ANAHEIM - Critter Country at Disneyland is officially being renamed, the theme park has announced, marking yet another name change for the animal-themed land. To coincide with the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on Nov. 15, Critter Country will become Bayou Country.

This part of the park is no stranger to change. In the 1970s, it was named Bear Country in honor of its new attraction, the Country Bear Jamboree. The animatronic show, featuring singing forest creatures, waned in popularity over the decades, and in 1988, Disney announced the land was becoming Critter Country. That name was chosen to match the “Song of the South” theme of its marquee new attraction, Splash Mountain.

In 2003, the singing bears disappeared entirely in favor of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a dark ride that opened four years prior in Disney World.

Another part of Bayou Country, the Hungry Bear restaurant, is also getting a slight retheme. When it reopens after its refurbishment, it will be the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, a tribute to the defunct animatronic show. The Country Bear Jamboree wasn’t set in the bayou, however; it was an attraction originally designed for Disney’s failed California ski resort.

"Bayou Country is situated on the edge of New Orleans Square with shady trees, mesmerizing music and a vast collection of enchanting surprises,” Disney officials wrote in a press release announcing the change.

Story Date: August 19, 2024