Live music, Disney characters, street performers and plenty of food food will be featured in the New Orleans Bayou Bash from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on these dates:

Princess Tiana, Louis Naveen, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Chip ‘n’ Dale will all come dressed to party Mardi Gras-style, offering special performances and meet and greets.

Beyond the characters, more special food and entertainment offerings will be available, though Disney hasn’t yet revealed those specifics. All of the extra entertainment is included with park admission, though food will cost extra, naturally.

Ads for recent “Transformers” movies ran during the Super Bowl in previous years, but the ride commercial will actually be aired before the big game. Like so many companies have been doing in advance of Sunday’s event, Universal Studios Hollywood has released a teaser for the ad:

Video: Teaser for “Transformers: The Ride 3D” Super Bowl commercial

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1F-eGddzKI

In the 8-second tease, the most famous Autobot of them all, Optimus Prime, issues a warning: “Humans, you are in grave danger.” The full commercial should show off more from the ride, which is still under construction in Hollywood, though has already opened overseas in the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.

But the Super Bowl ad isn’t the only way Universal Studios Hollywood is promoting the upcoming attraction this weekend. Beginning Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, an online game is launching at PrepareForBattle.com, offering players a chance to win a variety of prizes including artwork, individually-numbered embroidered patches, T-shirts, toys, hats, and even a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for the debut of the ride. The video below shows off a few of the prizes and offers more details.

Video: Transformers: The Ride 3D online game teaser

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TcTrPGyzs

Video: Game introduction from Optimus Prime

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lni0WCFnZDw

Players are invited to share their own personal dashboard links (like mine here) to “recruit” other players to join in the fight against Decepticons, leading up to the ride’s opening.

Transformers: The Ride 3D will feature a similar technology and ride system as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park, but set in the world of “Transformers,” placing passengers riding in a new character named EVAC, at N.E.S.T headquarters (the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Team). Ultimately, the battle unfolds in 3D between Optimus Prime, the evil Decepticon leader Megatron, and plenty of of other robots in disguise.

Mickey’s Soundsational Parade officially debuted in June 2011, tying new and classic Disney films together with an upbeat soundtrack and consistent aesthetic throughout all its floats and costumes. It’s been a big hit among Disney fans since its first performance.

While the colorful parade is a visual treat during the day, Disney recently also began offering this parade as a nighttime event, first performed after dark during a special after-hours annual passholder event. Now offered nearly every day at night (along with regular daytime performances), it’s clear Mickey’s Soundsational Parade was designed to shine. (You can check the Disneyland calendar online for showtimes to see when the parade will be performed during the day and at night.)

Though I’ve seen and enjoyed this new parade many times since its debut, during my recent visit to Disneyland last weekend I had my first chance to see it at night and was thrilled by how it looked. With colorful spotlights illuminating each float and performer, it was just as easy to see all the details designers Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily incorporated into the show. In addition, individual areas of each float lit up, the best use of which is the shining backside of Ray the firefly from “The Princess and the Frog.” Though the floats don’t light up in “thousands of sparkling lights” like the Main Street Electrical Parade does, the color palette is vibrant enough on its own.

Below are photos of a few of my favorite moments from Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at night, followed by a full slideshow.

I didn’t take video of the parade at night, as I was too busy shooting stills and watching it with my own eyes instead of through a video camera viewfinder, but you can compare the nighttime shots above with the daytime video below, shot during the official debut of Mickey’s Soundsational Parade, and decide which you prefer.

Video: Mickey’s Soundsational Parade during the day from high above Main Street USA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XugM-fDTRI

Slideshow: Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at night

Like the recent Christmas version of the show, the romance additions are added to just one sequence, with the rest remaining the same. Included in the new variation of the show are plenty of rose pedals adorning the castle as well as characters like Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle appearing in stained glass windows and Rapunzel’s parents releasing glowing lanterns into the sky. But the audible “awwww” moment from the crowd comes at the beginning of the sequence, featuring a silhouette of Lady and the Tramp in a classic Disney moment.

The Valentine’s version of the show will continue nightly through mid-April, but you can enjoy it in the new video below:

Video: Valentine’s Day version of “The Magic, the Memories, and You!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq-ySYsxUn8

Video: Original version of “The Magic, the Memories, and You!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JUgeE1skTE

Video: Christmas version of “The Magic, the Memories, and You!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VllrHm-jpo

Disney plans on updating the show once again in a few months with summer sights including sand and waves.

