Anyone who is a Disney Parks fan knows about Country Bear Jamboree. It is an iconic staple to any Disney Parks experience, in fact, it is even considered "Walt's last laugh", as when Walt reviewed Marc Davis' designs, he laughed because he enjoyed the characters so much. This was a few days before he passed away.  

Unfortunately, the attraction closed at Disneyland on September 9, 2001, to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This attraction remains only in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, but this may be changing as well. Because of the Bob Chapek mandate that the Disney Parks be used to “leverage intellectual properties”, it is very likely that Country Bear Jamboree will be next. This mandate has been seen throughout Chapek's career, removing Maelstrom to replace it with Frozen Ever After in 2016, Stitch's Great Escape, which has become seasonal for inevitable replacement, Tower of Terror in Disneyland for Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout, The Great Movie Ride for Mickey's Runaway Railway, and more. Part of Walt Disney World's promise for it's 50th birthday is to put in 50 new rides within two years. One of the strongly speculated replacement will be a Toy Story audio-animatronic marionette show featuring elements from Woody's Roundup. 

A part of what makes not only Walt Disney World, but Disney overall so magical is that it is a experience that can be shared with any member of the family. Many people who go to the parks today are riding the same ride as their grandparent's did. It is a universal experience. Removing Country Bear Jamboree takes away this magic and sets a standard that removing anything to do with Walt Disney's past is okay. The park is not called "Disney Movie Land", it is called "Walt Disney World" for a reason. This was Walt's biggest project, this was the last thing his creative mind had input in. A majority of the magic we get to experience is thanks to him. If we allow Country Bear Jamboree - and in turn, other classic rides to be removed due to their age, then we remove Walt Disney from his own creation.

There is nothing wrong with adding new attractions, but removing beloved attractions is not the way to do it. Beloved attractions should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. Not everything in Disney Parks needs to be based on a movie for it to be worthy of existing. Characters from Disney Park attractions, and attractions without characters, have become Intellectual Property in their own right. Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Figment, the Orange Bird, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, and yes, Country Bear Jamboree, are all recognizable characters and attractions with unique storytelling. In turn, all of these rides and characters have become just as recognizable as the Disney Animation characters. 

Please join me in preserving this Walt original and tell Bob Chapek to leave our classics alone! Let Bob Chapek and in turn, Disney know how you feel. Sign this petition, tweet at them, post on their Facebook page, let them know that we have a voice and let them know that this is not what you want! There is no Disney magic in removing classic, beloved attractions.

#SaveCountryBears #KickChapek