A Faithful Refresh to a 50-Something Friend: County Bear Musical Jamboree

Okay, the concept of replacing the songs in Country Bear Jamboree with Disney songs was worrisome. It sounded like a basic marketing grab, at the expense of classic original tunes.

But Disney has done it well, and the creatives behind this new take on the revue deserve extensive applause. The bears’ original country takes are fresh, particularly as the show skews to less ubiquitous songs.

If you haven’t already seen it, give today’s preview performance a watch, spoilers below:

I love the sight gags they’ve added into the show. Between the “Try Everything” slideshow as hinted to in preview videos to the Ernest’s fiddle, they’re simple but very effective.

Wendell and Teddi Berra take on “A Whole New World,” and there’s something charming about a yokel who looks like he hasn’t been further from his farm than the local barn dance, promising to show someone the world. Or the sauve Ernesto de la Cruz’s “Remember Me” being performed by Big Al, or Sammy the Raccoon dueting “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” with Henry.

Some attractions have been tweaked and modded ad nauseum, like The Haunted Mansion. To be largely unchanged since 1971, Country Bear Jamboree was a sitting duck for replacement.

We don’t know what the investment was for this new show, but it would be less than something completely new. Whatever the cost, it was worth every penny, giving the renamed Musical Jamboree has a whole new lease on life, a rare treat for something fifty years old.

The new show opens to the public on July 17.

Photos above is a still from the video from MouseSteps. The lead image is from Walt Disney World’s newsroom.