Bracket Challenge Returns!

We're back . . . and this time it's going to be HUGE. The bracket is huge. The prizes are huge. The amount of time you have to complete and submit your bracket is huge. The first match up of this bracket challenge will take place May 1, so you have the rest of April to agonize over your choices and submit your bracket.

Before we get to the actual bracket though, let's talk prizes. Specifically prize packs. We have four of them for this challenge. The top finisher in this challenge will get first dibs on any of the four packs. Second place will get dibs on the remaining three. Third place will get dibs on the remaining two packs and the fourth place finisher will get the final unclaimed prize pack. Fifth place - I'm sorry. Try harder next time. Lets take a look at these packs.

Fist up we have the #DrinkingAtDisney Prize Pack. This pack includes:

• One limited edition signed and numbered (#65 of 250) full-color hardback copy of "Drinking At Disney: A Tipsy Travel Guide to Walt Disney World's Bars, Lounges & Glow Cubes" by Rhiannon and Drunky. This is the quintessential guide book on where and how to enjoy an adult beverage or two or three at Walt Disney World. Click here for more information about this limited edition hardcover book.
• Two #LapuLife custom made 24oz Tervis tumblers. Tervis is Drunky's drink ware of choice and these feature full pineapple wraps with the #LapuLife hashtag prominently displayed. Sure, you can carry an actual Lapu Lapu pineapple into the Magic Kingdom like Drunky does, but now you don't have to. It's good to have choices. To learn more about creating your own custom Tervis, click here.

Next we have the #StandWithBOATHOUSE Prize Pack. This pack includes:

• One $125 BOATHOUSE gift card. This gift card can be used at the waterfront restaurant's dining room, bar, boatique or for a tour in one of their vintage amphibious automobiles!
• Two BOATHOUSE branded 16oz Tervis tumblers. These are perfect for sipping on your beverage of choice while enjoying a ride in an Amphicar! Click here to find out more about The BOATHOUSE Orlando.

Next up, it's the #ShowYourShine Prize Pack. This pack includes:

• One $100 Homecomin' gift card. Get a taste of real Florida at James Beard award-wining Chef Art Smith's Disney Springs restaurant and shine bar. This is the home of one of my favorite drinks - the Muleshine!
• One bottle of Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' Deep South Hot Sauce. Straight from Hector's secret stash. This hot sauce is sure to bring a rise to your taste buds and a shine to your face.
• One set of his and her Homecomin' hard plastic "Solo" cups. Perfect for holding your shine.
• One set of four assorted Homecomin' drink coasters. You know, because you probably want to fancy up your place a little. Find out more about Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' by clicking here.

 Finally, we have the #HauntedMansion Prize Pack. This pack includes:

• One Haunted Mansion "Servants' Quarters NO ENTRY" replica plaque. This beautiful cast resin and bronze powder replica plaque really captures the essence of the classic Disney attraction. The plaque measures approximately 11" X 7.5" X .5" and comes with a brass hanger on the back.
•  One set of replica Haunted Mansion Disney attraction posters (Disneyland and Walt Disney World editions). These posters measure 12" X 18" and are perfectly suited for framing. They are sure to bring a little of that Disney magic into your home or office. To find out more about either the plaque or the posters, visit the Disney Avenue store by clicking here.

Great stuff! Four fantastic prize packs anybody would be happy to win.

Now for the challenge! This bracket challenge will work just like the Walt Disney World Ride Attractions Tournament, except this time we have full bracket of 64 - that's right no byes. Match ups will be conducted daily via Twitter polling with ties going to overtime and the occasional double headers thrown in to keep things moving along.

So, what's your favorite Disney/Pixar animated movie? Let's find out - bracket challenge style!

The Disney Animated Movie Bracket Challenge (#dambc) will pit almost all of the Walt Disney Animation Studios animated feature films (sorry package films, Dinosaur and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) and all 17 of the Pixar Animation Studios animated feature films against each other until there is only one left standing. As with #wdwrat, you will earn one point for each correct match up prediction for a total of 63 possible points. And as before, we will use your prediction of vote percentages for the final match up as a tie breaker if necessary. Make sure you complete this part of the bracket. I have included a super handy slider on the fill-in bracket to make this a little easier this time.

Download your fill-in bracket here.

Go ahead. Download it now. I'll wait . . .

Good. Now, PLEASE use this fill-in bracket to complete your official entry into the #dambc. This challenge is FREE to enter, so all I ask is that you help a brother out by using the official fill-in bracket.

Once your bracket is completed (including final match up vote percentage predictions and your Twitter handle), you can email it to me here.

DO NOT use the #wdwrat email to submit your #dambc bracket. Unless you want the Russians hacking into all of your electronic devices, then be my guest.

You must have a Twitter account to enter this challenge. All entries MUST be received prior to the start of #dambc on the morning of May 1, 2017. This challenge will start without warning.

Stay tuned here at Club 1971 for challenge updates or just follow me on Twitter @DesigDisneyDad and look for #dambc to vote for your favorite movies and help propel your bracket to victory.

Triple D out!

#dambc is not affiliated with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Cruise Line or any of their affiliated companies, Bamboo Forest Publishing, Tervis, The BOATHOUSE Orlando, Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' and/or Disney Avenue. Yes, we're probably infringing on all sorts of trademarks and copyrights, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Prizes will be awarded on a point system, one point for each correctly predicted victory. The decision of the judges is final. By entering #dambc, you waive all your rights to a trial by jury and your 1st, 2nd and 4th Amendment rights from here to the ice world of Hoth and back.

