Amidst the excitement of the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland, existing construction and refurbishment projects are plowing ahead at full steam. Nftysqrt was in the parks for a look at the on-going craziness of progression!

In this week's park update you'll find that the Paradise Pier shops continue to be transformed, Carsland continues to get polished, Matterhorn is all wrapped for its makeover, and Buena Vista Street continues to take shape.

There's a lot going on!

Nftysqrt went into Disneyland today for take a look at the Lunar New Year Celebrations happening at the Small World Mall in Fantasyland. Between now and January 29th, guests can take photos with Chip, Dale, Mulan, and Mushu. Plus, throughout the celebration there will be cultural group performers as well as different snack items including egg rolls and chocolate churros!

In addition, we also take a look at the ongoing refurbishment the Matterhorn which is now quite covered in scaffolding and over in New Orleans Square, decorations are being placed for what might be a Mardi Gras celebration not unfamiliar from the Character Fan Days version held last year.

Nftysqrt ventured into Disney California Adventure on Wednesday for a look at the ongoing construction all around the park during a not so peaceful off season. Pushing closer to this year's grand openings, more and more details emerge everyday in Carsland, from signs to attraction vehicle testing.

Plus, Sunshine Plaza quickly continues to make way for its transformation into Buena Vista Street. Meanwhile over at Disneyland it's business as usual with Matterhorn and Main Street refurbishments well under way.

When Beauty and the Beast was first released it instantly became a classic and propelled it into the same category as Snow White and Cinderella. The movie not only had beloved characters but it also had music that melted our hearts. Every little girl wanted to be like Belle, imagining what it would be like to be a real princess.

While Paige O' Hara might not be a real princess, she certainly has had the experiences like one in portraying Belle in the beloved movie. I had the opportunity to speak with her a little about her experience recording Belle and what it will be like for her to see Beauty and the Beast sparkle in 3D.

Nftysqrt was in the parks January 11th for a progress check on all the off-season goings on in the parks. Apart from the rapidly continuing construction of Carsland, Buena Vista Street is also progressing quite rapidly with thematic details already being placed.

Meanwhile, over at Disneyland, off season projects have started up once again. A majority of Main Street is behind walls for refurbishment, while the Matterhorn Mountain get's wrapped up in scaffolding for a long overdue refurbishment. A slow time to be in the parks but not for progress checks on all the various projects!

On Sunday evening, January 8, 2012, the El Capitan Theatre played host to a very special Wurlitzer pop concert, a Tribute to Richard M. Sherman. Led by theater organist Rob Richards, the evening included live musical arrangements of the well-known songs created by the Sherman Brothers. Cameo appearances included Alex Zsolt, Richard Allen, and Dina Bennett.


As a special surprise, Mr. Sherman also took to the stage to play some of his personal favorite tunes including those from Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and it's a small world. As part of our coverage, we proudly present more than an hour of footage of this wonderful event.

Nftysqrt was in the parks January 6th for a look at the Dia De Los Reyes (or Three King's Day) celebration at Zocalo Park in Disneyland. In addition, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe has opened it's doors revealing tons of great thematic details and tributes to Mary Poppins. Meanwhile, over at DCA construction continues at Carsland.

Yahoo Movies debuted a new clip today of a teaser clip for the upcoming Tangled Ever After cartoon short. The new original short will precede theatrical screenings of Beauty and the Beast in 3D. In this latest adventure in the universe of Rapunzel and Flynn, we find the happy couple on their wedding day. A familiar cast of characters returns to this short as hilarity ensues when Maximus and Pascal lose the wedding rings!

It's our first trip of the year to the Disneyland Resort and it's quite the beehive of activity. From crowds, to holiday celebrations, to construction projects, there's a lot going on!

Over in Carsland, finishing touches are being placed through-out to race towards this summer's opening. Buena Vista Street speeds along to it's own finish-line with still lots left to do. Meanwhile, the holidays continue in full-force through the week culminating with this weekend's Dia De Los Reyes celebration.

This Christmas morning, a yearly tradition for many commenced once again on ABC with the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. Earlier this past November, studio crews were in the parks for a few days to tape all the magical goings on that were shown in today's telecast.

Those who tuned in saw Nick Cannon return to the show, this time as host! In addition to a selection of floats from Disneyland's regular A Christmas Fantasy Parade, nearly every single float from Mickey's Soundsational Parade was also included in the mix along with two special numbers; one featuring Phineas and Ferb's street party and the other featuring Disney Channel ANT Farm star China Anne McClain. Christina Aguilera was also in tow.

Words can only do so much, check out our full video and pictorial coverage of the 2011 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at Disneyland!

Saturday was a busy day for the Disneyland Resort. Apart from being well into the holiday season, the parks were bustling with guests anticipating the traditional Candlelight Ceremony and Processional.

It was also a special media day in which various outlets were invited to check out the holiday festivities including a special setup at the Festival Arena which includes snacks, characters, and general merriment.

Thursday Nftysqrt had the opportunity to go to the Walt Disney Studios for a sneak peak of upcoming events for D23 in 2012. This was a truly magical day that started in the Walt Disney Archives, and ended with Richard Sherman playing on Walt's newly restored office piano.

Yesterday at the D23 Update Media Event, Richard Sherman took to Walt's original piano to perform Feed The Birds and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from 1964's Mary Poppins.