Country Bear Jamboree

[Mad Dog]

It didn't fill up, but there was a cult following that loudly cheered throughout the show, more than almost any other attraction. So, it was very electric, even though only half of the seats would be filled. Lots of individual shows throughout the day though, since they considerably shortened the show. Over the course of a day, it probably had a decent attendance number since there were so many shows, as compared to when the longer version existed a few years back.

 

[saint.piss]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800170957933543630

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800171500865273860

 

[saint.piss]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1810298349850890265

 

[belloq87]

Videos of the new show are out there now.

It could have been much, much worse.

 

[Clive]

Videos of the new show are out there now.

It could have been much, much worse.

I'm happy the bears got animatronic upgrades.

I need to rewatch the full show, but I have... some thoughts, otherwise.

 

[Jerroddragon]

They just went full Disney huh?

I thought it would be a more 50/50 split on country song and Disney Stuff but...no just Disney

 

[belloq87]

I'm happy the bears got animatronic upgrades.

I need to rewatch the full show, but I have... some thoughts, otherwise.

As far as mandated IP overlays go, I think it's pretty tasteful.

They just went full Disney huh?

I thought it would be a more 50/50 split on country song and Disney Stuff but...no just Disney

The opening song is original to this new version of the show.

 

[Jerroddragon]

As far as mandated IP overlays go, I think it's pretty tasteful.


The opening song is original to this new version of the show.

1/10 Songs is to me too much IP for this

I'm not going to argue but I would have preferred a more 50/50 split

I know its dumb to some but for me many times I needed to be forced or like mislead into finding "new" things at times so having music in this a kid might like or even adult could lead them into new music they would not normally listen to...this is just music everyone at the parks has heard

 

[mccgavin]

It could have been much, much worse.

That may be true, but it's disheartening that's where the bar is these days...

 

[Jake S]

Ultimately the issue is most people were not interested in what the Bears were slinging previously and I appreciate Disney is at least giving them a chance with a refresh rather than binning them completely.

 

[belloq87]

I'm not going to argue but I would have preferred a more 50/50 split

I think most people would have preferred no IP presence at all in the show. I certainly would have.

But that was never going to happen with a new version from 2020s Disney.

That may be true, but it's disheartening that's where the bar is these days...

Didn't say it wasn't!

But in an era where one of the iconic scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean can be horrifically botched*, I think we also have to recognize when they do a solid job operating under whatever internal mandates have been placed on them.

*Feeling the scene needed to be changed is fair. But the execution is truly awful.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Ultimately the issue is most people were not interested in what the Bears were slinging previously and I appreciate Disney is at least giving them a chance with a refresh rather than binning them completely.

I guess I'm confused because when the Tiki Room tried this people were upset

Are we just at a different stage now?

(Also had no issues with a few songs being IPs...just all being Disney stuff to me is kinda boring, when one of the songs is already in Mickeys Philhare magic)

 

[SeventyOne]

1/10 Songs is to me too much IP for this

I'm not going to argue but I would have preferred a more 50/50 split

I know its dumb to some but for me many times I needed to be forced or like mislead into finding "new" things at times so having music in this a kid might like or even adult could lead them into new music they would not normally listen to...this is just music everyone at the parks has heard

The irony is, given the current state of country music, Americana-inspired renditions of Disney songs are probably truer to the spirit of the original than any modern songs they could've picked. Corny, gimmicky country songs were a foundation of the genre mid-century but haven't really been a thing for decades. I'll take this over Bears singing "Cruise" or "Dirt Road Anthem."

That said, I wish they'd kept "Ballad of Davy Crockett" as it's one of the four or five most iconic songs in TWDC history.

 

[belloq87]

I guess I'm confused because when the Tiki Room tried this people were upset

Under New Management dramatically shifted the tone of that attraction into a much more abrasive (read: annoying) direction.

This Country Bears revamp is still, tonally, in the same realm as the original show.

 

[Jake S]

Under New Management dramatically shifted the tone of that attraction into a much more abrasive (read: annoying) direction.

Yeah, while there certainly were people upset when the change was announced the chorus grew much larger and louder when guests actually saw how godawful the new show was.

 

[HandsomePete]

Good for whoever gets to check the box next to some more IPs in their synergy report outs... they may be struggling to fill hotel rooms to make actual dollars but they're absolutely raking in the phony theoretical dollars that the bank won't let you deposit.

 

[IzzyB]

1/10 Songs is to me too much IP for this

I'm not going to argue but I would have preferred a more 50/50 split

I know its dumb to some but for me many times I needed to be forced or like mislead into finding "new" things at times so having music in this a kid might like or even adult could lead them into new music they would not normally listen to...this is just music everyone at the parks has heard

I think it is really up to parents to expose kids to different music and not a theme park. It is OK for a theme park to rely on stuff they know guests will like.

I think most people would have preferred no IP presence at all in the show. I certainly would have.

But that was never going to happen with a new version from 2020s Disney.

Who is this most people? Sure purists, but your GP potentially will go to this show more now with songs their kids know. We have to remember Disney is going to cater to the majority not the minority of theme park fanatics.

Also, isn't all theme parks that can using IPs because guests prefer that? When is the last time Universal did an original? There is a reason for that.

Under New Management dramatically shifted the tone of that attraction into a much more abrasive (read: annoying) direction.

This Country Bears revamp is still, tonally, in the same realm as the original show.

Agreed, you can't compare under new management to this. That was just an awful and extremely annoying show.

 

[Jake S]

Also, isn't all theme parks that can using IPs because guests prefer that? When is the last time Universal did an original? There is a reason for that.

I think this pivot has less to do with guest satisfaction and more to do with the increasing corporatization of, well, everything. Obviously IP has long been a staple of Universal and Disney theme parks, but the more recent (let's say the last 20 years) move to exclusively relying on IP is definitely a change.

Just to clarify -- I'm not saying guests don't like this pivot, but I don't think they're driving this strategy.

 

[belloq87]

Who is this most people?

Theme park fans who had affection for the Country Bear Jamboree.

I wasn't trying to speak for the broader "general public."

 

[IzzyB]

I think this pivot has less to do with guest satisfaction and more to do with the increasing corporatization of, well, everything. Obviously IP has long been a staple of Universal and Disney theme parks, but the more recent (let's say the last 20 years) move to exclusively relying on IP is definitely a change.

I agree it is a change, but it is a change because people prefer stuff tied to an IP. If it didn't make more money for them whether it is number of additional guests that come to the park because of the new ride or the merchandise it sells, they wouldn't keep doing it. The last non-IP new ride was Everest and it didn't move the needle enough in both those areas.

Sure as a theme park fan we want more originals, but the GP I believe prefer IP related stuff.