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, the 12-hour event will take D23 members (and their guests):

Disneyland Resort certainly has many unique restaurants, leaving that last item particularly intriguing. I’m sure a few D23 members will be hoping the surprise dining location will be New Orleans Square’s exclusive Club 33 – but that won’t be known until the event.

D23 is also promising “surprises, special gifts, and more than a little bit of pixie dust” to be included.

Tickets to Disneyland Off the Map are $250 per person, available to D23 members plus one guest each, on sale on Feb. 9, 2012, at 10 a.m. PST. on the D23 web site.

Registration for the event on March 6 will begin at 9 a.m. at a yet-to-be-disclosed location and it will all wrap up at around 9 p.m. that night.

The new “Iceploration” features cast of 20 in an adventure filled with ice skaters, original costumes, aerial performances, puppetry and live animal stars, all taking place daily in the Moroccan Palace.

The 30-minute show invites audiences to “explore the world” with four unique parts of the Earth used as inspiration. It stars a “digitally savvy preteen” and his grandfather, “an old-world explorer” in an adventure around the globe visiting the African Serengeti, Great Barrier Reef, the Arctic, and the Amazon Rainforest.

Video: Iceploration highlights from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDdI_OxOP6s

In the Serengeti, huge elephant puppets take the stage along with solo and chorus skating performances and acrobatics telling the stories of cheetahs stalking gazelles and meerkats.

In the Great Barrier Reef, black light fills the theater as the show features new helium-filled puppets representing sea life, including parrotfish, lionfish, sea urchins, turtles and a moray eel.

In the Arctic, skaters-turned-snow flurries represent a winter storm, as the show’s two stars encounter the Aurora Borealis phenomenon as well as a few live animal stars, including a Siberian lynx and a sled of Siberian huskies.

Finally, the tropical Amazon Rainforest features squirrel monkeys, sun conures, macaws, frogs and a graceful dragonfly as part of the grand finale, including the show’s signature song called “Meet the World.”

“The grand scale of this show sets a new standard of entertainment that further solidifies Busch Gardens as one of Florida’s premier theme parks,” said Busch Gardens Park President Jim Dean. “Iceploration reintroduces the ice show to our most loyal fans while bringing together the things Busch Gardens stage productions do best: world-class entertainment with top-notch skaters, amazing costumes, original music, larger-than-life puppets and even animal stars.”

Iceploration performances are included with any daily park admission or annual Pass. For more information, visit BuschGardens.com.

For the first time ever, I was truly excited to be at Disney California Adventure during my quick trip to the Disneyland Resort this past weekend. Yesterday I shared a look at how Disneyland celebrated the Lunar New Year and today I continue my Disneyland updates with a photo tour around the changes that are rapidly progressing at Anaheim’s second Disney theme park.

I normally don’t offer construction updates, as I find piles of dirt and concrete to be rather, well, un-magical and prefer to focus on the final products, but I make an exception in this case. It’s been around 6 months since my last trip to Disney California Adventure during the time of the 2011 D23 Expo and I was amazed at just how much has changed. Nothing below will be news to those who frequent the California parks, but those who don’t, I hope this update will emphasize the impressive transformation this park is undergoing.

And it all starts outside the entrance:

Standing in the esplanade between Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure, I was surprised to see peaks of recent additions rising high above the new Pan Pacific-themed turnstiles. I had seen the new turnstiles on my last trip, but never realized the new entrance area elements inside the park would be visible from outside. It’s a different feeling than, say, not being able to see Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom until you pass underneath the train station.

Guests will ultimately enter Disney California Adventure into the new Buena Vista Street, replacing the old kitschy post card-themed area. But for now, construction walls direct traffic elsewhere:

These highly-themed and decorated walls bring guests all the way behind Soarin’ Over California and into Condor Flats. It’s a temporary walkway into the park, with posters lining the walls serving as advertisements for what’s to come. I’m sure regulars to the park will be happy to have their direct entrance back in a few months.

Since guests are directed far around the entrance construction zone, the only view of Buena Vista Street can be seen after backtracking, and it’s not much of a view yet:

Ultimately, that construction site will become an elaborate Main Street USA-style entrance area, themed to California in the 1920s. The Blue Sky Cellar within the park offers guests a preview of what Buena Vista Street and all its storefronts will ultimately look like:

Be sure to click the photos to enlarge them for more detail.

Disney is even proud to show off the period-inspired costumes Cast Members will be wearing in the area:

But the highlight for me during this visit to Disney California Adventure was seeing the grand Carthay Circle Theater nearly complete. This towering building is far larger than I had anticipated, built at a 3/4 scale to the original (now demolished) in Los Angeles. Rising up to 89 feet in the air (that’s 12 feet taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle!), this new structure is certainly the centerpiece of the ongoing upgrade project.

