Disney California Adventure

Shortly after Christmas, the same question arises every year: What are we going to do on New Year's Eve ? Here’s what some California amusement and theme parks have planned for the last night of 2010: Disneyland in Anaheim will stay open until 2 a.m. with live bands, DJs and midnight fireworks. Across the way, Disney California Adventure will remain open until 1 a.m. with the ElecTRONica dance party and a midnight showing of "World of Color," the nighttime water spectacular.

Walt Disney Co. reported a 6% drop in first-quarter earnings, compared with a year ago, in part because of charges associated with its high-profile dispute with the creator of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and a decline in operating income at the film studio. The Burbank entertainment giant reported net income of $1.4 billion, or 77 cents a share, for the quarter ending Dec. 29, down from $1.5 billion over the same period in 2011. Revenue for the first quarter rose 5% to $11.3 billion.

What do you get when you cross a Renaissance fair with a Las Vegas spectacle and a few hundred Roman gladiators, swashbuckling musketeers and marauding Vikings? The one-of-a-kind Puy du Fou historical theme park in the French countryside. PHOTOS: Puy du Fou historical theme park in France After three decades of entertaining audiences with live-action chariot races, sword fights and epic battles, France's Puy du Fou will be recognized on March 17 as a "classic" theme park by the Themed Entertainment Assn . during an awards ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

Disney's California Adventure is poised for a $1-billion makeover that's designed to give the troubled theme park the main thing it lacks -- an emotional connection to keep people coming back. The sweeping overhaul will transport visitors to the California of the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived in Hollywood. In the same way that Disneyland's Main Street evokes Disney's hometown of Marceline, Mo., a refocused California Adventure will follow the young animator's journey to Los Angeles.

There's a lot more than pixie dust swirling through the air at the Disneyland resort as construction crews, excavators and towering cranes work on several new theme-park rides set to debut this summer and beyond. The tandem Anaheim theme parks haven't seen this much construction since Disney California Adventure opened in 2001 next door to Disneyland. Photos: Top 10 most anticipated Southern California theme park rides for 2011 The headliner for 2011 is the $100-million Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure , opening at Disney California Adventure on June 3. The elaborate dark ride will take visitors on a family-friendly musical underwater journey based on "The Little Mermaid" animated movie.

California Adventure is getting a $1.1-billion makeover -- with Walt Disney Co. planning to spend more than it did to build the theme park just six years ago. The struggling park, which sits in Disneyland's shadow, was a disappointment from the start, failing to draw the crowds the company had anticipated. The idea behind the overhaul recently approved by the board of directors is to give it new attractions and a sharper identity -- and make it more like Disneyland.

As a guy who started his own company before he graduated from high school, Garner Holt is just a big kid who owns a giant toy factory. "I feel like I've never worked a day in my life," said the founder and president of Garner Holt Productions, the world's largest animatronics maker. Located across from a string of high-voltage power lines near San Bernardino International Airport, Garner Holt Productions is tucked into an industrial park that remains hidden from most theme park fans.

The days when parents could drop kids off at Disneyland for the day, leaving it up to Mickey and Goofy to watch over the youngsters, are over. Walt Disney Co. has unveiled a new admission policy requiring that children entering any of its U.S.-based theme parks be accompanied by a visitor at least 14 years old. In years past, parents living near theme parks would often use them as day-care facilities during summer vacation and spring break....

If you're thinking of visiting a Disney park in Anaheim this summer, be warned that the price is about to jump by between $7 and $150 depending on the ticket deal. The annual summer price hike for tickets to Disneyland and the Disney California Adventure Park were announced Friday and take effect Sunday. For example, a ticket for one day at either Disneyland or California Adventure had cost $80 for parkgoers who are 10 or older. The new price, starting Sunday, will be $87, up nearly 9%. The biggest increase will hit people who buy the premium annual pass that includes parking.