By now, many of you have probably heard of Disneyland's decision to close the Country Bear Playhouse so that it can prepare the site area for an "undisclosed future attraction that is still in development." The news came out late last week and though not completely surprising, still felt to me like a punch to the stomach.

The timing of the announcement and its two-and-a-half week notice of impending doom literally knocked the wind out of me. I immediately logged on to my favorite Disney discussion board at LaughingPlace.com and whined, "I'm only sorry that my unborn children won't have the opportunity to clap their hands and stomp their feet at this Disneyland classic."

The news has been long-rumored - the Country Bear Jamboree will close at Disneyland to make way for an updated version of Walt Disney World's Winnie the Pooh attraction. I guess I just thought that I'd have more time to get down there and visit them before they were gone. After all, with a movie themed to the attraction set to open next year, I thought the Playhouse was safe until the expected residual uptick of attendance gained from the release of the film leveled off.

The decision to close Country Bear Jamboree before the movie by the same name is released is about as boneheaded as Warner Bros.' decision to shutter its line of Studio Stores just before the Christmas holiday and the release of its highly anticipated Harry Potter movie. At best, it is bad marketing.

There is no doubt in my mind that a Winnie the Pooh attraction will draw many more visitors than the Country Bears have for quite some time. The line for the Winnie the Pooh character "meet-and-greet" location is often longer than that of the CBJ. It is clear that Pooh remains a hot property for Disney despite years of overexposure. A ride-through attraction is likely to be favored over a sit-down theater-style attraction as well. And the move will help Disney sell more stuff when the new attraction exits right into the Winnie the Pooh store that reportedly will occupy the defunct Mile Long Bar and the current Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade.

But I guess the really sad part is saying good-bye to a show that didn't have to get old and unpopular. The promise of the Audio-Animatronic technology meant that Country Bears could have been updated with little time or capital investment every few years when attendance dropped off again. With Country music becoming more popular in recent years, the appeal of a new show might not have waned as quickly. While the premise of a show with an All-Star country lineup - such as Garth Brooks as Big Al, the Dixie Chicks as Bubbles, Bunny and Beulah, Faith Hill as Teddi Barra - might not have come to pass because of cost involved getting singers or song rights, Disney has its own stable of Country singers under contract with its Lyric Street Records that could have provided new voices and songs. Talk about missed synergy.

Now, I'm not usually one to lament the death of a ride or attraction much beyond a "What a bummer!" statement or two but the death of Country Bears has seemed to hit home for some reason. I know that Disneyland is not meant to be a museum and that older, less popular attractions need to make way for other attractions to be enjoyed. I also know that toying with "classic" attractions in an attempt to breathe life into them is sometimes met with critical bashing by Disney "purists" and may have factored into Disney's decision to close the Playhouse rather than face the wrath of a group of people claiming that Walt Disney must be spinning in his grave. But I guess I just felt that Country Bears was on the attraction protection list with other greats such as Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the Matterhorn and Enchanted Tiki Room, among others.

The closing of Country Bears makes me wonder if any of these attractions truly is "safe." Cynthia Harris, president of the Disneyland Resort, said, "The Country Bears have been a part of Disneyland for nearly 30 years, and we feel it is time to give our cast of bears a well-deserved rest." And that begs the question - how long can some of these great attractions last before they too need a "well-deserved" rest? I can't imagine a Disneyland without yo-hoing down a waterfall or careening down the side of a snow-capped mountain in a bobsled. I can't imagine the exorcism of 999 ghosts or the inability to take a complete trip around Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom via rail.

But perhaps I should. Maybe I should start envisioning a Disneyland skyline without the Matterhorn. Maybe the day will come when the Tiki Room birds will fly south for the winter and don't return. Maybe a trip to Disneyland will not involve seeing the backside of water. I don't know. For the most part, these decisions are out of my hands. I'm not really the type of person to put together a petition or a letter-writing campaign in an effort to fend off the wrecking ball. But I am the type of person that believes in showing my support for something by voting with my feet. I can no longer take for granted that certain attractions will be there indefinitely for me to enjoy.

So beginning right now, if I want to support an attraction's existence, I'll do my best to visit it every trip I make to a Disney theme park. And if my support for these attractions still doesn't save them from closing, at least I'll have many more happy memories of the attractions stored in my memory banks whenever I want to take a mental trip through Yesterland.

I'll hopefully be making one last trip to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy the bear band cut it up one last time. It's too late, I'm sure, for my attendance to affect the decision to replace these bears with one that is stuffed with fluff but hopefully their loss will serve as a wake-up call to those of us interested in preserving the magic. Enjoy your favorite attraction now while you still can. Perhaps your attendance will make the difference.

In My Humble Opinion,
Matt

Posted August 28, 2001

E-mail Matt at matt@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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