The Disney Theme-Park Background Music Bracket -- Round One, Day Five

I'm French! Why do you think I have this outrageous accent?

Well, friends, I say thank God it’s Friday. (And not just because it’s Good Friday…I think? I don’t really know.) For some folks, this will be a big Easter weekend, and for some of us (myself sadly included), it will be time to head out to the new Super Mario movie. (I say “sadly” because I will have now seen this motion picture twice, and while I am typing this sentence before I see a press screening, I will freely acknowledge that my hopes are not high. But by the time, you’re reading this, the movie will be out and my review will be up! I linked to it right here! Let’s see what I actually thought of it.)

Anyway, whatever else is true, it’s also time for a new set of matchups in the first round of the Disney Theme-Park Background Music Bracket. Let’s go!

(1) Main Street USA loop vs. (16) Season of the Force loop: Does it technically matter which Main Street loop this even is? I don’t know that it does, certainly not in this matchup, because it’s a top seed for a reason. Nothing against Star Wars music, but walkin’ right down the middle of Main Street, USA with old-fashioned music emanating from hidden speakers is pretty much the tops. Main Street gets my vote.

Main Street USA

Season of the Force

(8) The Living Seas loop vs. (9) France loop: With the important caveat that the Living Seas loop, as the name implies, is not the current loop in that pavilion (because the pavilion is now heavily themed to Finding Nemo), I am voting for the Living Seas loop. It’s a close one, and I enjoy the themes in each of these background loops in reasonably similar ways. I think part of it, for me, is that the entire atmospheric vibe of The Living Seas appeals to me slightly more than the France pavilion does.

But that’s me. Which of these loops do you prefer?

The Living Seas

France

(4) Disneyland Hotel - Fantasy Tower loop vs. (13) Frontierland - Disneyland loop: As much as I enjoy walking through the towers of the Disneyland Hotel, I will be leaning here to the music loop at Frontierland. While Frontierland feels like it’s getting smaller and smaller in Disneyland, thanks in no small part to the advent of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the loop allows for a sense of the epic and expansive. The Fantasy Tower has charming instrumental takes on some classics, but I’ll stick with the Old West this time.

Disneyland Hotel - Fantasy Tower

Frontierland - Disneyland

(5) Disney’s Magical Express loop vs. (12) Great Movie Ride queue: As I noted in a previous newsletter, you and I will have a few different chances to vote on what is essentially a medley of the most famous Disney tunes in instrumental form in this bracket. Enter the loop for the now-defunct Disney’s Magical Express. (Can you believe there used to be a massive bus service Disney offered from the Orlando airport to all of its resort hotels, and the service was free? It existed, and not long ago.)

The Great Movie Ride queue has a great combination of classic movie music, but the mix of songs in the Disney’s Magical Express queue reminds me of the delightful anticipation of arriving at the Disney World resort in ways that vault it over for me.

Disney’s Magical Express

Great Movie Ride