The tradition that will not die....this is the 6th annual WDWMagic March Madness attraction tournament, where 64 of the most revered attractions on our favorite 47 square mile-playground duke it out for bragging rights as Numero Uno.
In past years, I've run this in a very similar format to the hoops orgy that inspired it, with four brackets populated with 16 diverse attractions seeded first to worst. But variety is the spice of life, so this year let's try something a little different.
In the past, some people have suggested that attractions be grouped together by theme instead of randomly jumbled together. After I picked this year's field, some natural groupings became apparent, so I decided to try this approach. The result is eight distinct groups seeded from 1 to 8. There are seven themes (spectacles, thrills, classics, education, interactivity, live performances, and characters) and one mishmash of leftovers. This will result in some really tough matchups right from the get-go.
Some more notes on this year's tournament: This is the first year of inclusion for the new Nemo attractions at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, as well as Magic Kingdom's new Mickey stage show and the Monsters Inc. comedy show in Tomorrowland. This also looks to be the final go-round for the old version of Mexico's boat ride in World Showcase, with the new version set to open soon.
Round one will take your votes for the next two days. After that, SpongeScott's concurrent NIT-style tournament of stores, restaurants, and attractions beyond the four theme parks will hold its first round, and we'll keep alternating like that.
Here's this year's bracket:
Icons & Jaw-droppers
#1 Cinderella Castle vs. #8 SpectroMagic
#4 Wishes vs. #5 IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
#3 Soarin' vs. #6 Tree of Life
#2 Spaceship Earth vs. #7 Fantasmic!
Grab Bag
#1 Walt Disney World Railroad vs. #8 Body Wars
#4 Kali River Rapids vs. #5 Liberty Belle Riverboat
#3 Cranium Command vs. #6 Star Tours
#2 Great Movie Ride vs. #7 Primeval Whirl
Interactive Adventures
#1 Mickey's PhilharMagic vs. #8 Tom Sawyer Island
#4 MuppetVision 3-D vs. #5 Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club
#3 It's Tough to be a Bug vs. #6 "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"
#2 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin vs. #7 Rafiki's Planet Watch
Learning Experiences
#1 Kilimanjaro Safaris vs. #8 Innoventions
#4 Maelstrom vs. #5 Ellen's Energy Adventure
#3 El Rio del Tiempo vs. #6 Hall of Presidents
#2 The American Adventure vs. #7 Living with the Land
Live Entertainment
#1 Festival of the Lion King vs. #8 Voyage of the Little Mermaid
#4 Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage vs. #5 Finding Nemo: The Musical
#3 Dream Along with Mickey vs. #6 Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
#2 Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! vs. #7 Flights of Wonder
Classic Favorites
#1 Haunted Mansion vs. #8 Country Bear Jamboree
#4 Tomorrowland Transit Authority vs. #5 Jungle Cruise
#3 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad vs. #6 Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
#2 Pirates of the Caribbean vs. #7 "it's a small world"
Character Corner
#1 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party vs. #8 Goofy's Barnstormer
#4 The Seas with Nemo & Friends vs. #5 Journey into Imagination with Figment
#3 Peter Pan's Flight vs. #6 Stitch's Great Escape!
#2 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party vs. #7 The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh
Thrills & Chills
#1 Splash Mountain vs. #8 Mission: SPACE
#4 Expedition Everest vs. #5 Space Mountain
#3 Rock n Roller Coaster vs. #6 DINOSAUR
#2 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror vs. #7 Test Track
In past years, I've run this in a very similar format to the hoops orgy that inspired it, with four brackets populated with 16 diverse attractions seeded first to worst. But variety is the spice of life, so this year let's try something a little different.
In the past, some people have suggested that attractions be grouped together by theme instead of randomly jumbled together. After I picked this year's field, some natural groupings became apparent, so I decided to try this approach. The result is eight distinct groups seeded from 1 to 8. There are seven themes (spectacles, thrills, classics, education, interactivity, live performances, and characters) and one mishmash of leftovers. This will result in some really tough matchups right from the get-go.
Some more notes on this year's tournament: This is the first year of inclusion for the new Nemo attractions at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, as well as Magic Kingdom's new Mickey stage show and the Monsters Inc. comedy show in Tomorrowland. This also looks to be the final go-round for the old version of Mexico's boat ride in World Showcase, with the new version set to open soon.
Round one will take your votes for the next two days. After that, SpongeScott's concurrent NIT-style tournament of stores, restaurants, and attractions beyond the four theme parks will hold its first round, and we'll keep alternating like that.
Here's this year's bracket:
Icons & Jaw-droppers
#1 Cinderella Castle vs. #8 SpectroMagic
#4 Wishes vs. #5 IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
#3 Soarin' vs. #6 Tree of Life
#2 Spaceship Earth vs. #7 Fantasmic!
Grab Bag
#1 Walt Disney World Railroad vs. #8 Body Wars
#4 Kali River Rapids vs. #5 Liberty Belle Riverboat
#3 Cranium Command vs. #6 Star Tours
#2 Great Movie Ride vs. #7 Primeval Whirl
Interactive Adventures
#1 Mickey's PhilharMagic vs. #8 Tom Sawyer Island
#4 MuppetVision 3-D vs. #5 Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club
#3 It's Tough to be a Bug vs. #6 "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"
#2 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin vs. #7 Rafiki's Planet Watch
Learning Experiences
#1 Kilimanjaro Safaris vs. #8 Innoventions
#4 Maelstrom vs. #5 Ellen's Energy Adventure
#3 El Rio del Tiempo vs. #6 Hall of Presidents
#2 The American Adventure vs. #7 Living with the Land
Live Entertainment
#1 Festival of the Lion King vs. #8 Voyage of the Little Mermaid
#4 Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage vs. #5 Finding Nemo: The Musical
#3 Dream Along with Mickey vs. #6 Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
#2 Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! vs. #7 Flights of Wonder
Classic Favorites
#1 Haunted Mansion vs. #8 Country Bear Jamboree
#4 Tomorrowland Transit Authority vs. #5 Jungle Cruise
#3 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad vs. #6 Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
#2 Pirates of the Caribbean vs. #7 "it's a small world"
Character Corner
#1 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party vs. #8 Goofy's Barnstormer
#4 The Seas with Nemo & Friends vs. #5 Journey into Imagination with Figment
#3 Peter Pan's Flight vs. #6 Stitch's Great Escape!
#2 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party vs. #7 The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh
Thrills & Chills
#1 Splash Mountain vs. #8 Mission: SPACE
#4 Expedition Everest vs. #5 Space Mountain
#3 Rock n Roller Coaster vs. #6 DINOSAUR
#2 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror vs. #7 Test Track