Round One Update #wdwrat

Round one is done. It has been basted, reached an internal temperature of 165 °F and achieved a crispy, golden brown hue.

Eight points were up for grabs in this first round. Only two of you achieved perfection and many of you proved your abilities at picking out losers far exceeds your abilities at choosing winners. Well, at least your good at something.

Let's take at look at the bracket:

Shall we?

Rides of flight faltered right out of the gate. Mission: Space fought hard but was eventually grounded by some cups of tea. In a match up consisting of one giant, powerful salad spinner vs. a smaller, less powerful salad spinner (containing several mini manual salad spinners), more salad spinners prevailed in what was the tightest match of round one - 4 percentage points.

The next seven match ups averaged a 37 percentage point differential. Dinosaur achieved the smallest margin of victory with a 24 percentage point edge over Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, while WDW Railroad cleaned Astro Orbiters o-rings with a 56 percentage point margin of victory. The biggest win in round one. Another rides of flight grounded.

At the end of the round, all four round one rides of flight were grounded. Mission: Space - grounded. Barnstormer - grounded. Dumbo - grounded. Astro Orbiter - grounded. Soarin' had better watch out in round two!

But all of this has only amounted to child's play. The big dogs come out to eat in round two. Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Earl Anthony? These names mean nothing! Expedition Everest made its tournament debut earlier today. And round two will also see the debuts of Pirates, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Mine Train, Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror just to name a few. Twice as many match up with twice as many points.

Speaking of points, let's get to it. Two of you achieved perfection in round one action: @buda_golf and @DefiniteDisney. Congratualtions, but don't get too cocky. Anything can happen in round two. Here's how the complete leader board shakes out.

The leaders and losers are clearly defined with a rat's nest of folks tied for 6th and 18th places.

Keep voting, enjoy your birds on Thursday and pay attention. There are some rumblings that the tournament scheduling committee may surprises us all with a Turkey Day double header.

Gobble. Gobble.

Triple D out!

Walt Disney World Ride Attractions Tournament #wdwrat

Well, well, well, well . . . look who has been given the keys to the VIPest of VIP clubs . . . me, DesignatedDisneyDad - on the Twitter @DesigDisneyDad.

Let me use this opportunity to roll out the red carpet access to the Walt Disney World  Ride Attractions Tournament (#wdwrat) for you. Seriously, what have you been waiting for? We all know that actual strategy plays no part in bracket challenges like this. This is exactly why 85 year old Delores has won your office's NCAA bracket challenge multiple times already and probably will win it again this next year. She let's her 7 year old grand niece complete it for her - in crayon. So throw caution to the wind, throw down a few brews and get those brackets completed.

You can download a fill-in bracket here and you can email your completed bracket here.

If red carpet affairs aren't your thing, you should also know that Drunky has thrown down the gauntlet and questioned your very Disney manhood and/or womanhood. Are you going to let your Disney reputation be smeared about so cavalierly?

In addition to proving your Disney manhood and/or womanhood, you'll be playing for these fantastic prizes:

First place will win themself a limited edition signed and numbered full-color hardback copy of "Drinking at Disney: A Tipsy Travel Guide to Walt Disney World's Bars, Lounges & Glow Cubes" by Rhiannon and Drunky.

In addition to it's hundreds of pages of Disney bar knowledge and witty banter, this is a book of considerable heft. It's great for pressing leaves and flowers, propping up your computer monitor a few extra inches or fighting off a would be attacker. Specifically, you'll be playing for #16.

My own personal copy is #44, which makes #16 at least 2.75 times better.

Second place will win this unique and limited Snow White poster by renowned artist Eric Tan. You can check some of his other work here.

 

Here's a piece of the actual print you could win.

You cannot buy this poster anywhere. This is a DMR exclusive and limited poster, so if you don't have young children and/or spend half of your retirement savings on Disney movies like I do, this is your chance. My children's Disney movie demands becomes your wall art.

Third place will win this Fabrikation's plush figure of Inside Out's Anger. Sure you'll be angry about not winning the D@D book or the Eric Tan art, but you'll have this soft sculpture by Funko to bitch to.

 

Fourth will get nothing, except for the subtle and ever-nagging feeling that you were almost a winner, but just couldn't quite finish the job.

So complete your bracket now and email to me by Sunday night - or have your 4 year old do it for you. Competition starts next Monday, November 14th. Stay tuned here at Club 1971 for tournament updates, follow me on Twitter @DesigDisneyDad and look for #wdwrat to vote for your favorite rides and help propel your bracket to victory.

Triple D out!

#wdwrat is not affiliated with Walt Disney World or any of it's affiliated companies, Eric Tan or Funko. Yes, we're probably infringing on all sorts of trademarks and copyrights, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Prizes will be awarded on a point system, one point for each correctly predicted victory. The decision of the judges is final. By entering #wdwrat, you waive all your rights to a trial by jury and your 1st, 2nd and 4th Amendment rights from here to the ice world of Hoth and back.

Join Club 1971 at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar!

Join the more ridiculous members of Club 1971 (probably Professor Daniel Miller (drunky), Dan, Collin, Scott, and Dave) as we host the "Call to Adventure" opening meetup for Adventures in Charity.  AdventuresInCharity.org at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar.  Here is the Facebook Event page for more info

https://www.facebook.com/events/347089478956799/