''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 Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, and other streaming releases) is an animated

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 ...

based on the ''Shrek'' franchise created by

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 ...

, itself based on the book by

William Steig William Steig ( ; November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books, best known for the picture book ''Shrek!'', which inspired the Shrek (franchise), film series of the same name, as we ...

. It also is a 4D

simulator ride Simulator rides are a type of amusement park or fairground ride, where the audience is shown a movie while their seats move to correspond to the action on screen. There are many types but they fall into the heading of entertainment unlike the on ...

attraction with motion-based effects and water sprayers located at various theme parks around the world. It is currently shown at

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 ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and previously in Universal Studios

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The Hollywood location closed on August 14, 2017, to make way for the DreamWorks Theatre attraction, the Orlando location closed on January 10, 2022, to make way for Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast, and the Japan location closed on February 9, 2024. Outside the Universal parks, the movie was shown at

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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from May 2008 until July 2011, and

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

from September 2005 until August 2010. A spin-off attraction titled '' Donkey's Photo Finish'' is located at the Florida venue while '' Meet Shrek and Donkey'' is located at the Hollywood venue. In Universal Studios Japan (where it is known as ''Shrek's 4-D Adventure''), the attraction is shown in the same theater as Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, with the ''Shrek 4-D'' film shown for the first 12 hours of the day, and the Sesame Street film shown for the next 12 hours of the day. The film, set after the events of the first film, follows

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

Donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

as they attempt to save

Princess Fiona Princess Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks' ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' franchise. One of the film series' List of Shrek (franchise) characters#Main, main characters, Fiona first appears in ''Shrek'' (2001) as a ...

from

Lord Farquaad This is a list of characters that appear in the ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' franchise. Main *Shrek (character), Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers in the films and Michael Gough (voice actor), Michael Gough in the video games, spin-offs, commercial ...

's ghost, who plots to capture her. The ride takes guests on a journey alongside Shrek and Donkey during their rescue mission.

Plot

While

and

, assisted by

, try to find the Honeymoon Hotel, where they plan to stay for their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

, Thelonious appears and captures Fiona, with Shrek and Donkey giving chase. Upon Shrek and Donkey searching around the local graveyard,

's ghost reanimates the stone statue of

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

from his tomb to go after them and kill them. The real Dragon arrives to the rescue, leading to a chase ending with the stone dragon losing its wings against the walls of a hole and falling into the water below. Farquaad sends Fiona on a raft to fall over the waterfall (with Thelonious still on it, not realizing he was supposed to get off), intending to kill her so that they can rule the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

together. Fiona manages to break the restraints and knees Thelonious in the groin, causing him to fall off the raft. Shrek and Donkey arrive shortly after to rescue her before the raft plunges over the waterfall, but in the end, all four of them fall over the waterfall. They are saved by Dragon, who then breathes fire at Farquaad, destroying him again. Dragon gives Shrek and Fiona a ride to the Honeymoon Hotel, and she and Donkey ride off to have a honeymoon of their own by making waffles. Shrek and Fiona's honeymoon is interrupted by the Fairy Tale creatures, but they go along with it. Everyone celebrates after Shrek says "Let The Honeymoon Begin!". He then pops the cork off champagne, sending one of the fairies flying with the cork.

Cast

Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

Conrad Vernon Conrad Vernon (born July 11, 1968) is an American director, producer, writer, storyboard artist and voice actor, best known for his work on the DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks animated film series ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' as well as other fil ...

as Gingy * Cody Cameron as

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

/ The Three Little Pigs * Christopher Knights as Thelonious /

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753. ...

* Chris Miller as Magic Mirror

History

Amusement park integration

In May 2002, it was announced that

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 ...

