Reopening of Iconic Country Bear Attraction at Walt Disney World

(eap) Yesterday, the iconic “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” attraction reopened at Magic Kingdom Park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Country Bear Jamboree was one of the last attractions that Disney founder Walt Disney himself helped to create over 50 years ago. Now the animatronic bears are back with a revised show, new songs and fresh costumes. Included are well-known songs from the Walt Disney animated films in a newly interpreted country version. These feature “Try Everything” from “Zootopia” and “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid”, as well as an original song entitled “Come Again”, that debuted with the attraction in 1974, and a song newly composed for the reopening and bearing the attraction’s name.

The songs were recorded by Walt Disney Imagineering together with various country singers such as Mac McAnally, who sang “Fixer-Upper” from the movie “Frozen” for the attraction. “I first saw the Country Bears as a teenage musician and it bolstered my pride in the acoustic musical heritage of the rural south,” said McAnally, the voice of “Terrence”, aka “Shaker”, in Country Bear Musical Jamboree. “I next saw the show with my own kids and sat amongst multiple generations of families from all over and felt that common bond that lasts a lifetime. It is my great blessing to get to be a part of the continuation of the tradition and I have done my best to honor the spirit of the Bears and the great Disney songbook, as well as the heart and soul that runs through the veins of Country music. And just maybe it explains why I’ve been singing in a Bear voice for several decades before this opportunity came up.”

Also, the young country singer Emily Ann Roberts, who lends her voice to the character “Trixie St. Claire”, is enthusiastic: “This is an opportunity that I never even dreamed big enough to dream. It is such an honor to be a part of a show that has been so loved for so many years. I hope when folks hear Trixie’s song about trying new things, failing and trying again, that they will be encouraged to do the same.” ■