2013 OCR Theme Parks Archive Stories

Trevor Kelly has been banned from ever working at Disneyland, or any park contracted with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck or Indiana Jones, for that matter. The story behind why he can't work there anymore seems right out of a Disney screwball comedy starring Dean Jones. Following a storied tradition of employees pulling pranks on the final

ANAHEIM – Children under age 14 will have to be accompanied by someone 14 or older to get into Disneyland and Disney California Adventure starting March 23. The policy change is going into effect across Disney's American resorts, which previously had varying age policies. "We regularly review all policies and identified an

BUENA PARK – With the clanking of rollercoaster tracks, and the screams of thrilled riders in the background, thousands of high school students from across Southern California descended upon Knott's Berry Farm on Thursday to discover the physics behind the attractions. "It's hard to figure out what to do," said Michelle Vu, 18, a s

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former California governor and current action star, will open Chapman University's Busan West Film Festival on Friday. Schwarzenegger and writer/director Kim Jee-woon will present their recent collaboration, "The Last Stand," at the Dodge College's Marion Knott Studios. The film festival, which runs thr

ANAHEIM – Alessandra Douglas of Las Vegas was getting a princess makeover at Disneyland – a yellow Belle dress, glittered hairstyle and pink sash – for her third birthday. She was tapped with a surprise invitation: Want to meet a princess? Alessandra lucked out and was among visitors allowed into the new Fantasy

Six Disney park attractions will be closed for at least part of this month while crews undertake projects during the traditionally slower tourism season. Five projects are concluding this month on attractions at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The major Big Thunder Mountain Railroad renovation, costing at least $4 million, is

In the past decade, the Honda Center has hosted concerts that appeal to just about every age group, from classic rockers Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen to tween magnets Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. In between, the circus came to town, and ultimate fighters and bull riders competed. All this was when the Anaheim Ducks were

BUENA PARK – Knott's Berry Farm will open three new rides in time for summer, with the iconic Log Ride re-opening at the same time. The Buena Park theme park has set a debut date for the rides – May 25, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, said Jennifer Blazey, a Knott's spokeswoman. "A lot of people are off that wee

BUENA PARK – Several years ago, Smuckers bought up the preserves division of Knott's Berry Farm. Still, the Knott's name had remained on the packages of preserves given to customers at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant and at restaurants around the country. No more. Those packages, though still containing the f

ANAHEIM – For more than a decade, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have issued passes allowing visitors to leapfrog to the front of some ride lines within a specific time frame. But savvy visitors knew that employees laxly enforced the hour window stamped onto Fastpasses, letting guests board rides with the passes even af

ANAHEIM – Southern California residents can't get deep discounts on Disneyland and California Adventure tickets this spring as they have for the past decade. Disney sold two-for-one tickets or similar deals to local residents from 2003 through last year as a way to bring in visitors during the slower season, usually January through

Tony Baxter began scooping ice cream at Disneyland in 1965 as a college job and rose up to spearhead the creation of some of the park's biggest rides, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Star Tours. Now, 47 years later, Baxter is stepping down from overseeing Disneyland attractions. Baxter, who lives in Anaheim Hills, ann

ANAHEIM – Disney parks are temporarily closing 15 venues for at least part of this month. The Anaheim parks traditionally schedule most routine and large projects between the holidays and the summer when crowds are thinner. Crews are continuing to work on the largest project, a $4 million renovation of Disneyland's Big Thun

An upcoming George Clooney movie is called "Tomorrowland" – but is it tied to that famous futuristic area of Disneyland? Walt Disney Studios announced Monday that it was producing the live-action movie that Clooney will star in and was written by Damon Lindelof of "Lost" and Brad Bird of "The Incredibles." While the studio

ANAHEIM – Runners made record time in signing up for the upcoming Disneyland Half Marathon events, filling all slots within 26 hours. About 25,000 runners registered for two races over Labor Day weekend – the Disneyland Half Marathon and the first Disneyland 10K. Official registration began Tuesday morning. "We are am

In the past decade, millions have watched up to 35 performers put on 12,000-plus shows of "Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular" at Disney California Adventure. Along the way, the cast, which includes eight original performers, bonded, got married and expanded families. The Berrys of Anaheim are among 103 performers on staff at

Streets, mostly around Disneyland and downtown, will close early Sunday for Disney's second-annual half marathon geared for women. Tinker Bell Half Marathon races this weekend will draw 19,700 runners. Of those, 14,000 will run in the main event, which will wind 13.1 miles through Disney parks, streets and downtown Anaheim starti

ANAHEIM – Disney parks are testing out a new way to crack down on businesses that rent out discounted, multiday tickets by the day – a practice that violates company policy. On Tuesday, the parks began taking digital pictures of visitors using multiday passes and putting them in their computers. That way, Disney employers can

Movie fans can see 3D movies on a huge IMAX screen in Downtown Disney, the fourth IMAX theater in Orange County. The latest IMAX screen opened within the AMC Theatres in the entertainment-shopping district in November with the James Bond movie "Skyfall." The theater has been doing strong business with "The Hobbit," said Ryan Noonan, an A

ANHAHEIM – When the can-can dancers kick up their legs for Disneyland's "A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue," they will be watched over by a dancer from the original show who last kicked up her legs more than 25 years ago. Demetra "DeeDee" Bozikis was a can-can dancers during the last nine years of the original show's 31-year r

ANAHEIM A Disney veteran who heads a Florida theme park will take over next month as president of Disneyland Resort – Orange County’s largest employer that includes Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, three hotels and Downtown Disney. Michael A. Colglazier, vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and a 23-

ANAHEIM – Parents now can easily see when they are ordering healthier fast food for their children at Disney parks. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have added a symbol next to kid-menu items that meet certain nutritional guidelines at quick-service restaurants. Table-service restaurants at the Anaheim parks will start us

ANAHEIM – Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will undergo its biggest project in more than three decades when the ride closes Monday for at least nine months. The Frontierland ride, which mimics a runaway mine train through an Old West canyon, will close so crews can begin a makeover that will last until fall. A re-opening

BUENA PARK – A multi-million-dollar upgrade is coming to one of the country's iconic amusement park rides. Construction on the Timber Mountain Log Ride at Knott's Berry Farm will begin later this month, park officials announced in a statement. The classic attraction, which takes riders on a nearly four-minute journey throug

ANAHEIM – It was a big challenge, but Tonya Mickesh, 45, and Jeff Reitz, 40, made their goal – going to Disneyland every day in 2012. They were accompanied on the last day, Monday, by their parents and friends who have been following their exploits. "We never expected all the followers we got from Instagram and