Disneyland’s Hungry Bear restaurant is set to bring back the beloved barbecue and Country Bears in a big way. The Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will reintroduce the Country Western bear band, a favorite that has been missing from Disneyland for two decades. Alongside this, a regional barbecue menu will make its return to the Anaheim theme park after nearly a decade.
The Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will feature a thematic, musical, and menu overhaul as the restaurant in Critter Country emerges from an extended refurbishment. This transformation is tied to the debut of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The new backstory for the restaurant brings the Country Bears back, along with a menu filled with barbecue favorites they discovered while on tour. The music soundtrack will highlight the band’s greatest hits.
Hungry Bear’s Return to Its Roots
It’s been a long time since Disneylanders have enjoyed the mix of Country Bears and Southern barbecue. The Country Bear Jamboree originally opened in 1972 as the centerpiece of Bear Country, a new themed land at Disneyland. The audio-animatronic musical variety show starred a troupe of foot-stomping, knee-slapping, and rip-snorting bears. Unfortunately, the show closed in 2001 to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh dark ride in Critter Country.
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The updated Country Bear Musical Jamboree made its comeback on July 17 at Florida’s Magic Kingdom, featuring a new soundtrack of country-western versions of popular Disney songs. These include “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin,” “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid,” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story,” and “Try Everything” from “Zootopia.”
Disneyland’s original attraction had a unique song lineup with titles like “My Woman Ain’t Pretty, but She Don’t Swear None,” “Mama, Don’t Whup Little Buford,” “Pretty Little Devilish Mary,” and “All the Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down.” Despite the soundtrack revival, the updated restaurant will not feature Big Al, Henry, Trixie, or any other bear band members. Disneyland officials confirmed that there are no plans to include Audio-Animatronic bear figures at the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, nor will there be character dining with meet-and-greet opportunities.
A Long-Awaited Barbecue Revival
Disneylanders have missed a dedicated Southern-style barbecue ribs and chicken restaurant for nearly a decade. In the interim, they have had to settle for Bengal Barbecue skewers and occasional burnt ends offerings at River Belle Terrace. Big Thunder Ranch, which opened in 1986, included a petting zoo, blacksmith demonstrations, and a series of barbecue restaurants with various names. However, the ranch area closed in 2016 to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which debuted in 2019.
The Hungry Bear restaurant closed in early July for kitchen refurbishments as part of the larger Critter Country overhaul. Disneyland has not yet released a menu for the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, nor have they announced the opening dates for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, or the revamped Critter Country.
As Disneyland prepares to reintroduce the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, fans eagerly await the return of both the Southern barbecue and the nostalgic tunes of the Country Bears. The revival promises to blend the magic of Disneyland with the rich flavors and sounds of a Country Western tradition, bringing a beloved piece of Disneyland history back to life.