March Madness Disney Style

Confession: I often get sucked into Buzzfeed articles. I know. It's honestly usually a time-waster, because knowing what type of sandwich I am isn't crucial material. But last night, I came across this article that discussed a Tweet in which someone made a March Madness style bracket to pit Disney and Pixar animated features against each other.

Y'all. In an alternate reality, I apparently write for Buzzfeed because the author and I had many of the same grievances.

Because I love you, I redid the bracket in the proper fashion. The formatting isn't perfect, so please forgive me. Here's my bracket:

My Disney Bracket- Sorry for the formatting issues. I'm not sure why Ratatouille disappeared, but it beat A Bug's Life.

THIS WAS SO HARD. I love so many of these movies, and several great ones were left out (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, I could go on). Choosing between my beloved movies was insanely difficult, and I feel like my energy is spent. Also, I hate making decisions in general, so. I'm basically done for today.

I feel like I've abandoned some of my dear films. I'm sorry, Mulan. I love you. Hercules, your 'Go the Distance' song is still one of my all-time Disney song favorites. No offense, Big Hero 6, I've only seen you once and you were beautiful and smart, I just love Tangled so much. Pocahontas, you know I love you; we've been through so much together. Don't even get me started on pitting UP against Coco. My heart, y'all.

What would you do differently? Here's a blank bracket, shared by the original Twitter user, to fill out on your own!

I Dream of Dollywood

This cold winter has me dreaming of warmer temperatures and the places that open with them. This Friday, March 16, Dollywood reopens for the season! This season of showstoppers is sure to delight, with festivals, musical performances, new food items, and revisiting all my old favorite rides. Here are the five things I'm most excited for this season at Dollywood!

1. New Rides (and old favorites!)

Well, new to me. Since our kids are two and half years apart, there's a big height difference. We usually hit the 42" height requirement rides with our oldest while our youngest naps in the stroller and take advantage of rider swap. (Have you heard of this? It's magical. You wait in line once, and then each parent can ride with the kid while the other parent waits with the kid who doesn't want to ride/isn't tall enough). I'm crossing my fingers that in the two and half months Dollywood has been closed for the season, my two year old has grown the half-inch he needed to be 36" and able to ride more rides! He's so disappointed when we go up to a ride and he isn't tall enough (he's also too squirmy for central measuring, so praying we're over that too!)

Do you use central measuring? It's a lifesaver with our older son, who actually holds still long enough to be measured. If you go to central measuring, an Dollywood host will measure your child and give them a color coded wrist band. You can use the park map or the Dollywood app to see which rides your child meets the height requirements before, long before you make the trek to the ride and discover they're a hair shy of being allowed to ride.

I also can't wait to hop on some old favorites. The Carousel and Rockin' Rodeway are two of our family favorites, and I am just hopping with excitement to get back on board!

2. Festival of Nations

New entertainment, delicious food, and demonstrations await with the Festival of Nations. I've never experienced it before, but I love learning about other cultures, and especially love all the new food! If you're as excited as I am, you'll want to check out the menu. It tells you what items are available and where you can get them, so you can totally plan your trip around the menu and no one will know but you (well, and now my family will know my park planning strategy!). 

New food is sure to inspire new favorites, and I'm looking forward to indulging in my old favorites, too. Hello, there, Cinnamon Bread! Bring on the funnel cakes! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

3. Splash Country

Especially when it's cold but sunny, I flash back to the hot summer days we spent at Splash Country. Feeling the sun warm your skin, with kid's laughter as your soundtrack and leaving wet footprints as you walk from the wave pool to your lounge chair... its like medicine on these cold days. I can't wait for Splash Country to open May 19, and I'm counting down the days. Both our boys will (hopefully) be taller this year, which is like unlocking new levels in a video game. We love experiencing these rides with them, and each new ride available to them is a precious memory in the making.

4. Holiday Festivals

I loved both Great Pumpkin LumiNights and Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas so much last year that I went to each one at least twice! Halloween and Christmas are two of my favorite holidays (oh, who am I kidding? I love all the holidays!), and especially when the weather doesn't match the holiday I like experiencing something that reminds me how it's supposed to feel. So even though the hottest day I've experienced at Dollywood was last October, during LumiNights, I loved seeing the pumpkins, hay bales, scarecrows, and Halloween decor. It helped remind me that it was, in fact, fall, and Halloween was just around the corner.