While I am excited to see what experiences will be offered inside, the outside alone offered a new “feel” to the park that was unfamiliar to me. The tourist trap motif has been replaced by something more tangible and inviting, but also with a sense of history. If that feeling evoked by the impressive Carthay Circle Theater continues throughout the surrounding area and down Buena Vista Street, I anticipate Disney California Adventure turning into a park fans want to spend time exploring and relaxing in, rather than simply hopping from ride to ride.

Signs like this help build the excitement:

Down the way, Disney is also working on Cars Land. I’ve been hearing about this massive expansion to the park for years, repeatedly being told how impressive, detailed, and immersive it will be. But what I never fully grasped from the countless presentations I attended about it was how it would integrate with the rest of the park. So on this trip, I was surprised to see just how close the entrance to the new themed area of Radiator Springs was to A Bug’s Land and the nearby main park streets.

For some reason, I had always pictured Cars Land set back further, with a bit of a walk required to reach its entrance. But that’s definitely not the case, with the row of shops and restaurants located immediately off the main path.

The nearby Blue Sky Cellar offers a great view into Radiator Springs, which is finally taking shape:

My first impression upon seeing the town for the first time: It’s small. The Cars Land mountain range is massive, particularly the portion that will be part of the E-ticket ride Radiator Springs Racers. But the actual town of Radiator Springs is not nearly as big as it looks in this photo. Disney has used forced perspective well to achieve a grand feeling to the area, particularly in pictures like this, but it’s still not quite the enveloping immersive environment I had pictured in my head. Compare the photo above to the artwork below:

Something about the scale didn’t quite match for me, but perhaps that will change once I have a chance to step foot inside when it opens this summer.

Looking deeper into Cars Land, the detail is evident, like the signs for Flo’s V8 Cafe and Ramone’s Body Art, down to the rock mosaic “RS” in the distance behind the court house:

Another surprise to me was just how close Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, one of the three rides of Cars Land, is located to the entrance. It’s placed directly to left of the path into Radiator Springs and alongside the park’s main street. Again, I had expected it to be pushed back further, fully enveloping the attraction into the world of “Cars.” Instead, it seems riders will catch glimpses of A Bug’s Land and other nearby areas of the park. I hope additional rocks and trees will be added to block sight lines for guests inside wanting to feel like they’re truly in Radiator Springs and not just in a theme park land.

Testing was in progress on Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree while I was there, with a low but loud rumbling coming from behind the construction walls:

I am looking forward to seeing Cars Land fully completed and unveiled in a few months, but my perception of exactly what the new land is has drastically changed after recently visiting the park.

Elsewhere, connecting Buena Vista Street to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot will be the Red Car Trolley system. Not much is visible in the park yet short of the tracks laid down on the pavement, but the Blue Sky Cellar does offer artwork detailing what’s to come:

Again, click to enlarge the photo.

Even with all the changes and updates to Disney California Adventure, some classic and popular attractions needn’t be touched. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror continues to thrill guests daily, and is particularly photogenic at sunset:

But the Tower of Terror and Soarin’ Over California are receiving a bit of an update in the form of new stylized posters currently hanging in the Blue Sky Cellar and on entrance construction walls, ultimately for sale on Buena Vista Street:

Not all changes at Disney California are for the better. Sadly, this weekend’s trip to the Disneyland Resort was my last chance to see ElecTRONica before it is replaced by the Mad T Party. I spent several hours across two nights absorbing all of the “Tron: Legacy” inspired excitement, making sure to capture the whole experience before it’s gone. I’ll be sharing a complete ElecTRONica tribute some time between now and its springtime removal, but for now, here are few photos to mark the occasion:

The transformation of Disney California Adventure from a half-day side trip into a full experience began with the debut of World of Color, surrounding Paradise Park, and Silly Symphony Swings, continued with the introduction of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, new boardwalk games, Goofy’s Sky School, and Paradise Gardens, and will be completed this summer with the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. The Paradise Pier back half of the park has become a beautiful and fun place to visit and once the front half reopens soon, guests visiting the Disneyland Resort will for the first time in history have a true two-park experience.

Among the special guests at the event will be “Back to the Future” trilogy creator, writer, and producer Bob Gale, appearing at the BTTF.com booth for photos and autographs. The popular web site will also be showcasing toys, games, and other “Back to the Future” items.

