You never know what you’re going to find when making a trip to the Disney Parks. Be it a magical encounter with a cast member, a proposal attempt gone wrong in front of the castle, or even the exciting new attractions at Walt Disney World, there are surprises around every corner. The most recent unexpected adventure at the Magic Kingdom happened to involve a bear sneaking into the park. And if I'm being completely honest, it found a most impressive hiding spot.
Apparently, sources “familiar with the matter” spoke with Mickey Views to break the news, as a brown bear of unknown origin was found on Tom Sawyer’s Island. More specifically, this ursine patron was spotted in one of the “narrow underground passageways” connected to the Frontierland attraction. With brown bears not exactly being native to Florida, how this creature got in or where it came from is probably the largest mystery of all.
As this discovery was made during the pre-opening sweeps made by dedicated cast members, only the right side of the Magic Kingdom was opened this morning. At the time of this writing, there’s no idea when the left side will be accessible to guests; and so far that seems to be holding.
The most recent updates pointed to those attractions being closed two hours after opening. Sure enough, footage shared by All Ears only confirmed that scenario, as you can see below:
Magic Kingdom is going THROUGH it this morning. Only Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Main Street U.S.A. are open to guests while the remainder of the park is closed. pic.twitter.com/viMzLa40uoSeptember 18, 2023
While everyone's safe and sound, this is indeed a turn of events that's led to increases in wait times on the right side of the park. As you saw in that video, only Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Main Street U.S.A. are open for the public to enjoy. Apologies to anyone trying to get a boarding group for Tron Lightcycle/Run, the most intense Magic Kingdom attraction that doesn’t include the presence of live animals.
You have to admit, this brown bear’s bold break-in is even more on brand when it comes to the section it chose to visit. Home to all things rugged and wild, Frontierland is the perfect place for such an animal to be; provided it isn’t hungry, of course. Perhaps our unnamed friend arrived to give its two cents on the land’s new Country Bear Jamboree refresh, which was announced at the 2023 Destination D23 event.
With this potentially tubby little cubby all stuffed with wild game in the process of being escorted from this Orlando destination, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Disney’s amusement park rivals start cracking jokes on social media. This would be especially appropriate if traditional snark factory Universal Orlando got in on the game. Coincidentally, Universal Pictures’ Cocaine Bear, which dropped this year as part of on the 2023 new movie release schedule, would be a perfect tie-in.
On the bright side, no one involved in this incident has been reported as harmed. So this could be a great gag to throw into Disney’s in development Big Thunder Mountain Railroad movie, as there just might be bears in them thar hills. Or if the new sequel to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey wants to get creative, it could use this news to craft a sequence where the sinister Pooh and his friends sneak into a major amusement park for some fresh kills. There are no wrong answers, to be honest.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out. Not to mention, we have to wonder whether or not Orlando Animal Control decides to parade the bear out of the Magic Kingdom in a whimsically British drum led procession. Also, will the furry creature be given the honorary name of Duffy, in the name of brand synergy? If you’re interested in seeing the various exploits of Disney bears, through live-action, animation, and documentary footage, you can browse the library of your Disney+ subscription to find just that.
