Country Bear Jamboree

[Joannelet]

I saw the thread the other day about the refurb. I am sitting here getting ready to leave in 8 days and reading Disney travel guides like I usually do regardless of how many times I have gone.
The one I am reading has a bit of a rumour about this show and I thought it is interesting since it is down for a refurb......this is what the book basically says....
Imagineers are proposing to have the show become a bear idol type of experience where the audience votes on their favorite bear singer.
They want to get stars like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts etc. to record the songs.
I don't know if I am allowed to say which book but if I can please let me know and I will do so.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I saw the thread the other day about the refurb. I am sitting here getting ready to leave in 8 days and reading Disney travel guides like I usually do regardless of how many times I have gone.
The one I am reading has a bit of a rumour about this show and I thought it is interesting since it is down for a refurb......this is what the book basically says....
Imagineers are proposing to have the show become a bear idol type of experience where the audience votes on their favorite bear singer.
They want to get stars like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts etc. to record the songs.
I don't know if I am allowed to say which book but if I can please let me know and I will do so.

I think I know which book and I think I know who wrote that blurb... Take anything that man says with a grain of salt LOL...

[Strmchsr]

I think I know which book and I think I know who wrote that blurb... Take anything that man says with a grain of salt LOL...

Definitely! The Country Bear refurb is basically just redoing the current show and cutting about 5 min out of it.

[1DisneyNut]

Imagineers are proposing to have the show become a bear idol type of experience where the audience votes on their favorite bear singer.


Whoever proposed that idea is an idiot.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Definitely! The Country Bear refurb is basically just redoing the current show and cutting about 5 min out of it.

But no cutting of actual characters from the show right??? Everyone will still be present, just may not be singing certain songs anymore, correct??

[Strmchsr]

But no cutting of actual characters from the show right??? Everyone will still be present, just may not be singing certain songs anymore, correct??

That's what I'm hearing.

[DizneyFreak2002]

That's what I'm hearing.

Glad you can back up what I heard recently... Just hoping the show isn't dumbed down and is still enjoyable...

[Lindsey310]

Awww I hope they don't stray too much from the original show. I happen to really like it lol. :mickey:

[Main Street Jim]

Awww I hope they don't stray too much from the original show. I happen to really like it lol. :mickey::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Glad you can back up what I heard recently... Just hoping the show isn't dumbed down and is still enjoyable...

I don't know if could be "dumbed down" any further...LOL
My concern would be that it was over-PC'd and sanitized. That's half the fun of the show :party:

[Mousemates]

I don't know if could be "dumbed down" any further...LOL

:funny:

My concern would be that it was over-PC'd and sanitized. That's half the fun of the show :party:

:ditto:

[azcavalier]

I don't know if could be "dumbed down" any further...

Amen, Brother. Though, I will probably have to give this another try after the refurb. My main problem with this show is the same problem I have with the Tiki Room. I find it hard to follow because the audio just isn't very good.

[Roger's #1 Fan]

My main problem with this show is the same problem I have with the Tiki Room. I find it hard to follow because the audio just isn't very good.

Are you talking about the Tiki Room now? I was just there in August and it sounded good to me. :tikki:

[Strmchsr]

Are you talking about the Tiki Room now? I was just there in August and it sounded good to me. :tikki:

Yeah, the Tiki Room audio was upgraded quite when they changed it back to the original show last spring. It sounds good now. From what I understand the Country Bears should get a good audio upgrade, too.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Yeah, the Tiki Room audio was upgraded quite when they changed it back to the original show last spring. It sounds good now. From what I understand the Country Bears should get a good audio upgrade, too.

Good to hear.. Even though I didn't think Country Bears sounded all that bad in October..

[Aurora]

I have to admit, I haven't seen the Country Bears since my first trip in the late '70s. :blush: Time to see a new show! :D

[azcavalier]

Yeah, the Tiki Room audio was upgraded quite when they changed it back to the original show last spring. It sounds good now. From what I understand the Country Bears should get a good audio upgrade, too.

Yeah, we haven't tried it since this upgrade. Possibly in November when we're there. I don't remember what the show was like before the "new Management" changes.

[Strmchsr]

Yeah, we haven't tried it since this upgrade. Possibly in November when we're there. I don't remember what the show was like before the "new Management" changes.

You're in for a treat then! The original show is MUCH better than the "new management" version. Walt's original vision is a lot of fun. It has that old school Disneyland feel to it.

[Buttercup]

Whoever proposed that idea is an idiot.
:funny::ditto:
Exactly my thoughts! LOL I'm sure it's just a clean-up of the audio and shortening some of the song tracks. :mickey:

[badkitty]

Definitely! The Country Bear refurb is basically just redoing the current show and cutting about 5 min out of it.

Oh no. 5 minutes? That is a lot! I have the whole show memorized and I can't think of a second I would cut. I love the show, every corny minute of it! I hope they don't try to go all "PC". I would hate to lose Big Al's showstopper.

[DizneyFreak2002]

For those of you wondering, here is what has been reported as to being cut from Country Bears:

1. The show is now 5 minutes shorter
2. Lots of dialogue between songs have been cut
3. The finale is reported as being extremely shorter
4. The songs Devilish Mary and Fractured Folk Song are gone completely
5. Lots of the jokes cut
6. The bear AAs received freakish make overs
7. If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl shortened

[figgie]

Huummm, haven't been there in a while, gyess I'll have to check out the new version. Will changes be made to the Holiday version for the Christmas season as well?

[Strmchsr]

Huummm, haven't been there in a while, gyess I'll have to check out the new version. Will changes be made to the Holiday version for the Christmas season as well?

They haven't done the Christmas overlay in 5-6 or so years now.

