Disney World's Country Bear Musical Jamboree Opens for Preview

After an extensive overhaul, the refreshed Country Bear Musical Jamboree in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom reopened its doors for Cast Member and media previews. The show, nestled in the heart of Frontierland, received its first update in over ten years and is set to officially open soon.

The Disney World classic, formerly known as County Bear Jamboree, was last updated in 2012. The opening day attraction removed a couple of controversial songs and cut down its total runtime, but largely stayed the same. After 11 years of operation with these minor changes, a suggestion to change up the venue made by former Imagineer Eric Reed over 20 years ago was made a reality.

The Country Bear Musical Jamboree took shape starting on January 27, 2024, when the musical experience was closed to completely overhaul the animatronics. After running on a hydraulic system since its opening in 1971, the antiquated and oftentimes problematic technology was swapped out for servo motors. With the 53-year-old hydraulics, the bears and mounted busts moved awkwardly, sprung leaks due to the motor fluids, and made a lot of noise caused by decades of wear and tear. Typically, to avoid running into these issues, Disney sanctions regular annual refurbishments to its attractions, but this isn't always the case with its animatronic-oriented shows. This was the biggest reason for the massive changes made to the Country Bears.

Reactions to the Updates at Disney World's Country Bear Musical Jamboree

Beyond work on the animatronics, the setlist also received a facelift. The 2012 version of the attraction had 13 songs, but it’s now been pared down to 11. The new setlist sees the bears cover tracks from Disney’s extensive catalog, with only the final song, "Come Again," from the original iteration of the Country Bears being kept. The covers of songs like “Fixer Upper” from Frozen are performed with a Nashville-inspired country flair, keeping the spirit of Country Bear Jamboree intact.

Disney World fans are no strangers to changes made to classic attractions, but many were hesitant when news broke that there would be an updated setlist. The original, save for the two songs cut in the 2012 update, had played for over five decades. However, on July 10, Country Bear Musical Jamboree opened its doors for a Cast Member and media preview. Rhia, a Cast Member who works at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom, was able to take part in the previews twice and gauged the general reception to the show. “The reactions from the crowd were electric this morning, and everyone seemed to enjoy the new song choices,” she noted. “People who were dressed entirely in Country Bear outfits were clapping along and many of them went in for round two with me, so I think even the classic fans approve.”

Most of the superficial changes made seemed to keep modern audiences in mind, such as removing a slur from the name of one of the bears. The most devastating change, as discussed by fans online, is the removal of the infamous song performed by Big Al, “Blood on the Saddle.” Now, the gloomy bear sings a rendition of "Remember Me" from the smash-hit Pixar film Coco. According to Rhia, despite the choice to alter this iconic moment, those who attended the preview went wild upon seeing the updated animatronic. Disney even kept the original gag of the slow, sad twang of Big Al’s guitar being heard before his big reveal.

Another homage to the earlier versions of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree can be spotted in the lobby in the form of a glass case holding memorabilia and photos of the bears and their old signature items. Most of the concern surrounding the changes has been put to rest, as it is evident that Disney handled this refurbishment with the utmost respect for the cherished attraction. Now, the bears are better than ever and will continue to serenade audiences for decades to come, starting July 17, 2024.