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

Diving into the big, blue world.

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the month of December, and I hope you’re all doing well. I at least hope you’re doing better than the people on Hive, which is an app I was definitely using until I read about all of its fun and not-at-all-terrifying security problems that have necessitated them to shut down the app.

So…uh…find me on Mastodon! (And yes, still linking to these newsletters on Twitter, as well as any future work.)

Anyway, enough nonsense about social media! Let’s talk about what we’re all here to talk about…the upcoming MLB Winter Meetings! Do you hope, like I do, that the Mets are going to finally sign Jacob DeGrom to a huge contract to ensure he’s a Met for life? You—

Ah, yes, right, we’re here to talk about the Disney Parks Live-Entertainment bracket. Of course! Enough goofing around — let’s dive right into today’s polls.

(2) Finding Nemo The Musical vs. (15) Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party: For grammar crimes alone, I am voting against Move It!, etc. But Finding Nemo: The Musical is also a charming and shortened version of the beloved film (and a foundational part of the careers of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez to boot). Easy choice for me. How about you?

(7) Casey’s Corner Ragtime Pianist vs. (10) Refreshment Corner Ragtime Pianist: Well, here we have a true coin flip, at least for me. Two ragtime piano shows, two Main Street locations, two very talented musicians. In the end, I vote for Refreshment Corner (or Coke Corner, or whatever you like) and their version because…well, I go to Disneyland more often. Gotta rep the hometown team. You?

(3) Electrical Water Pageant vs. (14) Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire: One of the memories I will treasure most from my various trips to the Walt Disney World Resort is about ten or so years old. (Fun fact: I have not been to Walt Disney World since 2012. I bet it’ll look a bit different next time!) My wife and I — pre-kids at this point — had a wonderful dinner at Narcoossee’s, a seafood restaurant overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon. It wasn’t our first time at the restaurant, but we’d timed it this visit to coincide with the nighttime shows of the Electrical Water Pageant.

The reductive way to describe the show is “Main Street Electrical Parade on water”, but it’s a lot more fun than just that description. Because of the greater distance between you and the floats, the in-the-moment experience is almost like living out a dream, with a bright mix of color breaking out through the haze of the Central Florida sky. Anyway. That’s my pick. How about you?

(6) The Osborne Lights vs. (11) Citizens of Buena Vista Street: I imagine the Osborne Lights will win this one — I understand they were quite charming (and have sadly since vamoosed) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the holiday season. But just as in past polls, I will stand up for the daring improvisation of the Citizens of Buena Vista Street. Gotta stand up for the little guys!