The Disney Parks Live-Entertainment Bracket -- Round One, Day Three

Some imagination, huh?

Good morning, friends! I hope you’re doing well as we get ready to dive into the final month of 2022. I’m in the middle of two big pop-culture things. First, as a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle, I am diving headlong into the flood of screener discs and links studios send out in the hopes of getting a stray award or two for year-end purposes. (That means I’m finally catching up on things like Everything Everywhere All At Once — pretty amazing! — and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On — pretty…uh…not amazing!)

And then, of course, there’s this bracket. Awards-season screeners are temporary, but the brackets are eternal, as you know. We’re now smack-dab in the middle of the first round of the Disney Parks Live-Entertainment bracket, and I’ve already seen some trends pop up. Some obvious winners, of course, but a few surprise victors with smaller-scale aspirations. (And please note — my personal preferences listed below aren’t meant to be what you have to vote for. Follow your heart!)

It is here I will remind you that if you want to vote, you have to subscribe (for free!). And if you want to share the post, please do so! Get everyone and anyone into the big tent to vote on the polls. Now let’s go.

(1) Fantasmic (DL) vs. (16) Operation Playtime: Aside from the part where I have to make sure you remember that you’re voting on just the Disneyland version of Fantasmic in today’s poll…I mean, it’s not really a contest, is it? Sorry, Green Army Men from the Toy Story movies. You do not stand a chance today.

(8) Voyage of the Little Mermaid vs. (9) Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage: You ever have that thing where you build out a pop-culture-themed bracket in one month, and then, in another month, when you start throwing out your picks for which selections should win, you think, “Hey, I seeded this too high?” Well, that’s me…with both of these. 8 and 9 seeds, huh, past Josh? You’re generous.

It’s true, I’m not a big fan of either of these shows, which can both be found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and are both kind of tepid recreations of two lovely films. What does it come down for me? Well, I prefer Voyage of the Little Mermaid…because it’s entirely indoors. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is an outdoor amphitheater. I prefer the indoor, backed-seat setup. What can I say? I’m a simple man.

(4) Voices of Liberty vs. (13) Hook and Ladder Company: I am as generically patriotic as the next person (which is, perhaps, a glib way of saying I’m not so aggressively patriotic as to wave a flag from my doorstop or my car or whatever). So when I say I’d vote here for Voices of Liberty, it’s not because I’m the type to shout out “USA! USA!” unironically. But I’ve had the good fortune, as I’m sure have many of you, to hear Voices of Liberty live inside the rotunda at the entrance of The American Adventure in Epcot. And as good as the video linked above is, it’s goosebump-inducing in real life. Both fine options here, but I pull for Voices of Liberty here. Your vote?

(5) Happily Ever After vs. (12) Main Street Philharmonic: This one’s basically a coin flip for me, in spite of the two shows being very different from each other. On one hand, a nighttime fireworks show. On the other hand, a daytime performance from a live band from Walt Disney World. I get that some folks are, as someone noted yesterday, going to vote almost on principle for the smaller-scale performances. And I get that mentality! Often, I will support that (and should Happily Ever After move to the next round against Voices of Liberty, I’ll support the latter in that scenario).

This time, just because I sometimes embrace my caveman brain and like loud, colorful noises, I go with Happily Ever After. How about you?