Theme Park | featured news

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s stock surged in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The owner of theme parks famous for water shows featuring killer whales and dolphins jumped $5.29, or 19.6 percent, to $32.29 in afternoon trading, after the company and its backers raised $702 million.

A wheelchair-bound man was awarded $8,000 by Disneyland after the "It's A Small World" ride broke, stranding him for a half hour while the theme song played continuously, according to an attorney for the plaintiff. Jose Martinez, who suffers from panic attacks and high blood pressure, did not medically stabilize for three hours after the ride broke down in 2009, attorney David Geffen said.

Disney theme parks will soon require anyone under the age of 14 to be accompanied by someone who is older than 14, a Disney spokeswoman said Saturday. The new policy will take effect March 23.

What do you call a gathering of princesses? A pack? What do you call a gathering of princesses? A pack? A gaggle? A bevy? We don’t know, either, but travelers heading to Disneyland may find themselves pondering that question when the theme park’s newest attraction, Fantasy Faire, opens on Tuesday, March 12. With the likes of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” on hand to meet and greet little visitors, it promises to be a regular princess-palooza.

Which 'bots are in, and which are out? That's the question the special-effects gurus at Universal Studios and Industrial Light and Magic, as well as "Transformers" director Michael Bay, first asked themselves five years ago when they started developing a $100 million theme park attraction based on the popular franchise. Much like the robots themselves, the answer changed shape.

Disneyland was locked down Saturday morning after a suspicious object was found near the entrance to the theme park, officials said.

A US judge rules that a Pennsylvania woman can sue Disney over claims that a staff member dressed as Donald Duck groped her at a theme park.

The theme park operator filed for bankruptcy early Saturday in Delaware after failing to reach an agreement with lenders to reorganize its debt.

China's is building its first sexually explicit theme park, and the giant genitalia sculptures and suggestive exhibits are getting many people hot and bothered in a country where talking about sex is still taboo.

Weak theme park and film studio results are blamed. Still, Disney shares rise 4% in after-hours trading as executives hint at happier days to come.