An opening day attraction is currently being overhauled at Magic Kingdom Park in the Walt Disney World Resort, and progress has geared up.
Standing tall for over 50 years, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Central Florida, has gone through immense change in that time. Now, as Disney World moves through its fifth decade, even more transformation is on the horizon. At Magic Kingdom Park, work is still underway on the divisive Splash Mountain regeneration that will see Princess Tiana and friends replace the Br’er critters in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not yet determined, but it can be expected this summer after Disney bumped up the date from late 2024. Over the last few weeks, information about the new attraction has increased. From an in-depth look at the industry-leading animatronics, including Tiana and Louis, to the news of merchandise stores called Critter Co-op and Tiana’s Bayou General being implemented, all eyes will be on this new flagship ride when it opens later this year at the Disney park. But Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not the only attraction coming to Frontierland soon.
Back in late January 2024, the popular Country Bear Jamboree show closed forever in Magic Kingdom. This opening day attraction has entertained guests for over 50 years and has stayed relatively the same since its inception. In 2012, the musical experience had a longer refurbishment and reopened as a shorter version of the beloved show. However, Country Bear Jamobree’s closure in January marked the last time guests would see the performance as they knew it.
The Disney World attraction will officially reopen as the Country Bear Musical Jamboree at some point in the future. The attraction’s last day in Magic Kingdom drew record crowds. In a bittersweet turn of events, the final showing of the day was marred by severe technical difficulties that made it impossible for guests to experience it one last time. That said, cast members allowed those who had queued hours to walk through the theater one last time before this version of the Bears went away for good.
Now, more news has made its way online, with outlet Kenny the Pirate reporting that the official sign of the Country Bear Jamboree attraction has been removed at Magic Kingdom. This marks a significant step in rebranding Country Bear Jamboree and also signals that the sign for the forthcoming Country Bear Musical Jamboree may be up soon. If you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, check out this location to see any updates.
The County Bears were initially intended for Disney’s passion project: Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort. In the 60s, Walt Disney wanted to tap into the ski market and bring a resort to the Californian site. The Country Bears were conceived to be part of Mineral King, with Walt specifying that he wanted a bear band to entertain guests. He assigned the project to Imagineer Marc Davis. Following Disney’s death and the Mineral King project falling through, Imagineers decided to bring the Bears to the Walt Disney World Resort instead in the form of the County Bear Jamboree, which opened with the park in 1971.
Related: Disney Welcomes Everyone to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Months Ahead of Opening
The characters Henry, Liver Lips McGrowl, Wendell, Teddi Berra, Ernest, Terrance, Trixie, and Big Al will return with the Country Bear Musical Jamboree. In 2023, Disney Experiences revealed that Liver Lips McGrowl would be renamed Romeo McGrowl moving forward. A recent permit filing shows that work is afoot at the Magic Kingdom location, with Thermetrics Corporation installing set elements and piping.
The refurbishment of both County Bear Jamboree and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure comes as Disney World files permits for the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. The expansion, confirmed to be the “Beyond Big Thunder” expansion teased at D23 Expo 2022, will see the area behind Frontierland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad be developed into an entirely new area for guests. It is expected Disney will introduce some kind of Dark Kingdom element and finally bring the Villains to the park.
Related: “Will I Ever Be Able To Go Again?” Disney World Forces Out Disabled Guests
That said, the recent announcement that Disneyland Paris will call its Frozen area World of Frozen (the same as the one in Hong Kong Disneyland) could suggest its rollout at the domestic parks. Both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort are looking to further their footprint even more over the next decade as Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger injects $30 billion of his $60 billion investment into parks and resorts.
Will you miss seeing Country Bear Jamboree as it once was in the Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments down below!
This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.
