Country Bear Jamboree

[goofyernmost]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. To completely enjoy and appreciate ALL that Disney has to offer in MK one has to leave adult and early adolescent thoughts and attitudes behind. Corny means that one considers themselves to be too sophisticated to find humor in basic things. Kids don't have that problem. They find the fun in stuff that "grownups" don't allow themselves too.

Country Bears is just a silly show that most of the time doesn't make sense. It's isn't supposed too! It supposed to be fun and funny...it is that, if one allows it to happen.

Do you know, for example, that there was a thread either on Dis or some other that expressed concern that when (I forget their name now) sang "The guys that turn me on...turn me down" it was giving the wrong message to young girls out there concerning the attitudes about getting a man and ones self image. I don't mind telling you now that my jaw took about three days to return to it closed position. Really? One can pull that much message out of a silly little show that was just meant to be funny. Sometimes we just try to hard to be either PC or savior of all mankind.

Not liking Country Bears is alright, but to call for it's closure and replacement because ONE doesn't like it is another thing that makes me shake my head. Call for something to be added...never to be replaced.

 

[skater]

Do you know, for example, that there was a thread either on Dis or some other that expressed concern that when (I forget their name now) sang "The guys that turn me on...turn me down" it was giving the wrong message to young girls out there concerning the attitudes about getting a man and ones self image. I don't mind telling you now that my jaw took about three days to return to it closed position. Really? One can pull that much message out of a silly little show that was just meant to be funny. Sometimes we just try to hard to be either PC or savior of all mankind.

I agree with you. That's so ridiculous! There are tons of worse messages to young girls out there - they're being bombarded every day with crazy messages. Lets worry about a silly fun show at WDW when we fix the tv shows and music they listen to .

 

[LindaBabe]

I love it! My Teddy Bear loves it. She especially loves Teddy Bara. We sing along. I can't wait to see it again

 

[nicki.momof3]

**
Hi! I agree with the others it is a "classic". There are two attractions that are much worse Carousel of Progress and Stitches Great Escape. LOL!

You are so right.

My opinion -

Worst rides at WDW -
1. Stitch
2. Carousel of Progress
3. Figment (I am not sure if this one closed - it might have)

 

[DLFan123]

I still don't get the Stitch ride. I'm not sure how it is a ride or what sort of attraction it really is...the one time I "went on it," i thought maybe it had malfunctioned and that is why I could not see the show.

Would like to see the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown at either park. It is my favorite and the corny songs are really good!

 

[chartle]

I still don't get the Stitch ride. I'm not sure how it is a ride or what sort of attraction it really is...the one time I "went on it," i thought maybe it had malfunctioned and that is why I could not see the show.

Would like to see the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown at either park. It is my favorite and the corny songs are really good!

You may not know that Stich's great escape is a refurb of another ride Alien Encounter (which is a refurb of another ride).

AE was THE scariest thing that I think any park anywhere has ever done. They probably consulted psychopaths to get it just right.

It was way too scary and so they had to do something with it and it morphed into what is now the stitch ride. Since it had to borrow a lot of effects from AE they could only do so much with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraTERRORestrial_Alien_Encounter

 

[PrincessDaisyDuck]

I love the Country Bears, it is one of my absolute favorites! I go at least once every trip. The first time I went was on my honeymoon as a 23-year old adult. I love everything about it, even the way the theater smells like Pecos Bills lol, it always makes me hungry. I took my 6 month old son for the first time last week and he loved it too

 

[minnie mum]

I'm so glad that I'm not alone in my fondness for the Bears. I've seen so many posts that deride it as a boring snoozefest. But it has always been a family favourite. Like a lot of the shows, there are no adrenaline rushing, heart thumping thrills which seems the only thing that some visitors want. Give me a family friendly song and dance (OK not so much the dance part) and comedy routine that I can relax and enjoy. A PP was correct when they said that if you liked HDDR you'd probably like Country Bears.

It's old. It's tired (yes, I'd love to see a major refurb). And it's nostalgic. I would also love to see the Christmas version added to the routine.

 

[Eringlaw]

I don't understand why someone would call for a ride to be closed (maybe rehabbed or something) but not everyone likes the same thing DN (Disney Nephew) likes the thrill rides. I love the Hall of Presidents, Haunted House, and those classics. I'm not fond of those shoot-em-up rides (forget which one I went on with DN (Disney Niece)) but she loved it. Point being, there is something for everyone. If attendance at a ride continues to be low, then I'm sure Disney will make the decision to either close or rehab a ride. Otherwise... have your fun, see what you want to see, and hands off my bears.

 

[vakamalua]

Hearing the Country Bears sing in Japanese was worth the trip to Tokyo Disney!!!