[Tekneek]

My first reaction is disappointment and I wanted to never see it again. I will give it a chance on the next trip, and try to keep an open mind.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Just watched a video of the new show.. Gomer and Liver Lips have new looks (the only ones I can kind of tell).. And no, not for the better... The movement of the AAs do seem more fluid...

As for the show, it is mishmash of songs... The charm of the Country Bears has been ripped out... The loss of the two songs isn't much of the issue... The issue, in my opinion, is the loss of the jokes and the rush feeling to the show now... The jokes really helped make the show as charming as it was... Now that is gone...

My opinion: refurb fail...

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Sooooo glad I saw it (twice) in August.

Another original tarnished....
I guess we can only hope for a mishap that would bring back the original (a'la Tiki Room).

[GBBT]

OMG....why can't they just upgrade the originals with better audio,clean them up and leave everything else alone.Next thing you know,they'll refurb COP and take the dogs out,take grandma and grandpa out and have the parents say.."Grandma and Grandpa aren't here now....they died!!!" Please leave Walt Disney's rides alone. Sorry Walt...they do not know what they do.:thedolls:

[Altair]

Just watched the video, it's now just a dead lifeless show. All the personality has been ripped away. Very disappointing.:(

[DizneyFreak2002]

Just watched the video, it's now just a dead lifeless show. All the personality has been ripped away. Very disappointing.:(

Wait til you see the video of the unimpressive projections of the mermaids in PotC...

[Main Street Jim]

:(

Another *show* cut down, because people don't/can't have a 17-minute attention span any more to enjoy a great attraction. This was what happened to the Tiki Room when it first came to WDW, and then after the "New Management" debacle.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Just watched the video, it's now just a dead lifeless show. All the personality has been ripped away. Very disappointing.:(

Wait to see the show live before reaching conclusions. We saw it today and it frankly was fine. We knew what was removed but didn't miss it. The highlights are still there and the pacing is good. The bears, their costume, the stages, and the sound have all been refreshed and brightened. It looks so much better niw.From the audience reaction, Disney might have got this change right. More foot stomping, singing and clapping than I've seen in years.

[Gator]

Man, this doesn't sound good at all. I bet they cut out all the good stuff. Please tell me that Big Al is still there.

[rjmdds]

We were there on Saturday and the show was noticeably shorter. Of course, I think that the majority of people wouldn't know the difference. I did. The bears did look a little "cleaner" and the fur was a little newer on some. I liked the original version better but I guess I should be happy that they didn't get rid of it altogether.

[FLKatie912]

I've been to the Country Bears just once since the refurb. It was noticeable shorter, and my husband noticed that 'he didn't even have time to nap'. The sound was MUCH improved and the bears to look cleaner. It's still not a favorite of mine, but I did appreciate the cuts.

I vote for bringing back to the "Vacation Hoedown" and Holiday versions. :)

[Aurora]

I think in all our years of visiting, I've seen this show only once. :blush: I'll have to put it on our list for our next trip and check it out. For us, it will not only be refurbed, it will be a brand new attraction! :D

[DaParkMan]

Wait to see the show live before reaching conclusions. We saw it today and it frankly was fine. We knew what was removed but didn't miss it. The highlights are still there and the pacing is good. The bears, their costume, the stages, and the sound have all been refreshed and brightened. It looks so much better niw.From the audience reaction, Disney might have got this change right. More foot stomping, singing and clapping than I've seen in years.

Count me in as someone who has also become cool with the changes.

True, we lost a couple of songs and some banter, but the show looks and sounds so much better now, plus the refreshed AA's and the new sound system.

The figures are definetely more alive now and actually have more subtle bits of animation that you need to watch for that they didn't have previously. For example: Gomer waves to the audience when he comes up for the first time, Wendell chuckles when Henry says "Bang!" at the end of "Little Buford" and Melvin, Buff & Max (even though a lot of their dialogue has been cut) actually move a lot more than they did previously and actually react to everything that happens onstage (swaying or bobbing their heads in time with the music, whispering comments to each other, laughing, etc.), similar to how Statler & Waldorf react to everything in Muppet-Vision 3D.

The slams against the rehab are totally unfounded, IMO. This classic has not been tarnished at all and this rehab is not even in the same ball park as the Tiki Room--Under New Management, so comparisons to that are totally unfair, unwarranted and unjustified. Plus, it's CBJ is still the original show and not some attempt to become hip like UNM was percieved as.

Plus, the fact that WDW still has CBJ is all the more reason to be grateful for the fact that we still have it all, which is more than I can say for DL.

[Butters]

I did not mind the changes, I actually liked the shorter show time

[AndrewJackson]

For those of you wondering, here is what has been reported as to being cut from Country Bears:

1. The show is now 5 minutes shorter
2. Lots of dialogue between songs have been cut
3. The finale is reported as being extremely shorter
4. The songs Devilish Mary and Fractured Folk Song are gone completely
5. Lots of the jokes cut
6. The bear AAs received freakish make overs
7. If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl shortened

I don't get it. How does this improve the show? I personally love it and laugh every time I see it. If you listen carefully to the lyrics, there are some pretty good lines being sung.

Anyway, I understand if it is too cheesy for today, or needs to be updated. I just don't get how taking a couple of songs improves it. If a family skips it because it is 17 minutes and cheesy, are they going to start flocking to it if it is 12 minutes and cheesy?

I remember, back in the 70s and 80s, waiting in line for 45+ minutes to watch this show.

[Altair]

I don't get it. How does this improve the show? I personally love it and laugh every time I see it. If you listen carefully to the lyrics, there are some pretty good lines being sung.


I agree, the lyrics are the best part. How did some of these PG rated words get by the sugar coated Disney censors?
"Blood on the Saddle" is a real song by Tex Ritter and it really gets gross later. :blush: