Disney World suffers nightmarish incident after much-loved animatronic character seemed to burst into flames
Country Bear Musical Jamboree suffered a Krusty Land-like situation after one of its animatronic creatures began smoking on stage.
Showgoers were shocked after Ernest, the fiddling brown bear, started billowing smoke in the middle of a performance.
Several confused visitors got out of their seats once they realized the bear wouldn't stop smoking, and they were ready to rush out of the room.
'I think he played the fiddle a little too hard and caught on fire. Show's canceled,' the video taker said.
Although attendees seemingly rushed out of there, Disney told TMZ that the smoke coming out of Ernest was intentional.
Showgoers were shocked after Ernest, the fiddling brown bear, started smoking in the middle of a performance that's part of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree
Ernest's face was covered in smoke shortly after it appeared in the July 17 TikTok video.
Confused guests got their belongings together and began to search for an exit.
A Disney employee later directed the parkgoers to the exit, and emptying the attraction appeared to go smoothly.
The smoking bear did not ruin the jamboree, and the ride was successfully running again the next day.
This incident occurred only a day after the Country Bear Musical Jamboree attraction reopened following its temporary closure for revamp last January.
Ernest and nearly all other members of the animatronic group are part of the reworked Disney World attraction.
However, the pouty-lipped bear named Liver Lips McGrowl was removed due to concerns over his offensive name, according to Inside the Magic.
The term 'liver lips' is associated with excessive alcohol consumption, and individuals have also used it as a racial slur against African Americans.
Disney officials replaced this bear with Romeo McGrowl, who looks similar to its predecessor.
The ride continues to play fun Disney music in various country genres like bluegrass and Americana.
Park guests swiftly exited the attraction during what they thought was an unintentional incident. However, Disney told TMZ the smoke was planned
Pictured: Liver Lips McGrowl (pictured), a slightly-chubby brown bear with pouty lips, was axed from the program over concerns his name is offensive
The Country Bear Musical Jamboree fiasco is not the first flammable incident to occur on Disney park-related attractions.
Disneyland's Tom Sawyer Island in California was highly publicized last year after its 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon caught fire that April.
The dragon burst into flames during Disneyland's 'Fantasmic!' show, and once the dragon's head was ablaze, cast members fled the scene.
Around 1,000 parkgoers were evacuated that night around the park, and the smoke spread throughout the area.
Witnesses posted videos all over social media during the event, and no one was reported injured.
Disneyland started up the show again last May, a new dragon sequence between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent was added to the attraction, but the dragon itself has been removed.
A 45-foot tall animatronic dragon caught fire on Disneyland's Tom Sawyer island in California and caused families to flee the park
TikTok users were full of fun comments and questions about the smoking bear, and one person had an idea of how it could've malfunctioned.
'I wonder if the hose for the smoke effect came disconnected, and it just looked like it was on fire and coming through the fur covering instead,' they wrote.
Others were quick to joke about the matter and called Ernest 'Smokey the Bear' and 'Country Bear BBQ.'
Like Disney, a TikToker claimed the smoke was indeed part of the show, something parkgoers may not realize.
'We lost power yesterday! The smoke was part of the show, but coincidentally, it stopped at the same time,' the TikToker wrote
