Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World is gearing up for one of its most exciting projects yet.
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Country Bear Jamboree is set to close very soon at the Magic Kingdom as part of its upcoming overhaul. The Walt Disney Company first revealed its plans to overhaul the attraction at its D23 event in September of 2023, announcing that the entire show would get significant upgrades, as well as new songs for the bears to sing and play. As part of this overhaul, Disney recently filed a permit for work on the new version of the attraction. The permit includes adding new audio and visual equipment at Grizzly Hall, the theater that is home to the Country Bears.
The new iteration of the attraction is called Country Bears Musical Jamboree and will feature new renditions of classic Disney songs. While the Country Bears will return, the version of Country Bear Jamboree, as we know it today, will be gone for good, with most fans under the assumption that a lot of the original songs will not be returning. Country Bear Jamboree is notorious for being a little controversial, with many of the songs featuring suggestive dialogue and violent imagery. It makes a lot of sense for Disney to give this attraction a refresh, even if it may make us a little sad.
Walt Disney Imagineering has contracted InterAmerica Stage Inc. for the work, as revealed by the permit. The two companies have worked on several other projects, including both Spaceship Earth and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT.
Country Bear Jamboree, as it stands, will close permanently on Friday, January 26, 2024, with work on the new version beginning immediately. Disney has been pretty vague regarding when the new version of this attraction will open, only alluding to the summer of 2024. Country Bear Jamboree is one of the most beloved and cherished park attractions in the world and has become a cult classic among passionate Disney Park fans. The first iteration of this attraction opened in 1971 at the Magic Kingdom before being brought over to other Disney resorts like Disneyland in 1972 and Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. Over the years, the show has remained pretty much the same, save for a few minor adjustments to certain songs and the show’s overall length.
Country Bear Jamboree is one of the most time-honored attractions at the Disney theme parks and is a legendary part of the Disney parks in general. Guests will find Country Bear Jamboree in the Frontierland section of Magic Kingdom, a land that also features classic roller coasters like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as well as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new take on Disney’s iconic Splash Mountain ride that is set to open sometime in 2024.
Are you excited about this new attraction?