You might not be hardcore Disney enough to have attended this year’s D23 Expo, but we’re sure that you are probably interested about what it means for the theme parks. The ultimate disney fan event—their words, not ours—took place last weekend, and it produced some pretty decent news on the update front.

Down in Florida at Walt Disney World, upgrades are still on schedule for the Magic Kingdom. Over in Fantasyland, theme park officials are working on a new Beauty and the Beast section that will focus on meeting and greeting some of your favorite characters from the film. If you’ve outgrown character autographs—we understand—just make your way over to Ariel's Undersea Adventure, an attraction copying the blueprints from a similar ride out in California. ]]> kjb 2011-08-24T10:49:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/6/27/105627/554

Jennifer Lopez took advantage of a little downtime over the weekend and spent the day with her family at Disneyland. On Saturday she was spotted on the Dumbo Ride at the Anaheim, California theme park with her three-year-old daughter Emme. Her son Max, mother Guadalupe and sisters Lynda and Leslie also tagged along for a day of Disney magic.

Of course Jennifer wouldn't be expected to walk through the park on her own, so Disney accommodated the Lopez family by providing them with a personal escort for the day who kept fans at bay. ]]> cmb 2011-06-27T12:40:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/3/3/83332/80031

We’ve mentioned all the bulldozers at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure on and off for quite some time, and it looks like Mickey is still busy in his construction worker outfit as the warmer weather approaches.

The two parks are already getting ready for the influx of locals and tourists, and this year visitors are going to have quite the summer. Projects to revamp the park across from Disneyland have been ongoing, but this summer another big milestone arrives. The front entrance of the park will be changing—so get ready to enter in some kind of weird maze way—but once you’re inside get ready for a whole new ride. ]]> kjb 2011-03-03T15:49:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/17/1273/4561

Disney has spent some serious cash on Tron: Legacy (in theaters today), with promotions that have include everything from a Tronorail to a Pop-Up Shop.

To help keep the hype going long after the movie leaves theaters, Disney California Adventure has transformed a once dormant corner of their Anaheim, CA theme park into a pulsating, neon-lit nightclub. ]]> cmb 2010-12-17T12:47:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/5/27/83351/2489

Things have been pretty busy at the theme park across the street from Disneyland, and thanks to all the bulldozers and construction equipment, Disney’s California Adventure is finally ready to reveal what’s been going on behind the scenes. After years of construction the park will debut debut one of the major features of its billion-dollar makeover, and maybe it will finally be worth the price of admission.

Disney’s World of Color has begun testing out its water jets, fountains, and screens of mist after hours at the park, and the official unveil is set to happen on June 11. The park is so excited about the new nighttime attraction that they’re throwing a party worthy of a major Hollywood release; however, we wouldn’t expect too many A-list stars. ]]> kjb 2010-05-27T15:25:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/5/31142/04840

When a 6.9-7.2 magnitude earthquake struck in southern California and Mexico yesterday, right in the middle of a beautiful Easter Sunday, the first thing that many did was turn to Twitter for instant-breaking news and commiseration. Among the tweets were pictures snapped by those on the scene in California, and the most compelling (aside from this huge crack on a Mexican street), was the above picture of the masses of merrymakers fleeing Disneyland in Anaheim.

Concerned for the safety of their guests, although not worried about structural collapse, Disneyland closed their park for a safety inspection before allowing people to return to having fun as usual. They announced via Twitter:

Disneyland has no reports of injury or damage following the earthquake. After a safety inspection, nearly all attractions are now operating.

Although mild aftershocks continued to roll through San Diego and up through the rest of California, none are expected to impact tourist sites...unless you're heading below the border to Mexicali, Mexico, where some houses have partially collapsed. The best thing to do is just keep an ear to the news and not plan any major skyscraper or treehouse excursions anytime soon.

Related Stories:
· @Disneyland [Twitter]
· Earthquake at Disneyland: What Happens When the Ground Shakes at 'The Happiest Place on Earth' [Examiner]
· Travel News [Jaunted]

[Photo: TwitPic/ms_kristin]]]> JetSetCD 2010-04-05T08:55:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/16/223213/005

The biggest theme park news lately has been all about Harry Potter, but there’s something else pretty interesting ready to reappear at Disneyland. Captain EO, the snazzy laser-filled 3D movie starring Michael Jackson, is set to return to Tomorrowland sometime this month. We knew it was coming since late last year, but it seems that sneak peeks of the retro attraction might begin any day now.

Apparently testing is already underway as Disneyland employees were invited to check out the attraction last week. An email was sent out to Disney cast members—that’s Mickey Mouse language for employees—describing the testing involved with the movie’s return. Of course they requested that all the secrets of the attraction remain hush-hush, but it looks like someone immediately leaked the email. We’re all for sharing a few secrets among friends, because that’s pretty much why the Internet was invented. ]]> kjb 2010-02-17T08:35:18-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/