Summary
The classicWalt Disney Worldshow, Country Bear Jamboree, reopened after months of closure as it underwent a major overhaul and re-theme. The attraction, which officially reopened to the public earlier this week, has been met with positive guest reactions so far, despite the decision facing criticism online. However, just one day after its reopening, the attraction experienced a serious malfunction, forcingDisney Worldcast members to react quickly to ensure the safety of each guest in attendance.
The Country Bear Jamboree has been a Disney park staple since the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971. A musical adventure featuring a cast of bears singing a variety of fun and bawdy original country songs, the show quickly found a home at Disneyland California and Tokyo Disneyland. Although the attraction has since been closed at Disneyland in California, it still exists in Tokyo and Orlando, with the Orlando attraction recently receiving a major upgrade. This is one of many new attractions and revamps at Walt Disney World, withRock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmithalso having recently reopened after a lengthy refurbishment. The newly revealed Country Bear Jamboree features a brand-new show, with the bears performing popular Disney songs with a country twist, including “A Whole New World” fromAladdinand “Try Everything” fromZootopia.
The attraction reopened earlier this week and featured new acts by the bears, including one who plays a fiddle rendition of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” in which the fiddle starts to smoke from the playing. While a fun gimmick for the crowd and the butt of a joke made by one of the other animatronics, guests watching the show the following day were unfortunately surprised by the very real smoke that appeared during the performance. In a video originally posted to TikTok by@marvelousmousetravels, the bear can be seen unmoving and smoking as the crowd is evacuated by cast members.
Country Bear Jamboree Evacuated After Smoke Malfunction
In the video, the show is paused with the smoking bear onstage and the lights on while the cast members direct the guests towards the exits. The creator of the video explains that the bear “played the fiddle a little too hard and caught on fire” and the show was canceled. Other guests took to social media to ask why the attraction was down for much of the day, showing as “unavailable” on the My Disney Experience App. One possible answer for what happened was suggested by a comment under the TikTok video, explaining that the hose for the smoke effect might have disconnected from the fiddle, causing the abundance of smoke. The cast members appeared to have acted quickly to usher everyone to safety, and the Country Bear Jamboree was back up and running by the end of the day. Many of the rides and shows that feature highly technical animatronics often have a “B Mode” they can operate in if one of the effects is not working correctly, such as thehighly popular Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. However, it is unclear if Country Bear Jamboree has a backup mode, or if the show was operating in full when it reopened.
It is unfortunate that such a malfunction happened just a day after the show’s reopening, especially as the renovation of the attraction has been hotly debated and criticized online. This also comes on the heels of an unpopular announcement last month thatDisney would be changing its Genie+ system, and many are using this latest incident as further criticism of Disney’s standards. However, in-person reactions to the show have been overwhelmingly positive, with the crowd consistently highly engaged and entertained. Various videos have also been shared online, appearing to show Country Bear Hall packed for performances, an attendance that had been dropping in recent years for the original version of the classic show. Despite this issue,Disneyseems to have a brand-new hit on their hands that has given some life back to the iconic Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
