Barely a day after its official public opening, The Country Bear Musical Jamboree had a major malfunction that forced Disney World cast members to lead guests out in an emergency exit procedure. One guest, @marvelousmousetravels, caught the incident on camera and shared it in the footage below.
@marvelousmousetravels We hope this show will be back up soon!! Hope Ernest is ok!! #disneyworld #disneyparks #countrybears #magickingdom #countrybears #classicdisney #countrybearjamboree #distok #disneyadult #waltdisneyworld
In the video, the fiddle-playing bear (identified as Ernest) is seen frozen mid-performance with a burning hole in his leg fur, plumes of smoke billowing out of the wound. In what looks like a scene out of the Disney remake of Five Nights at Freddy’s, guests are quickly pulled from the theatre as the cast members try to retain order.
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At the time of writing, no statement has been made by the Walt Disney World Resort, but guests are hopeful a repair team from Disney Imagineering is on its way, and the burning bear will be back to fiddling in no time. Still, it’s hard to watch a classic attraction go up in smoke just days after its reimagining.
Curtains for the Country Bear Musical Jamboree?
The cause of the incident remains unknown, but it’s still troubling that it happened so close to its official opening date. Although the original Country Bear Jamboree in the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland was overdue for an upgrade, the footage above only makes the die-hard Disney fans in the audience miss it even more.
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That said, it’s still undeniably ironic that the attraction would feature a malfunctioning bear animatronic dying on stage after its initial opening, just as the original had a similar scenario during its last day of operation. Perhaps Big Al had a bone to pick?
Joking aside, this doesn’t look good for the new attraction, especially after so many fans called it a “glorified sing-along” in the initial reception. Hopefully, Disney already has a plan in action in case something like this were to happen.
Smoking the Bear
It’s true that this is indeed an embarrassing moment for Disney, but there’s still something mildly humorous about what is essentially a Disney remake going up in smoke after just a few days of operation. Thankfully, no cast members or guests were hurt in the process, but it’s still a comically absurd image.
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Knowing the resourceful power of Disney Imagineering, the bears will be back in action in no time at all and will soon be singing Grand-Ole-Opry-styled renditions of our favorite Disney tunes once again. Claws crossed that they’ve got a little extra fire insurance this time around.
Did you see smoke at the Country Bear Musical Jamboree? Tell us about it in the comments below!
