Universal Unveils a DreamWorks Fiesta

When Universal Orlando suddenly shut down nearly all its child-friendly Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone area in January last year, there was very little to say about what would replace it.

The KidZone section of the Universal Studios park was only completed in 1999 with the opening of Woody’s Nuthouse Coaster, which followed hard on the heels of the Curious George playground, making for a lively area for under 12s to play and let off some steam.

But, in the fast-changing world of theme parks and the film franchises that are so popular within them, the writing had been on the wall for Woody and Co for quite a while, with proposed makeovers bring drawn up for the Ice Age, Smurfs and Nintendo characters in the past 10 years.

The axe finally fell in 2023, but it was none of the above that will be moving into the former KidZone space. Nintendo World WILL see the light of day, but only in the all-new Epic Universe theme park next year. Instead, KidZone will become DreamWorks Land.

What is this new Land?

While Universal didn’t release much information about the transformation of this area, there was plenty of speculation about what the new theme would be.

With DreamWorks already a regular partner of Universal’s through their Shrek franchise and the Madagascar movies, the common opinion was that we would see a dramatic increase in the profile for Shrek and his film friends.

It wasn’t until July 2023 that Universal confirmed the rumours, and the full DreamWorks Land branding was unveiled. But that’s pretty much all we got.

It was still unclear if the area’s transformation would see wholescale re-shaping, if it would just be re-themed, or if it would involve a combination of the two. But, thanks to another major Universal announcement last week, we now know the full extent of what we’ll be seeing. And it is very much Option C, a mixture of the two ideas.

Here’s what we now know

As of this summer, Universal Orlando will debut a vibrant new themed environment inspired by DreamWorks Animation’s beloved characters Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda. The expansive area will feature tons of fun for the entire family and include a family-friendly coaster, multiple interactive play areas, live entertainment, character meet-and-greets and more.

As soon as guests step into the spectacular new land, the vivid world and imagination of DreamWorks will surround them on exciting adventures like exploring Shrek’s Swamp just outside of his 35-foot-tall cottage; taking a ride on a dazzling Trollercoaster; interacting with Po in the Panda Village; and meeting characters like Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse. Guests will also discover unique treats, photo-op-worthy murals, interactive play areas, splash pads and entertainment offerings themed to popular DreamWorks stories.

Here are all the essential details about the enchanting and playful new experiences coming to DreamWorks Land.

SHREK

Like ogres and onions, guests can peel back layers of fun in Shrek’s oasis to discover “ogre-the-top” adventures at every turn:

Shrek’s Swamp Meet: Guests can visit Shrek’s Swamp to interact with each of Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey, with the noble steed eager to joke around and converse with guests, just outside of Shrek’s cottage.

Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres: This ogre-sized play area features four fun slides, wet play areas and a playground where guests can climb, bounce and splash around as well as venture into Shrek’s outhouse.

Mama Luna Feline Fiesta: Blockbuster film Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish comes to life with this new interactive experience that takes place in Mama Luna’s retirement home for cats. Here, guests get to play with Mama Luna’s many cats on vivid interactive screens activated by buttons, bells, maracas and levers. They might even spot the one and only Puss in Boots himself.

King Harold’s Swamp Symphony: Guests can create their own melodious masterpiece as they trigger a choir of ever-changing frog ribbits by continually stomping on an array of interactive lily pads.

Swamp Snacks: Families can feast like an ogre at this new kiosk, which will serve scrumptious snacks inspired by Shrek, including Shrekzel, Far Far A Waffle, Frozen Ogre and more.

TROLLS

A magnificent fountain featuring popular Trolls characters Poppy and Branch will sit at the centre of Troll Village, where “fantastamazing” energy flows and guests can relax and “find their happy place.”

Trolls Trollercoaster: After strolling through a dazzling marquee starring Trolls characters Poppy, Viva, Tiny Diamond, Satin and Chenille, guests of all ages can take a ride on the iconic Caterbus, escaping evil spiders as they speed along a bright orange and yellow track aboard this family-friendly rollercoaster.

Poppy’s Playground: Nestled under a giant 20ft mushroom is this fab playground, a shaded area featuring colourful flowers and bugs with a bountiful array of bouncing and climbing structures for the youngest of trolls.

Trolls Treats: Poppy’s boombox from Trolls Band Together has been transformed into a playful kiosk that offers up brightly coloured Trolls ice cream treats inspired by Poppy and Branch, like the pink lemonade-flavoured Poppy-licious Pink and huckleberry-imbued BroZone Berry.

High Five Hideaway: Cloud Guy hosts this all-new retail location featuring the latest merchandise, including apparel, plush and accessories from Shrek, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, Gabby’s Dollhouse and more.

KUNG FU PANDA

Guests embark on thrilling and fun adventures alongside the lovable panda Po from the action-packed world of the Kung Fu Panda movies.

Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp: Inspired by the hit films, this all-new play area brings the Panda Village to life like never before. Within both wet and dry play areas, guests have the opportunity to help the pandas wash and dry their laundry with enormous water cannons, dump buckets, giant fans and more. Guests will also encounter fun elements throughout the experience, including an interactive gong, mischievous baby pandas and oversized merry-go-round noodle bowls from Mr Ping’s Noodle Shop.

Po Live!: This digital, interactive meet-and-greet experience gives guests the opportunity to interact with the famous Dragon Warrior himself as he teaches them cool Kung Fu moves, cooks delicious stir fry and babysits little cousin Ling Ling…all at the same time.

And there’s more

The new land will also feature additional opportunities for guests to meet and interact with the characters through extraordinary live entertainment, including:

DreamWorks Imagination Celebration: Popular DreamWorks stories leap off the screen and come to life in a multisensory adventure that combines hit pop songs, high-energy dancing, advanced technology and more to create an imaginative party atmosphere that transports guests to the character-filled worlds within the all-new DreamWorks Theater.

DreamWorks Character Zone: This is where guests can meet, greet and interact with more characters, notably Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse and more.

What will you be most excited to see at the new DreamWorks Land? Tell us about them on Facebook, X and Instagram pages… and don’t forget to interact with us on Pinterest and now TikTok too!