Country Bear Closing

[TheLionKing]

Boy, if Disney puts 2D cut outs of Pooh along the lines of SuperStar "Lamo", the writing on the wall will be clear for everyone to read!!!

I think I will be planning my next big overseas trip to Tokyo!!!

 

[Michelle]

It IS true, here is Disney's press release, which does not say anything (of course, typical for them) about the Pooh ride:

Country Bear Playhouse Bids Farewell at Disneyland

ANAHEIM (Disneyland Press Release) - The "Country Bear Playhouse" attraction in Disneyland will lower the curtain on its 29-year run on Sunday, September 9, 2001. The longtime attraction will be making way for an undisclosed future attraction that is still in development. The classic attraction has had a varied history during its three-decade engagement at the park.

"Country Bear Playhouse" premiered in 1972 as the "Country Bear Jamboree" in what was then known as Bear Country, and was the first attraction to be re-created from a similar show at Walt Disney World in Florida, which had opened the previous year. For the 1984 holiday season, "Country Bear Jamboree" made a festive transition into the "Country Bear Christmas Show" and marked another first: the "Country Bear Christmas Show" became the first existing "Audio-Animatronics" attraction at Disneyland to be re-programmed into a whole new show. This holiday version of the attraction has been a special presentation during many of the past 17 Yuletide seasons. It was in 1989 that the Bear Country land was re-themed to Critter Country to reflect the addition of the "Splash Mountain" flume-ride attraction. In 1986, a new daily version of the show starring the Country Bears made its debut in the form of the current "Country Bear Vacation Hoedown," and it is this edition that will continue until its finale on September 9.

"We are constantly in the process of refreshing and up-dating our parks with new shows and attractions," said Cynthia Harriss, president of the Disneyland Resort. "The Country Bears have been a part of Disneyland for nearly 30 years, and we feel it is time give our cast of bears a well-deserved rest and create a brand new attraction for our guests to enjoy."

 

[Marla Hellwig]

And to complete this discussion here is the article from the L A Times Saturday, August 25, 2001:

ANAHEIM

Country Bears' Eviction May Make Way for Pooh

Country Bear Playhouse, the popular Disneyland attraction that features audio-animatronic bears singing and playing banjos, is closing to make way for a new attraction, officials said.

After a 29-year run, the Country Bears' last performance will be Sept. 9. An almost identical attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida will continue operating, officials said.

"Disneyland has always had a policy of working on new projects, expanding the parks and adding new attractions," spokesman Joe Aguirre said.

Officials said plans for a new attraction have not been finalized. Some observers have said something like the Florida theme park's "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" would fit Disneyland's Critter Country theme.

I'm just glad I was able to see this one more time last weekend!

 

[year2late]

Now that is too sad. I feel like a piece of my childhood and my son's early years got flushed away.

 

[minnieandmickey]

We were there yesterday (Aug. 26) and the cast member announced that the bears will be closing on Sept 9. When my husband was picking up my sister's picture at Splash Mt. the cast member there told him that the Bears will be moving over to DCA, when I'm not sure but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I love Big Al!!

 

[Rajah]

If it's true they're going completely:

I may not be as fond of the CBP as I am of CBJ at WDW (vacation hoedown vs original jamboree, that is), but I still love that theater and the bears.

I'm really crossing my fingers that they're going to move the playhouse over to DCA. I can see it fitting in theme-wise in the Grizzly Peak area (don't know about space). And the fact that they're closing it down this far in advance of the CBJ movie makes me wonder about this plan:

Close CBJ at DL.
Move it to DCA.
Open it in DCA to coincide with the release of the CBJ movie, possibly also with new songs or whatnot to match with the movie. Then they can tout it as a "new attraction" with a movie tie-in.

I can hope, anyway...

And I hope they put in something at least as good as the WDW Pooh attraction -- not just some 2D cutouts. I want the Tokyo version!