Went to see CBJ a few final times this week and the crowd energy was great, lots of hollering, stomping, clapping along to the show which was nice to see. The show itself is fun, if not my favorite in Magic Kingdom by any means. It's got a lot of charm and I'm simply glad that we're retaining the name, characters, animatronics, and aesthetics rather than being led into a full Woody's Round-Up makeover or whatever.
I think it's worthwhile to say that if this was just another late January for CBJ, 50+ years after opening and with no threat of extinction, no one in the crowds this week would've been anywhere near as pepped up. It probably would've been a few dozen older folks throughout the day silently sitting down for a bit. One of the operators on Wednesday seemed a bit taken aback by the strong crowd response when I was there.
The show is fun, and there will be something lost here, but I think it is what's best for Magic Kingdom. I can't see them making a show even 1/3rd as instantly dated as Under New Management Tiki Room. I have faith in them to do this makeover right. I'm also happy that these animatronic characters will most likely get some needed plussing.
I only hope Blood on the Saddle makes some kind of return, that's the whole show right there.