| 100% | WARM | 4 | Word for "affectionate" and "friendly" that aptly describes Disney's beloved Baloo the bear |
| 55% | LOYAL | 5 | Word for "faithful" that aptly describes Disney's beloved Buzz Lightyear |
| 51% | GENTLE | 6 | Word for "soft" that aptly describes to Disney's beloved Bambi |
| 36% | HUMBLE | 6 | Word for "modest" or a way to describe Disney's beloved Cinderella |
| 36% | BRAVE | 5 | Word for "courageous" or a way to describe Disney's beloved Simba |
| 35% | NEWYEAR | 7 | Jan 1st event that we hope will be described by the words at 15a, 29a, 48a, 3d, and 41d for you: 2 wds. |
| 33% | DAD | 3 | Affectionate term for father, that begins and ends with the letter "D" |
| 33% | MOM | 3 | Affectionate term for mother, that begins and ends with the letter "M" |
| 32% | SHRUB | 5 | Synonym for bush that contains the letters B, U, S, and H |
| 32% | FILM | 4 | Another word for "movie," and a word that has an obscure perfect rhyme with the word "pilm" |
| 32% | OPT | 3 | Word that can come before in or out and comes from the Latin for "to select" |
| 31% | BOER | 4 | Dutch word for farmer that was applied to European settlers of South Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries |
| 31% | CLUMSY | 6 | Word for "butter-fingered" or a way to describe Disney's beloved Goofy |
| 31% | TATER | 5 | Slangy word for the vegetable that's also called a "spud" |
| 31% | ATASLANT | 8 | Like an escalator, and, aptly, like the six-letter word that begins where 40-Across ends |
| 31% | LAM | 3 | Word for "flee" that's a homophone of the name of a fleeced animal |
| 31% | HAPPY | 5 | 2011 song by Pharrell Williams whose title is also a word for being joyful and describes the emotion behind a smile |
| 31% | CAMPROCK | 8 | Disney's made-for-tv movie that was directed by Matthew Diamond starring Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers: 2 wds. |
| 30% | DONTSTARTWITHME | 15 | Words that might begin (or prevent) an argument, and a grammar tip for the three speakers in this puzzle |
| 30% | JAVA | 4 | Slang word for "coffee" that's also the name of an Indonesian island |
| 30% | ALOHA | 5 | Word that contains the Spanish word for "hi" in reverse, aptly |
| 30% | YOU | 3 | Word that completes the song titles "___ Baby" and "Baby It's ___" |
| 30% | POOP | 4 | Word meaning "information" that's spelled the same forward and backward |
| 30% | IRE | 3 | Word for "anger" that becomes a country's name when "land" is added to the end |
| 30% | HERO | 4 | *Person who saves the day... and a word you may use to describe those being celebrated in this puzzle |
| 29% | WEST | 4 | Word after "South" for an airline that is the third-largest in the world and can take you to your travel destination |
| 29% | CHEMICALSYMBOLS | 15 | This puzzle's circled letters, for the words that precede them |
| 29% | ILIAD | 5 | Classic work that's the basis for Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida" |
| 29% | SHALLOW | 7 | Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper song from "A Star Is Born" that won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2019 |
| 28% | GENE | 4 | Unit of heredity that's the first name for actors Hackman and Wilder |