Merlin Entertainments has launched its latest attraction at its London cluster on the River Thames, a ‘game-changing’ fully immersive
Shrek attraction, which the project’s creative director has said will take linear experiences to new heights.
Working in conjunction with DreamWorks Animation, Shrek’s Adventure follows a similar format to that of the London Dungeon minus the frights, incorporating a combination of special effects and real-life actors to create a unique experience only available currently in London.
Eddie Saul, creative director for the experience, told
AM2 that the script for the experience – which will last around 1.5 hours – is completely new and has been written exclusively by DreamWorks for the multi-million pound project.
Starting at the ‘Far Far Away Bus Depo’, visitors are transported to the fairytale world with the help of a 4D experience by Simworx. With Donkey in the driving seat, the immersive flying bus ride combines state of the art technology, brand new DreamWorks 3D animation and multi-sensory special effects. Following a crash-landing in Shrek’s swamp, visitor’s will find themselves in Far Far Away, going on a walk through iconic locations in the
Shrek universe.
From there, the walk-through attraction will take guests to iconic locations including Spooky Forest, Rumplestiltskin’s Carriage, the Poison Apple Pub, Game Show Studio Torture Chamber, the Magic Mirror’s Maze and the Muffin Man’s House.
After leaving Far Far Away, guests will be returned to the DreamWorks Tours Arrivals Hall. Here they will be able to get a look at other popular characters from the DreamWorks realm, including
Madagascar,
Kung Fu Panda and
How To Train Your Dragon.
In the
Q3 2014 edition of Attractions Management Merlin’s chief development officer, Mark Fisher, revealed that the deal between Merlin and DreamWorks would see six Shrek-themed midway attractions developed worldwide. These will operate similarly to Merlin’s Dungeons and Madame Tussauds experiences in that they will follow the same sort of theme but will be tailored specifically to the location they are in.
Collins-construction worked on the project build for Shrek’s Adventure, which has been designed not to impact the Grade II Listed County Hall. Merlin has also enlisted design and manufacture company Scruffy Dog to work on the project, while London-based MDM is working on props and models for the attraction. Merlin also enlisted its Magic Making team to oversee the entire development from start to finish.
