. It has gotten stale because it hasn't really changed since 1971... the seasonal shows helped with that, but now that even those seasonal additions have been nixed, it is getting a bit stale...

 

[Disorbust]

I could really see a New Orleans area and Bye Bye to the Bears. But then BTMRR sits like a sore thumb unless they change or replace it.

 

[correcaminos]

I could really see a New Orleans area and Bye Bye to the Bears. But then BTMRR sits like a sore thumb unless they change or replace it.

Unless it becomes part of a new land.

Or leave it separate and keep that, the train station, and Tom Sawyer for Frontierland.

 

[brb1006]

It's sad, but you're probably right. I feel like it's going to be completely changed by the end of the decade, if not sooner.

I still can't get over why they changed the three bonnet bears' faces from this: View attachment 712696
(Tokyo animatronic pictured, but it used to look like this in WDW)

to this: View attachment 712697

Yeah, I miss the old faces for The Three Bonnet Bears since they actually looked prettier compared to their current faces. When did WDW change them anyway?

 

[DisneyJayBama]

Yet it is explicitly Georgian. Bayou Adventure will not look much more or less appropriate from the outside.

I agree it is. But it went with the theme. I’m unsure of what they are going for at this point.

 

[FutureCEO]

The Country Bears time is almost up anyway.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

The Country Bears time is almost up anyway.

How about they replace Stitch before closing or ruining a classic?

 

[Roger_the_pianist]

This would be weird because New Orleans Square was avoided at Disneyworld because Florida is, well, kinda close to New Orleans. Of course that's the reason Pirates weren't a part of the opening of the Magic Kingdom.

I've always thought Liberty Square was not just an idea connected to the American bicentennial but also a replacement for east coast tourists to Williamsburg or other colonial tourist spots.

Still I wonder what a Country Bear update would look like. The flop of a movie was a big departure from the original material so it's not relevant. The original attraction was fun for southern families visiting, but now the aesthetic is not so relatable.

 

[Bocabear]

That is an intriguing question...I like what Hong Kong did with their Bear themed coaster and Geyser Gulch area.. It could easily host an updated Country Bears show and work nicely within the theme...
There is a lot of nostalgia about the old show...so it would be a tricky thing to update... but rather than be discarded, I would rather see them try to bring it forward... Perhaps some new characters with the old, expanded theater effects, newly remastered and re-recorded tracks making the sound brighter and fresher...there are a lot of things that could be done around the periphery to make it feel more relavent..

 

[lazyboy97o]

I've always thought Liberty Square was not just an idea connected to the American bicentennial but also a replacement for east coast tourists to Williamsburg or other colonial tourist spots.

Liberty Square evolved out the Liberty Street project developed for Disneyland.

 

[Roger_the_pianist]

Liberty Square evolved out the Liberty Street project developed for Disneyland.

Of course. But with MK opening in 71, the bicentennial on the horizon for 76, and no need for New Orleans in Central Florida; those must have been factors.

Wondering what this would look like for the future of Liberty Square. Surely they've thought about it.

 

[SplashJacket]

Y'all. The Country Bears show sucks. I don't want them to get rid of it, but would have no problem with a complete rework, or even adding Louis, or Gilbert Gottfried or whatever IP they think they just have to shove in.

I still don't know why they picked on The (fabulous) Tiki Room, but left CBJ unscathed.

As someone who doesn't care much for the Tiki Room, but thinks CBJ is great, I was quite surprised to bring first-timers to the parks and have them dislike CBJ. Probably the nostalgia.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

As someone who doesn't care much for the Tiki Room, but thinks CBJ is great, I was quite surprised to bring first-timers to the parks and have them dislike CBJ. Probably the nostalgia.

The Tiki Room is the best sit down in all of WDW (or DL).

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

Fewer AAs and ones that are more up-to-date and thus easier to maintain

They could've done that with Splash for much less money.

 

[castlecake2.0]

This would be weird because New Orleans Square was avoided at Disneyworld because Florida is, well, kinda close to New Orleans. Of course that's the reason Pirates weren't a part of the opening of the Magic Kingdom.

I've always thought Liberty Square was not just an idea connected to the American bicentennial but also a replacement for east coast tourists to Williamsburg or other colonial tourist spots.

Still I wonder what a Country Bear update would look like. The flop of a movie was a big departure from the original material so it's not relevant. The original attraction was fun for southern families visiting, but now the aesthetic is not so relatable.

Really the update just needs some new songs, with a recording you can actually understand, the audio is so bad now you can’t comprehend half of what they’re singing about. Singing bears are always going to be cute, just update the song list.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Whether it was budget cuts or not, it LOOKS cheap, and it would be cooler with full sets in every scene. I disagree that the cutouts are classic. MIB: Alien Attack at Universal is awesome because there are so many three-dimensional set-pieces and characters.

If you'd like, I can start a new thread to discuss SRS as that's not the point of this thread.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Preface: I love CBJ.
Clarification: one of the reasons I love it is to me, it is (apparently unintentionally) mercilessly making fun of hillbilly stereotypes.
Observation: the lyrics of some songs are fairly surprising in modern context. “I think you should shoot him instead.” (If I typed that on Facebook, it might get removed with a warning.) “Blood on the” everything (and I love that scene, but I can also be aware those lyrics are nuts.) You can love something and also acknowledge it hasn’t aged well (like Splash.)

I take exception to all the off-hand comments about “the mob” and similar references. It minimizes the real situation that most of society has progressed and there are things we might have said in the 1970’s that we wouldn’t say in polite company today.

It’s OK to have nostalgia for the old stuff but also to realize that’s where we were at a point in time of our collective growth as a society.