Shelly Smith checks out two Disneyland Resort favorites that have recently undergone a retheming. And she finds that the new soundtrack & lighting scheme really adds to the fun of these two thrill rides...

Thinking breaking into show business sounds tough? Shelly Smith takes you to the set of this new reality series. Where even just rehearsing can result in a broken wrist, some burns or a few fractured ribs...

By now, you've no doubt seen some of the photos which came out of this past weekend's preview events at Disney California Adventure Park . Photo by Noe Valladolid If you look around the Web, 90% of the images that have been posted focus on Cars Land ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... which is understandable. Given that Cars Land features that spectacular new attraction, Radiator Springs Racers ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... not to mention all of that terrific-looking neon which comes on every...

Disney Interactive Media Group and game designer, master storyteller and huge Disney geek Warren Spector announced the sequel to last year's Wii game " Disney Epic Mickey ," with some changes that fans will love - or hate. The problems with the camera that plagued Epic Mickey will be a thing of the past, and Oswald will be a playable, speaking character. Traditionalists may argue that since Oswald never had a voice in his Disney shorts, he shouldn't talk now. However, the majority...

So how did yesterday's media event at Knott's Berry Farm go? Well, that kind of depends on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist. Are you the type of person who sees the glass half-empty or half-full? Or -- in this particular case -- the Timber Mountain Log Ride flume as half-empty or half-full? Tell you what: Let's start off by talking about the portion of Thursday's event that went off without a hitch. And that was the official opening of the newly expanded version of this...

Shelly Smith reports in from her recent talk with Tony Baxter, who reveals the role that this 2-disc Platinum Edition played in getting this theme park attraction re-opened...

The redo of Disney California Adventure Park is really coming together nicely. As you can see from these shots that Noe took yesterday, its Pan-Pacific-Auditorium-inspired entrance is getting closer & closer to completion. Photo by Noe Valladolid How close? A quick peek over that Disney-characters-from-the-1930s construction wall reveals that they're just about to begin laying this theme park's new paving stones. Photo by Noe Valladolid Over at the Redwood Challenge Creek Trail , the...

Given that " John Carter " is mostly set on the red planet, it's only appropriate that the stars who attended Wednesday night's premiere of this Andrew Stanton film ... Photo by Shelly Valladolid ... walked down the red carpet at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live . Walt Disney Pictures really went all out for "John Carter" 's LA premiere. Persuading Academy Award-winners like Helen Mirren to come for this event ... Photo by Shelly Valladolid ... not to mention crafting a giant...

I have good news for the fly fisherman of Southern California. Maybe you've heard about this new trend among Hollywood fashionistas . Where they're taken the rooster feathers that are traditionally used in fly tying and then turned them into a fashion accessory? I know that this may sound like a silly, frivolous story. But to the guys who frequent places like Bob Marriot's fly fishing store in Fullerton, CA., this is serious business. What with all of the tween girls who have been coming...

Universal Studios Hollywood transformed its Lower Lot yesterday, rolling out yards & yards of red carpet right next to the Starway escalator, so that celebrities like Holly Robinson Peete ... Holly Robinson Peete and her son Roman & Robinson. Photo by Shelly Valladolid ... as industry legend Frank Welker (who has voiced characters in both the "Transformers" animated series as well as the feature films ) ... Frank Welker at yesterday's event at Universal Studios Hollywood. Photo...

Disney Infinity was the star of the Disney Interactive booth at E3 last week. Photo by Noe Valladolid People stood in two-plus hour-long lines to have a t-shirt, jersey tee or hoodie made with their choice of Disney Infinity character mash-ups: Photo by Noe Valladolid Mike Wazowski with Mr. Incredible Evil Emperor Zurg with Vanellope Von Schweetz Captain Jack Sparrow in Cinderella's coach, which has monster truck Photo by Noe Valladolid Davy Jones atop a rainbow bus Tonto surfing with Stitch...

Shelly Smith recently in took several of the shows that have recently been plussed at the Disneyland Resort and really liked what she saw...

Shelly Smith shares some shots she took this past weekend of the new temporary Disney Store at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center. She then talks about Disney Consumer Product’s ambitious plans for relaunching this brand...

Shelly Smith reports in from The Happiest Place on Earth. Where – this past Thursday morning – the Company paid tribute to these two Disney Legends...

I know that it's usually not cool to peek at your Christmas presents. But given that Ephinany comes at the very tail end of the holiday season ... Well, I'm hoping that it'll be okay if I reveal what Disneyland Park has planned for this weekend's three day-long Three Kings' Day celebration. Starting today, Frontierland 's Big Thunder Ranch will be decorated with huge hanging papel picado banners ... Photo by Alice Hill ... and fresh flowers ... Photo by Alice Hill ... as this...

My daughter and I attended the launch of Disney Infinity , Disney Interactive 's new platform at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood back in January. In a kind gesture to the Disney fan community, members of D23 , the official Disney fan club, were invited to attend and watch the proceedings from the balcony. Where they then received a shout-out from the stage from John Lasseter. John Lasseter at Tuesday's Disney Infinity preview event. Photo by Alice Hill John Pleasants , John Lasseter and...

Cambridge, MA-based company Harmonix is trying to capture the spirit of Walt Disney's 1940 masterpiece, " Fantasia " by inserting the gamer into the story of The Sorcerer's Apprentice . Photo by Shelly Valladolid Harmonix, whose past hits include Rock Band and Guitar Hero , spent over two-and-a-half years developing this game. Which will launch exclusively on the XBOX 360 and the XBOX One next year. Fantasia: Music Evolved is not completely finished, so we saw an advanced, but not...

So what can gamers expected from Disney Castle of Illusion when it finally hits store shelves later this year? Photo by Shelly Valladolid Omar Woodley from SEGA took time yesterday to show us the remastered, re-imagined version of this classic Genesis title. According to Omar, the collaboration between Sega and Disney started about two years ago. "It's a re-imagined version." Omar explains. "There's quite a bit of the old game there, but also new stuff." SEGA's Omar...

Jordan Hembrough always loved toys. What kid didn't? As a child, his room was filled with Mego Star Wars toys, superhero toys, the staples of the American boy (or tomboy) of the seventies. Like many of those kids, he loved his toys and hung on to them. "Toy Hunter" host Jordan Hembrough. Copyright 2012 Scripps Network, LLC. All rights reserved In college, Hembrough quickly found a job as Head buyer for a chain of sci-fi/comic collectible stores, and began traveling the country looking...

Did you love Epic Mickey , Guilty Party or Disney Sing It ? Would you like a chance to play some of Disney Interactive 's games early, before they're released to the general public? Would you like to help keep Disney Interactive's games bug-free and fun to play? There's a little-known way to do so, if you fit the testing parameters. Simply go to disneyplaytesting.com and fill in your information (If you're ages 3-17, your pet grown-up has to do it for you). Copyright Disney Enterprises...

In early December, a pal and I decided to close out the year with a week-long Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riviera, the last time (at least for the near future) that the Wonder will be making this voyage. As with the parks, the holidays were in full swing on board, and we even got to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah our last night on board. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved In the lobby, there's a huge, beautiful Christmas tree - and the scrollwork on the base matches...

It was a bright, sunny morning in Carlsbad, CA today, when LEGOLAND California held a brief presentation outlining the upcoming plans for the resort in the next year, including a new 4-D experience based on their new Chima series & toys and the opening of the first LEGOLAND Hotel in the United States. General Manager Peter Ronchetti spoke, outlining the successes of the past year and unveiling the new attraction, which will open to the public March 7 at LEGOLAND California and the LEGO Discovery...

They initially started out with 72 candidates. 72 Cast Members who wanted to be the face of the Disneyland Resort for 2011 - 2012. Who personally wanted to take part in those community outreach programs like when the Disney characters visit local hospitals. Or MC cast recognition events, grand openings, special promotions and the like. And then those 72 candidates went through five weeks of classes & intense preparation. Where they learned about the history & the heritage of the Disneyland...

For the past six days or so, TRON fans around the world have been dissecting those 23 minutes of footage that they saw last Thursday on TRON Night . As they try to determine whether this Joseph Kosinski film will actually be a worthy follow-up to the 1982 original. But me? I prefer to get my info straight from the source. So this past Saturday, I dropped by the Lightspeed Fine Art booth at Long Beach Comic Con and had a chat with Tron himself, Bruce Boxleitner . Who - given that he has actually appeared...

Though Southern California is over 2500 miles away from the island of Hawai'I, those who dropped by the Westin Pasadena this past weekend got a sample of that Aloha spirit ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... by attending a DVC presentation about Aulani, that soon-to-open Disney Resort & Spa which is being built along a white-sand beach in Ko Olina. Photo by Noe Valladolid Guests arriving at the Westin Pasadena were initially directed to a function room ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... where -...