A DeLorean Time Machine from “Back to the Future III” will be making its DeLorean Car Show debut in Orlando, available for an up-close viewing. It’s the only privately-owned, screen-used vehicle of its kind and was recently displayed at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con.

In addition to these “Back to the Future” sights, the event schedule includes special presentations surrounding DeLorean cars, Hot Wheels, and even an appearance by Kathryn DeLorean, daughter of DeLorean founder John DeLorean.

Registration is open at DeloreanCarShow.com for the 2012 DeLorean Car Show, with the $25 cost including a metallic DCS 2012 DeLorean lapel pin. Special hotel and Disney ticket rates are available for attendees. Registration closes on June 10th.

One of last week’s announcements was that a new Blue Man Group show is set to debut next month. According to Blue Man Group, the first preview of the new show will be performed at Universal Orlando on February 9th with an official opening on February 24th.

Universal Orlando passholders were offered free tickets for a preview show on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. However, seating was extremely limited (reportedly only 100 tickets were made available) and they are already sold out, long before most passholders even received their newsletters in the mail announcing the offer.

Here’s a glimpse at what the new Blue Man Group show will be:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-TvddH2Yw

But beyond Blue Man Group, Universal Orlando passholders can enjoy a few more perks during this year’s Mardi Gras celebration, beginning Feb. 11. On Mardi Gras nights, passholders get 10% off most Mardi Gras food tents, a parade viewing area in Battery Park, and free Mardi Gras beads (normally $10.95 + tax) when showing a receipt after spending $30 on theme park merchandise at either Universal Orlando park between Feb. 11 and April 14.

Passholders can also sign up to ride on a Mardi Gras float, throwing beads and dancing to the music during the parade. Sign-up is at UniversalOrlando.com/APMardiGras.

Other new Universal Orlando annual passholder benefits for 2012 include savings on food and drinks at the new Churrascaria Dining Experience at Latin Quarter in CityWalk, 10% off purchases at Family Art and Galleria Portofino at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, and 10% off Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf at CityWalk when it opens in February.

I returned just yesterday from a quick California trip, spending two full days inside the Disneyland Resort, bringing back with me updates on all the latest and greatest happenings throughout both theme parks. So in addition to today’s look at the now-completed Lunar New Year Celebration, keep checking back throughout the coming days for more from the west coast.

The Happy Lunar New Year Celebration was set up in the “it’s a small world” mall from Jan. 20 - 29, 2012, just outside the classic attraction that unites cultures in song. Though the ride was still closed while I was there, as its Christmas time overlay was being taken down, the spirit of embracing other cultures was strong amidst the added decorations, music, and performances for the special occasion.

Paper lanterns, elaborate floral displays, and other Asian influences decorated the area:

(Yes, the Matterhorn is wrapped in scaffolding during its roughly 6-month refurbishment. More on that in an upcoming Disneyland update.)

Signs helped explain to park guests what the Lunar New Year means and let them figure out which animal represented the year in which they were born, coupled with Disney characters. It turns out I was born in the Year of Abu. The full list is Remy (Rat), Babe the Big Blue Ox (Ox), Rajah (Tiger), Thumper (Rabbit), Mushu (Dragon), Kaa (Snake), Maximus (Horse), Mrs. Sheep (Sheep), Abu (Monkey), Alan-a-Dale (Rooster), Tramp (Dog), One of the Three Little Pigs (Pig).

A variety of live entertainment was offered throughout each day of the celebration, featuring plenty of interactivity, from twirling streamers to petting lions.

Video: Traditional Chinese lion performance at Disneyland’s Lunar New Year Celebration

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gz-xLpFdVw

Characters were on hand for photos and autographs. While Mulan was a natural choice for the occasion, Mushu was the star of this show, hamming it up with guests.

Chip and Dale joined in the fun wearing Asian-inspired attire.

A guest artist also wrote names using Chinese characters and displayed other artwork.

The celebration seemed well received by all guests passing through, a welcome addition to the otherwise open area outside “it’s a small world.” Cast Members were surveying guests throughout the Happy Lunar New Year Celebration, asking if they knew about the celebration in advance of visiting the park, enjoyed their time spent there, would recommend it to others, and where they first heard about it from. I told them I heard about it through the Disney Parks Blog, which is true, but I probably should have said Inside the Magic. (If you’re ever surveyed in the park after experiencing something you read about here, be sure to tell them!)

The Lunar New Year celebration has ended overseas and likewise Disneyland’s celebration has concluded as well, but there is was more to be experienced during my brief California adventure, so keep checking back here for more Disneyland Resort fun!

More photos from the Happy Lunar New Year Celebration at Disneyland: