Country bear Liver Lips McGrowl will be given an entirely new moniker as the Magic Kingdom attraction is reimagined. Though the announcement of the name change was not made explicitly, the image of the attraction poster includes what looks like Liver Lips with a new hairdo and a new name and does not include the classic character’s likeness.

“Liver lips” is a racial slur and the bear has not been referred to as such internally for quite a while. Additionally, he would not sign his name for autographs as Liver Lips.

Country Bear Name Change

The Country Bear Jamboree is a classic Disney attraction at several parks worldwide, but Disney Parks announced at Destination D23 this morning that the attraction will be reimagined. As part of the announcement, D23 shared the attraction poster with guests that potentially has a name change for one of the original bears.

In the image, all of the country bears are present from the attraction’s current iteration, with the exception of Liver Lips.

The bear is featured in the current attraction but is not present on the poster. Instead, a new bear (or, perhaps, the same bear with a name change and a new hairdo) croons sweet music with his ursine companions.

With the exception of the name change and a full head of blonde hair, Romeo bears a striking resemblance to the bear not included in the poster’s art.

Are you excited to meet Romeo McGrowl, or are you disappointed in the name change? Let us know in the comments.

Country Bear Musical Jamboree

The “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” will be inspired by the musical revues of Nashville and will see the bears reimagine classic Disney songs in “different genres of country music,” according to the Disney Parks Blog. A video showcasing a country-inspired reinterpretation of “The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book” was shown at Destination D23.

A show featuring Disney music was originally developed for Tokyo Disneyland but never implemented. At the same time, a “Toy Story” Woody’s Roundup marionette show was in development to replace Country Bear Jamboree at Magic Kingdom. This idea was scrapped and replaced with the Disney music show, which was in the planning stages when Walt Disney World closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying the project.

Former Walt Disney Imagineer Ethan Reed shared a post about first pitching the “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” almost 20 years ago.

The Country Bear Jamboree

The Country Bear Jamboree was an opening day attraction at Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, with the doors to Grizzly Hall opening on October 1, 1971. The beloved attraction features a number of audio-animatronic bears singing sometimes heartfelt, sometimes humorous, but always entertaining songs such as “How Long Will My Baby Be Gone,” “Blood on the Saddle,” and “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (these songs figure to be replaced with the upcoming “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” update).

The Country Bear Jamboree proved to be popular with guests, and a version of the attraction opened alongside Critter Country at Disneyland in 1972. The Disneyland edition of the show ran for 29 years, closing in September 2001. A version of the Country Bear Jamboree was also an opening day attraction at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983; it’s still active today.

An attraction synonymous with Disney Parks and general Walt Disney Imagineering, the Country Bear Jamboree was among the first attractions that Walt Disney Pictures looked to when it made a concerted effort to adapt Disney Parks rides and experiences into films in the early 21st century. “The Country Bears” movie released in 2002, the year before “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and the Eddie Murphy-led “The Haunted Mansion.” “The Country Bears” starred Christopher Walken, Diedrich Bader, and Haley Joel Osment, and was a critical and commercial flop.

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