The Small World boat ride, currently down for a 10-month rehab at the Anaheim theme park, will not be removing the Papua, New Guinea, rain forest scene to make way for an "Up With America" scene and will not be adding Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters in an effort to turn the "classic attraction into a marketing pitch for Disney plush toys," according to Sklar.

Sklar’s fury appeared directed at another open letter by the family of Small World creator Mary Blair that accused Walt Disney Imagineering of a plan to "bastardize" her stylized artwork and "marginalize" the original theme of the attraction.

SeaWorld Orlando has announced the opening date of its new Manta roller coaster. For those families with older children who will meet the height requirement of 54 inches, this may be the highlight of a trip, even for those who make an annual (or more frequent) trek to the theme park. The coaster will open May 22.

Promised to have a summer opening since last year, the Manta will be Orlando’s first "flying coaster," which puts passengers on their belly to simulate flying. Other coasters across the country utilizing this technology have opened to rave reviews.

According to the asset purchase agreement, the price will go down $1 million if the sale isn't completed by Feb. 20 and will continue to drop $50,000 for each day after Feb. 20 until the sale is closed.

The new buyers are hoping to reopen the park quickly. The reason for the quick sale, according to the court documents, is that the buyers are hoping to reopen the park's gates in a soft opening prior to Memorial Day -- with a full opening that weekend.

The sale must still be approved by the bankruptcy court at a sale approval hearing Feb. 17.

According to Bloody Disgusting, Disney is working on turning their popular theme park ride into a movie. "While rights issues are still being worked out, the plan is to follow a group of characters that enter a bizarre world where nothing is as it seems." The ride is inspired by "The Twilight Zone" TV series and first opened in 1994. I also loved this ride and always went on it every time I went to their park, which is why I'm not sure whether I should be excited or not?
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Apparently the Tower of Terror was turned into a TV movie back in 1997 that starred Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst. I don't ever remember seeing that, so I can't speak about it, but I'm sure Disney is not going to let it hold them back on this feature version of the ride. Could this turn out any good?

But, one company with strong ties to western massachusetts refutes its place on the list; Six flags New England has no plans to fall victim to this struggling economy.

In fact Spokewoman Melissa Pinkerton tells 22News, "We're looking to hire 3000 employees for the 2009 season at our upcoming job fair being held on February 28th and March 1st. We are investing in our park with several exciting enhancements."

In a costume workshop filled with bolts of fabric and a bulletin board brimming with accessories, Lung’s team sewed a muslin pattern for every doll and fit the outfits on a mannequin before testing the designs in the attraction. After a year of preparation, the dolls only received their final costumes in the last week.

It’s important to Lung that each doll wears a complete costume, right down to the socks, petticoat (or undershirt) and bloomers (or underwear).

Now, in honor of the ride's 35th anniversary, management has spent the off season refurbishing the "Big Wheel," complete with thousands of new, energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode bulbs. Maintenance crews and electricians are midway through the six-month process of getting the new, improved brighter Ferris wheel ready for the park's April opening.

"It's very common for theme parks to want to preserve their iconic attractions especially if they've become a part of a park's character," said Great Adventure spokeswoman Angel Aristone. "And the Big Wheel is definitely part of our property's character."

The operator of Tokyo Disneyland said Thursday it expected record profits this year despite the recession as many Japanese people try to get away from the economic gloom by visiting the fantasy park.

At a time many major Japanese companies are reporting dismal earnings, Disney operator Oriental Land Co. Ltd. revised up its forecasts after a strong first three quarters.

Tokyo Disney Resort, the first Disneyland outside the United States, last year celebrated 25 years with a heavy promotional drive.

The amusement park is auctioning off seats for the first rides on the new 230-foot tall roller coaster that is under construction in Mason. All of the proceeds will go to A Kid Again, formerly Adventures for Wish Kids.

The bidding starts at $50 and the park will auction a minimum of 96 seats when the coaster rolls on opening day, April 18. Bids will be accepted until April 15. Park spokesman Don Helbig said Kings Island has joined forces with the nonprofit organization for several years.

In Small World, the characters -- which look like children playing dress-up -- show up in the settings of their original stories: Peter Pan and Tinker Bell fly over one tower of the London Bridge, the Pinocchio marionette appears in a puppet show in Italy; Aladdin and Jasmine ride a flying carpet in the Middle East scene.

"We wanted to add the Disney characters, because we wanted to give it a new life . . . to make it continue to be relevant to our audiences today, because we think this message is so important," Sklar said.

Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said Wednesday the 3 1/2 -year-old Fear Factor attraction in Universal Studios will close today. The resort plans to reopen the attraction, which is based on the former gross-out reality show on NBC, during the spring, though a date has not been set.

Schroder also said hours for a "limited number" of shows and attractions at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure will be reduced beginning this weekend. He declined to identify which attractions will be affected but said the resort expects the changes will be "invisible" to most guests, because the reductions will be determined by attendance.

"Transformers will be a jewel in our collection of world-class rides based on great movies," said Universal Parks and Resorts chairman and CEO Tom Williams.

"We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Hasbro, DreamWorks, director Michael Bay and the film’s executive producer Steven Spielberg, who has been responsible for so many of our signature rides and attractions."

Spielberg, who serves as Universal Parks and Resorts creative consultant, has helped in the creation of some of the world’s most innovative theme park attractions.