First look at Disney World’s Country Bear Jamboree with new songs and voices

Disney Parks

The Country Bears have a new face. The long-running Country Bear Jamboree attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida will reopen this month after a six-month closure. It may look familiar, but it has a new name, a new script and new music consisting mainly of classic Disney songs sung by American musicians such as Mac McAnally, Allison Russell, Chris Thile and Emily Ann Roberts.

The newly named “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” now features McAnally, a country singer and songwriter best known as a decades-long mainstay of Jimmy Buffett’s band, as producer and arranger of all of the music for the revamped attraction. He also sings country versions of “Bare Necessities” (from “The Jungle Book”) and “Fixer-Upper” (from “Frozen”) and is a member of the voice cast.

Russell, a recent Americana Grammy winner, is the voice of Teddi Barra, along with Thile — the Nickel Creek/Punch Brothers member and former “Live From Here” radio host — as Wendell in a twangy duet of “A Whole New World” (from “Aladdin”).

The voice of Trixie St. Claire on “Try Everything” (from “Zootopia”) is Emily Ann Roberts, an East Tennessee native whose debut album came out last fall and who opened for Blake Shelton on tour and was also featured as part of CMT’s “Next Women of Country” initiative.

“Come Again,” the closing number from 1971, is the only song remaining from the previous version of the attraction…which may sadden fans who still have a fondness for “Blood on the Saddle.” In addition to the selection of songs from classic Disney films, there is a newly written number, an opening theme, “Country Bear Musical Jamboree.”

McAnally said in a statement: “I first saw the Country Bears as a teenage musician and it bolstered my pride in the acoustic musical heritage of the rural South. Next, I saw the show with my own children and sat among several generations of families from all over the world and felt that shared bond that lasts a lifetime. I feel very fortunate to be a part of continuing the tradition and have done my best to honor the spirit of the Bears and the great Disney songbook and the heart and soul that runs through the veins of country music. And perhaps that explains why I sang in a Bear voice for several decades before this opportunity came along.”

Although the music and script are new, the character design doesn’t deviate much from what Disney fans are familiar with. However, some who have previewed the attractions have noted that the animatronic movements seem smoother in the update.

The official opening is set for July 17, but a media preview and soft opening have already been held, which have generated a lot of commentary on Disney blogs and social media. Aside from nostalgic complaints about the lack of the classic Country Bear songs and chatter, the feedback on the new addition has been mostly positive.

The previous version of the Country Bear Jamboree had its last day on January 27th of this year.

The Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland in Southern California opened in 1972, a year after the Florida version, but closed in 2001, a year that will go down in history. Oddly enough, the closure came just a year before Disney released the live-action film The Country Bears in 2002. A third version of the attraction still runs at Tokyo Disneyland, having opened in 1983.

The list of songs currently playing in the Frontierland area of ​​the Magic Kingdom:

“Country Bear Musical Jamboree” – a new original song written for the attraction
· “Try Anything” from “Zootopia” by Walt Disney Animation Studios
· “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid” by Walt Disney Animation Studios
· “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin” by Walt Disney Animation Studios
· “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins” by Walt Disney Studios
· “Fixer-Upper” from “Frozen” by Walt Disney Animation Studios
· “Remember Me” from “Coco” by Pixar Animation Studios
· “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story” by Pixar Animation Studios
· “Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book” by Walt Disney Animation Studios
· “Come Again” – an original song that debuted at the Country Bear Jamboree in 1971