Country Bear Musical Jamboree Debuts Today at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World

Jul 17, 2024 in "Country Bear Musical Jamboree"

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Country Bear Musical Jamboree Opening Day

Posted: Wednesday July 17, 2024 9:20am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The reimagined Country Bear Musical Jamboree officially opens today, July 17, 2024, at Magic Kingdom, bringing a fresh twist to a beloved classic.

Guests entering the first show on official opening day of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree

This beloved attraction, originally influenced by Walt Disney himself over 50 years ago, has been refreshed with a new show that aims to combine the charm of the classic Country Bear Jamboree with Nashville-style Disney tunes.

The new show, Country Bear Musical Jamboree, brings a fresh lineup of songs that pay homage to the Opry-style shows of Nashville. Guests can expect twangy interpretations of Disney favorites across various country music genres, including Americana, bluegrass, pop-country, and rockabilly. Some of the highlights include renditions of “Try Everything” from Zootopia, “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid, and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story.

Country Bear Musical Jamboree Opening Day

Grizzly Hall, the iconic venue in Frontierland, is once again home to the cast of bears. The show continues the legacy of Ursus H. Bear, the founder of Grizzly Hall. Now, his grandson Henry has taken the reins, co-writing the opening song with the Five Bear Rugs and serving as the master of ceremonies.

Grizzly Hall

Fans of the original show will be able to see their favorite bear characters return. Henry, the five-bear band The Five Bear Rugs, and Trixie, among others, are back with new acts and costumes that draw inspiration from classic country singer culture. Notable new performances include:

Trixie: Now performing with Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah, Trixie takes on “Try Everything” from Zootopia.

Trixie

Teddi Barra: The Jewel of the Dakotas, Teddi Barra, lends her voice to “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.

Teddi Barra

Wendell: Wendell now sings “A Whole New World” alongside Teddi Barra, showcasing a new side of his musical talent.

Wendell

Behind the scenes, Walt Disney Imagineering has collaborated with popular and upcoming country music talent to bring authenticity and energy to the new setlist. Notable contributors include Mac McAnally, Emily Ann Roberts, Allison Russel, and Chris Thile, who lend their voices to bring the bears’ performances to life.

Emily Ann Roberts, voice of Trixie St. Claire

Country Bear Musical Jamboree is located in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom and is open daily from park opening to closing. Although the show is not included in Early Theme Park Entry for resort hotel guests, it is available during Extended Evening Hours for guests staying at Walt Disney World Deluxe Resort hotels.

Learn more about Country Bear Musical Jamboree.

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Comped2 days ago

I saw it about 2 weeks ago and was disappointed. Everything felt pretty rushed, and only one or two songs even got close to working for me personally. The group I was with commented that "the costumes look cheap", although I tried to assure them that almost certainly was not the case. A lot of segments felt like an attempt by Disney to perhaps advertise a new country album, more so than fitting concept of the show and country music into the Disney canon. Which is funny because Disney definitely has a history of taking songs from one medium and putting them into another, most notably jazz during the '90s - but always with a little bit more care than whatever happened with the orchestration of most of these songs. Very disappointing. A huge letdown musically, even more so than when I saw the taped performances when it originally opened. Used to be a show I would see probably at least once a month, now I probably won't go back until they redo it or close it permanently.

tanc2 days ago

Saw it back on Nov 8th, great show! The updates are phenomenal, while the original is preserved in Tokyo, the new look of everything is spectacular in WDW.

JD808 days ago

I saw it for the first time two weeks ago. Loved it.

EagleScout6108 days ago

Or they could've had the gag of them running around backstage like they did from the skunk in Vacation Hoedown

zipadee9998 days ago

They could’ve at least played backup for some of the other bears like they did with Ernest in the OG show

Steamboat718 days ago

The Five Bear Rugs were done dirty in this new show. Bear-ly any showtime.

Charlie The Chatbox Ghost8 days ago

From what I've heard, they tried to keep Sammy as a hat, but couldn't get it to work with Henry's new cowboy hat. Having him behind the amp was a compromise to keep him in the show instead of cutting him altogether.

TrainsOfDisney8 days ago

Yes…. Although the 2 have been plopped together so much they are practically the same song now! Haha.

Mike S9 days ago

Do you mean You’ve got a Friend in Me?

TrainsOfDisney9 days ago

I saw country bears yesterday - overall I like it. “Try Everything” is too modern sounding and is the worst of the updates - the other songs sound country enough that they work. Friend Like me is strange too…. Not sure why he’s playing a modern electric guitar… they should have kept the raccoon cap as that was pretty iconic and would have worked well with friend in me as well. But overall the show feels like the same country bears and I’m very happy they survived!

JohnD15 days ago

I saw it last week. I liked it for what it was. It's clever and current. I liked that they found a way to bring back the fiddle portion. Of course I'll miss the old show. I wish they could have kept the Bear Band Serenade as a connection to the old show in introducing the Five Bear Rugs.

Charlie The Chatbox GhostOct 14, 2024

I'd be shocked if they still have either costume, but I'd LOVE to see Henry and Teddi.

Cmdr_CrimsonOct 13, 2024

I know they have updated the bears outfits for M&G's but, couldn't they bring out the rarest of the bears like Henry for example..They had made one for Disney on Parade..Along with the Sun bonnets. But, if turns out..There was a Teddi Beara character as well...Shame they aren't out..

Ghost93Oct 13, 2024

Zip A Dee Doo Dah would be a great fit for the Country Bears. But I don't blame Disney for cutting it. After 2020 there was a renewed scrutiny for anything remotely connected to SOTS and if the song was part of the show there would be clickbaity articles and Twitter users complaining about it and condemning the company for profiting off of SOTS.