The area once known as Critter Country was originally named Indian Village.[1][2] From 1956-1971, this section of Frontierland featured Native American shows and attractions, including the Indian War Canoes.[2] The area was rebuilt as Disneyland's seventh themed land, Bear Country, which opened on March 4, 1972 .[3][4]
The new four-acre land, Disneyland's first major expansion since the 1969 opening of Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square, cost $8 million to build.[4][5]
Located in the northwest quadrant of the park, Bear Country was themed to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.[3][4]Country Bear Jamboree, which opened three weeks later, was the new land's centerpiece attraction.[4][5]
Bear Country was also home to the Golden Bear Lodge, an eatery which was renamed Hungry Bear Restaurant in 1977,[2] the Mile Long Bar refreshment center, Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade, and Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes.[4][5] A cave near the land's entrance was home to a snoring bear named Rufus, who was the off-screen stage manager for the Country Bear Jamboree's holiday variations.
Bear Country was renamed Critter Country in 1988 in anticipation of Splash Mountain's January 1989 opening,[6][7] after a concept to merge Bear Country and New Orleans Square into a "Dixieland" was turned down.[8] Critter Country was inspired by a quote from the 1946 film Song of the South: "Where the folks are closer to the critters and the critters are closer to the folks."[6] The land maintained some of its bear themes while incorporating other critters with their huts, nests and burrows scattered throughout.[6] Some of the land's shops were renamed to de-emphasize the bear presence; for example, Ursus H. Bear's Wilderness Outpost became Crocodile Mercantile (which itself became Pooh Corner in 1996).[2] The Country Bear Jamboree closed in 2001 and was replaced two years later by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, after an attempt at pitching a dark ride based around the Country Bears titled Critter Country 500 was rejected.
Various types of trees have been planted to create a forestry atmosphere. Critter Country is somewhat small when compared to Disneyland's larger lands. This westernmost area features a pathway that wraps around the footprint of the upcoming Tiana's Bayou Adventure, starting near the Haunted Mansion and terminating in a series of shops nestled against the Tiana's Bayou Adventure structure. In addition, there is another pathway alongside Hungry Bear Restaurant that leads to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
In November 2021, the riverfront area adjacent to the Harbor Galley was turned into an expanded seating area called Pelican Landing, with multiple figures of nesting pelicans around the dock along with exhibit signage for the Columbia and Mark Twain.
At D23 2024, it was announced that Critter Country will be renamed Bayou Country in conjunction with the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Cast member costumes for attractions in Bayou Country.
Cast member costumes for entertainments in Bayou Country.
Cast member costumes for custodial in Bayou Country.
Cast member costumes for retail in Bayou Country.
Cast member costumes for food and beverages in Bayou Country.
Trivia[]
In the mobile RPG Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, one of the game's many Friendship Campaigns is named "Bear Country", possibly in reference to the former name of Critter Country. The Campaign is one of Little John's Friendship Campaigns, and pairs him up with Baloo, who attempts to teach him how to "relax like a bear". The campaign dialogue also explicitly refers to Bear Country as "not a real location, but rather a state of mind". The storyline also features several other playable Heroes from the game who tie into the "bear" theme, such as Koslov, Fozzie Bear, and Merida, as NPCs.
↑ 2.02.12.22.3
Strodder, Chris (2012). The Disneyland Encyclopedia, 2nd, Santa Monica, CA: Santa Monica Press, page 70–2, 119, 193. ISBN 978-1595800688.
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