 

[Demosthenes]

This is my DS7's favorite attraction at Disney, followed closely by SM and EE. My wife and I enjoy it quite a bit too.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I love CBJ. However I never really get to see it because DW doesn't so much. Also COP is a classic and should NEVER be removed (although it could use an upgrade or two).

Stich.... that ride needs to go. AE was great. Terrifying... the most terrifying ride of my life - and that includes upside roller coasters and standard coasters and everything else under the sun. But that was a good ride. That said I understand the decision too. It had no business in Magic Kingdom. They should have moved it to HS and kept it intact. Stich's great escape is just a disaster. That's what happens when you reskin rides. I am happy they are not re-skinning HTH to GotG in Hollywood Studios. Leave it in DisneyLand where I never have to go.

Don't get me wrong. I would love a GotG ride. But make it new.

Back to the topic though, CBJ could use some love, but please don't reskin it. That's ALWAYS a disaster. I can't think of one reskin that I actually liked. Well... one. When they removed Iago from Tiki Room and returned it to it's original glory, but that's not technically a reskin. That's removing a wart that should never have been allowed to grow.

 

[Robo]

Return of a ZOMBIE THREAD.

 

[Thing 1]

We are planning for May and I just asked each family member there #1 must do for each park. DH replied, " The Country Bears". The rest of us look at him like.....REALLY? Oh well....easy to work it in.

 

[TheGreg1982]

I love Country Bears! I think it helps that when I was a little kid my family always had country music playing or shows like Hee-Haw. It just reminds me of that I guess.

Also who can resist singing along to Ole Slew Foot?
"High on the mountain tell me what do you see? Bear tracks bear tracks looking back at me...."

 

[DizBelle]

Blood on the saddle....
Blood all around....
And a great big puddle....
Of blood on the ground.

All that blood usually means there's a zombie.

 

[Disneylover99]

Loved the CBJ when this thread started six years ago. Still love it now!

 

[DVC Jen]

I LOVE Country Bears. Cheesy - very much so, but that is part of the appeal. It is a light hearted goofy attraction and I would be in tears if it was taken away.

 

[gatorlisa]

I know this is a zombie thread, but it is timely for me. I had not seen the Country Bears in many many years, maybe not since my first trip in 1981 (when I was just shy of 3), until we went in January of this year. It was busy and we were walking in Frontierland and a show was about to start so we figured why not. It might be old and cheesy and in need of some TLC, but I'm glad it is still there. I enjoyed it. We ended up going a second time that trip and one more time when we were there on Oct. 1. MK has so few Opening Day attractions left, and this is one of them. Yes, things change and the parks are not museums, but I think it's good to keep a few originals as a reminder of where things started. I kind of feel the same about Carousel of Progress. While not an Opening Day attraction, it's a Walt Disney classic, and one of the few things left with such a direct Walt Disney connection. While I think it might be time for an update to that last segment of the show (it now feels 80's retro future vs. real vision of the future), the rest of the show is entertaining. I also like that these attractions are not based on Disney movies. Not every attraction needs to have a tie-in to Disney characters and movies. The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are proof that great rides can come from original ideas with no movie tie-in needed Now Stitch, while I love the character, I'm not too heartbroken about the pending closure of his attraction. That reskin was awful. The previous version, while terrifying, was much better. And it was terrifying!

 

[kbmartin]

Two years ago, my DH and I decided that we would give every attraction at WDW a shot, especially ones that we had always skipped, like the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Hall of Presidents, and of course... the Country Bear Jamboree. For most of them, we understood why many people skip them. CBJ was a different story. We were in MK late at night (it had to be right before the CBJ closed for the night) and just happened to be in the area. I remembered that Tom on Disney Tourist Blog always said that it was a hoot and that everyone should experience it, so I said, "What the heck? Let's go!" We got ourselves into the holding area, and DH said to me, "I'm going to hate this, aren't I?" Then, we were let into the theater. It seemed to me like a pretty big theater, or maybe it was just because we were only one of two groups in the theater. Yep, it was just us two and a family of four, and of course, the employee. The show started up, and about halfway through the show, my husband and I were laughing - no, maybe that's not the best word for it - DYING of laughter - even when there was NOTHING funny going on. The employee kept eyeing us , but we could NOT stop. I'm sure he thought we were drunk or something (not that we could be at the Magic Kingdom).

We make a point now to go to the CBJ once every trip. I also have ordered some CBJ items from Amazon (the movie and the young readers' novelization) and pranked my husband with them. I put one in his work bag and one in his car. I'll probably wrap them up as Christmas gifts and put them in his stocking this year.

I feel really bad for the employees at CBJ. Can you imagine having to watch that show over and over again for hours? I think I would go mad.