When it was cold but not snowy, the pretend snow at Dollywood and holiday shows helped get me in the Christmas spirit. I fell head over heels in love with Dollywood's shows last year, which brings us to...

5. Dollywood Entertainment

I adore Dollywood's shows. The caliber of talent is incredible, and I can't wait to see what all they're going to do this year. I'm already thrilled with the idea of the Dreamland Drive-In, as I'm all about that retro vibe and my kiddos love singing and dancing on stage. Plus, huge acts are coming during the festivals! Whether you want to see Amy Grant or Ladysmith Black Mambazo, there's something for everyone. 

We loved the Gazillion Bubbles Show last year!

I can't wait to see and experience all that Dollywood has to offer this year! What are you most excited about?

If you want to save $5 off, use coupon code DWInsiders5 and purchase your tickets online!

New Dollywood Insiders Post

If you're new to Dollywood's season pass process or just looking for a few Insider tips on how to make the most of your season pass from opening day on, check out my latest post over at the Dollywood Insider's Blog!

The Greatest Showman Movie Review

I'm predisposed to like certain movies.

After all, I'm obsessed with animation, Disney, and Pixar, so those are usually pretty easy winners for me (we're all ignoring Cars 2 still, right?).

I've always loved musicals (that Disney childhood!), and as a former aerialist, I was constantly being asked if I'd seen The Greatest Showman yet. Until last weekend, the answer was no.

My husband and I got to go on a rare date to see The Greatest Showman. As we settled in our seats and the lights went down, I jokingly leaned over and whispered, "Thanks for coming to see a circus musical with me." He laughed and said, "Wait, this isn't Star Wars?" before he narrowed his eyes and said, "wait, this is a musical?!"

Y'all, I showed him the trailer. I honestly don't know how he didn't realize it was a musical! But thankfully he enjoyed it too, though I spent the entire two hours glancing sideways to try and gauge if he was having a good time.

The whole film was lovely. The music was just wonderful, with songs providing exposition and condensing a long story into a reasonable length for a film. I keep finding myself singing random songs throughout the day today, and I'm buying the soundtrack as soon as I'm able. There isn't a single song I'd skip! The music is truly exceptional, with songs making you want to dance, sing along, and with heartfelt lyrics. It was also kind of special to see Zac Efron singing and dancing again.

After seeing the movie, of course I wondered if it stayed true to the life its based on. The short answer is no. Although Barnum did begin with a museum, had a wife named Charity, and ultimately crafted a traveling tent-based circus, the details in the film are almost entirely fictional. Carlyle and Anne don't have real life counterparts, and Barnum's personal history teeters perilously towards him being a con man who degraded others. His actions towards people in general, and especially those who performed in his circus, is patently wrong. The only way I can reconcile the truth with the film is to view them independently, and view the film as a fictionalized account. So this review is entirely representative of the film with no ties to the man who shared the same name.

The story was surprising; there were several twists I didn't see coming. The characters were well developed; they felt real, and they had real flaws, but were overall likable. I especially loved the childhood love story between Phineas and Charity and the story between investor Carlyle and trapeze artist Anne. The story was engaging and moved at a nice pace.

One of my favorite underrated characters is the theater critic, who has a wonderful character arc as he discovers his own prejudice and privilege coloring his reviews. I liked seeing Anne and Carlyle grow beyond their limited mindsets, and thought the protesters spoke not only to issues during the time the film is set in (after the Civil War but before 1900 is my best guess) but also spoke to current issues without being overbearing.

How we treat people is deeply important. The outcasts and forgotten treat the young Barnum with kindness, and he later finds a way to not only give them a platform and help light their way out of the darkness, but also tests his own character and how far he's willing to push reality and societal limits.

Additionally, as someone who has belonged to a circus, the feeling of belonging and family is well portrayed. The nature of living a whimsical and magical life is encouraging to those dreamers who have maybe gotten caught up in making a living instead of a life. I left the theater encouraged, inspired, and ready to dance. In the week since I've seen it, I'm looking for ways to bring a little magic back into our lives. Whether it's random dance parties in the kitchen with my little boys, or playing shadow puppets, or bursting into song randomly, I'm trying to move beyond just living day to day and move into thriving.

Overall, I loved the movie. It was visually stunning, with a great plot, interesting characters, and music I have yet to tire of. I definitely recommend it, and I know I'll be seeing it again when it releases to Blu-ray and digital.

Have you seen The Greatest Showman yet? What did you think? Has it inspired you?