Since 23 May 2003,

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...

, an American

animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...

, owned by

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

since 2016, has had an involvement in the creation and theming of

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

rides and attractions. This article details the ventures of DreamWorks Animation in amusement parks.

History

In 2003,

Universal Destinations & Experiences Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), formerly Universal Parks & Resorts, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme parks and resort propert ...

opened the

4D film 4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, Sense of smell, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperat ...

called ''

Shrek 4-D ''Shrek 4-D'' (also known as ''Shrek 3-D'' for the DVD release and ''The Ghost of Lord Farquaad'' for the ''Shrek's Thrilling Tales'' DVD release and ''DreamWorks Spooky Stories'' Blu-ray release, Netflix, and other streaming releases) is an ani ...

'' at

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...

and

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Destinations & Experiences, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operat ...

. The film is chronologically sequenced between the original 2001 film ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

'' and ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Sti ...

'' which was released in 2004. In 2005 and 2008, ''Shrek 4-D'' was added to

Warner Bros. Movie World Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the park opened on 3 June 1991. It is part of a entertainment precinct, with the ...

and

Movie Park Germany Movie Park Germany is a theme park in Bottrop-Kirchhellen in western Germany, north of Düsseldorf, with an area of . It consists of 7 areas based on movies and TV series. Nearby the park are several film studios. History The park originall ...

respectively (the film was later removed from Warner Bros. Movie World and Movie Park Germany in favour of Journey to the Center of the Earth 4-D Adventure and Ice Age: The 4D Experience). On 18 March 2010, DreamWorks Animation moved further into the theme park industry with the opening of two themed lands at

Universal Studios Singapore Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort at Sentosa in Singapore. It features 24 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. It is one of the five U ...

. The first land is Madagascar which is based upon the 2005 film of the same name. The second land is Far Far Away which is based on the ''Shrek'' franchise. Each of the lands featured a variety of

attractions Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

themed after the movies. In 2011, Dreamworld announced a $10 million deal with DreamWorks Animation to bring the company's characters to their amusement park. In a 3-stage development beginning on 19 December 2011, Dreamworld will open new shows and newly themed rides and attractions. In May 2012, the Brazilian theme park

Beto Carrero World Beto Carrero World is a theme park located in Penha, Santa Catarina, Penha, Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, Brazil. The park is part of Santa Catarina's signature amusement parks. It is the largest theme park in Latin America, occupying ...

announced a partnership with DreamWorks Animation, later that year

and other characters began to make meet and greets around the park. The first area with DreamWorks Animation characters opened in February 2014, themed to

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, the area features two attractions, a live show and a

river rapids ride A river rapids ride (or river rafting ride) is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting. History The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall (general manager of Six Flags AstroWorld, AstroWorld in Houston) and develop ...

. In March 2016, Beto Carrero World and DreamWorks Animation renewed the partnership for more 10 years, and announced three new themed areas featuring ''Shrek'', ''

How to Train Your Dragon ''How to Train Your Dragon'' is a media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the book series How to Train Your Dragon (novel series), of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: '' ...

'', and ''

Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...

''. The construction was scheduled to start in 2017. In July 2012, DreamWorks CEO

Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg ( ; born December 21, 1950) is an American media proprietor and film producer. He served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, a position in which he oversaw production and busin ...

announced that the attractions at the American Dream Mall (formerly Meadowland Mills and Meadowland Xanadu) in the

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands ...

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...

will be themed to DreamWorks' animated productions. In September 2016, the mall's owner Triple Five Group announced that

Nickelodeon Universe Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongq ...

will also occupy the indoor amusement park space and

would work with partnership in creating the park. In November 2018, the mall's vice president of Communications announced the opening date of September 2019 but by that date it was delayed to November 27, 2019, before being delayed again. By October 25, 2019, the Nickelodeon Universe theme park opened at the American Dream. In February 2020, the park announced its opening date of March 19, 2020. However, the onset

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

caused American Dream to delay the opening again. In September 2020, the park announced that it will finally open on October 1, 2020, along with the rest of the mall. On October 1, 2020, DreamWorks Water Park officially opened to the public. In February 2013, it was revealed that DreamWorks Animation has partnered with Regions GC to build in Russia Europe's largest indoor theme parks. Set in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

, each park would incorporate a movie and concert hall, 4D movie theater, three-star 400-room hotel and retails. The parks, which were expected to be completed in 2015, would feature themes based on ''

'', ''

'', and ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

''. In May 2013, DreamWorks signed a licensing agreement with Sands China to bring its cast of animated characters to Sands Cotai Central in

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. The resorts would present a series of performances, parades, dining experiences, meet-and-greets and photo opportunities highlighting characters such as Po from ''Kung Fu Panda''; Shrek,

Fiona Fiona is a feminine given name of Gaelic origins. It means white or fair, while the Irish name ''Fíona'' means 'of wine', being the genitive of 'wine'. It was coined by Scottish writer James Macpherson. Initially, the name was confined to ...

and

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

from ''Shrek''; Alex the Lion, King Julien and the Penguins from ''Madagascar'' and Toothless and Hiccup from ''How to Train Your Dragon''. In January 2024, Universal Destinations and Experiences announced

— Isle of Berk will be one of the five featured lands at

Universal Epic Universe Universal Epic Universe is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It opened on May 22, 2025, as the third theme park and fourth park overall to open at Universal Orlando. The park was part of a larger development and feature ...

. The park is scheduled to open in May 2025.

Locations

Attractions

Below is a list of all of the attractions at DreamWorks Animation themed areas around the world. The dates shown in the columns refer to the opening and closing dates for the ride under that name. It does not mean that the ride was closed and/or removed.

Gallery

File:Enchanted Airways Universal Studios Singapore.jpg, Enchanted Airways at Universal Studios Singapore File:Far Far Away entrance (Universal Studios Singapore).jpg, Far Far Away at Universal Studios Singapore File:Far Far Away Castle.jpg, Far Far Away Castle at Universal Studios Singapore File:King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round entrance.jpg, King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round at Universal Studios Singapore File:King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round.jpg, King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round at Universal Studios Singapore File:Universal Studio Singapore (84).jpg, Madagascar at Universal Studios Singapore File:Madagascar A Crate Adventure sign.jpg, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure at Universal Studios Singapore File:Marty's Casa Del Wild (Universal Studios Singapore).jpg, Marty's Casa Del Wild at Universal Studios Singapore File:The Former Puss in Boots Sword Swing.jpg, Puss in Boots Sword Swing at Dreamworld File:USJ-4D Cinema.jpg, Shrek 4-D at Universal Studios Japan File:Shrek's Swamp (Universal Studios Singapore).jpg, Shrek's Swamp at Universal Studios Singapore

References

{{Warner Bros. Movie World Amusement rides by theme Universal Destinations & Experiences attractions by name