Not off to a great start.
Since Walt Disney World opened in Florida in 1971, the Country Bear Jamboree has remained a beloved fixture in the amusement park and brought in visitors of all ages to enjoy music from an ensemble of animatronic bears. On July 17, the attraction reopened to the public after a months-long overhaul. However, it wasn't long before a bizarre issue seemingly arose.
The revamped attraction, now called Country Bear Musical Jamboree, features songs from popular Disney films as well as new genres of country music such as Bluegrass, pop-country, Americana, and rockabilly. It also replaced one character, in particular, Liver Lips McGrowl, as part of ongoing inclusivity efforts by Disney Parks.
Not long after the attraction reopened, a video from the Marvelous Mouse Travels TikTok account documented what happened during the show. Ernest the bear, who plays the fiddle in the show, is seen frozen while smoke begins billowing out of his body, prompting the audience to get up and start evacuating.
"New country bears' is fire," the caption quipped.
@marvelousmousetravels We hope this show will be back up soon!! Hope Ernest is ok!! #disneyworld #disneyparks #countrybears #magickingdom #countrybears #classicdisney #countrybearjamboree #distok #disneyadult #waltdisneyworld
♬ original sound - SpongeBob background music
For the company's part, Disney pushed back on the claim that the smoking bear was an unplanned incident and insisted everything was A-OK. The company told TMZ that the smoke was actually all part of the show and was meant to happen when it did.
It's not the first time a Disney theme park has seen a smoky disaster. Last year, the Maleficent dragon at the Fantasmic show at Disneyland in California went up in flames.
If you're planning to go to Disney World and wanted to see the newly revamped Country Bear Musical Jamboree—worry not, as it's still listed as open on the app.