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 ...

would be getting Shrek 4-D. That same month, the Florida location announced the closure of

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera ''The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera'' is an American animated syndicated programming block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that ran on a weekly schedule and was performed in live action. The program ran from 1985 to 1994. Overview The ...

and Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies. Shrek 4-D would be taking over Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies, while The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera would be taken over by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast. Both attractions were set to open in 2003. Universal Parks & Resorts have implemented the movie into four of their amusement parks with plans to integrate it into a fifth. The first park to show the film was Universal Studios Hollywood on May 23, 2003. This was followed by Universal Studios Florida and Japan in June. In 2010, the attraction opened with Universal Studios Singapore in the ''

''-themed Far Far Away themed area. Outside the Universal Parks, the film has only been shown at two theme parks. Movie Park Germany began showing the film on May 27, 2008 (which was shown in German), with Warner Bros. Movie World starting on September 17, 2005. The Florida location hosted a 10th anniversary party on June 12, 2013, with a giant birthday cake, along with appearances from Shrek and Princess Fiona. Universal Studios Hollywood's Shrek 4-D queue has been used for many years to make mazes for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights event. In 2006, ''The Asylum'' operated in the queue. This was followed by ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

'' themed mazes for 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2009 '' My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever'' operated in the queue. The final mazes used in this venue were both themed to La Llorona in 2011 and 2012.

Closures

Warner Bros. Movie World closed its Shrek 4-D Adventure on August 29, 2010. Movie Park Germany closed their Shrek 4-D attraction the following year on July 4, 2011, and ''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - The 4-D Experience'' opened in its place in 2012. A third installation of Shrek 4-D closed at Universal Studios Hollywood on August 14, 2017, to make way for the DreamWorks Theatre attraction. Universal Studios Florida announced in 2021 that its Shrek 4-D was closing with its last day of operation being on January 10, 2022. The Florida attraction was replaced by Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast which became part of ''Minion Land on Illumination Ave'', which opened on August 11, 2023, Leaving the Japan and Singapore versions to be the only ones operating.

Other releases

On May 11, 2004, the attraction was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

with the original ''

'' film as ''Shrek 3-D'' with both 3-D and 2-D versions included. The release included pairs of two-color 3-D glasses. The DVD included an anaglyph 3-D version along with a conventional version without 3-D effects. The DVD release also included a preview of ''

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 ...

''. On May 13, 2007, the film was shown on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

as ''Shrek's Never Before Seen Adventure'', with the 3-D effects removed. In October 2011, the film was released on

under the title ''The Ghost of Lord Farquaad'' as a part of ''DreamWorks Spooky Stories'' with a

Fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

break removed and music added to the end credits''.'' A comic adaptation of the film was featured as issue #1 of the ''Shrek'' comic book mini-series published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

. Also the 3-D re-release short film was shown before the 3-D family films in 2011–2012 such as '' Kung Fu Panda 2'', ''Puss in Boots'', and '' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' in the UK. It was also released on August 28, 2012, as part of ''

's Thrilling Tales'' DVD and ''DreamWorks Spooky Stories'' Blu-ray.

Ride overview

Queue

In the Universal Studios parks, guests wait outside the building (housed in a soundstage) where they watch various clips from the first ''

'' film running on a loop. The queue also includes multiple posters for fake advertisements for attractions in the Kingdom of Duloc. Guests then enter a dungeon in Duloc where the storyline for the attraction will be revealed. At Warner Bros. Movie World, the queue began outside the '' Roxy Theatre'' and wrapped around the left-hand side of the building into the alleyway. Guests were ushered into the pre-show room where they were given a pair of 3D glasses. A similar set-up occurred at Movie Park Germany.

Pre-show

Participants are given their "OgreVision" 3-D Goggles as they enter a

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

-like room with two giant television screens on either side. While loading the pre-showroom attraction presenters commonly tell jokes to encourage people to move closer to each other in order to fit the capacity audience in the room. The pre-show begins with the Three Little Pigs, Gingy, and

revealing that

has kidnapped them and is holding them in Castle Duloc's dungeon. Gingy flees in the middle of the explanation. The Magic Mirror begins to summarize the story of what happened before (i.e. the first Shrek film) by stating "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." as a spoof on ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

''. When he is chastised, he quickly responds, "Sorry...I've been feeling really spaced out lately...". After the Mirror finishes, Farquaad appears and states that he intends to torture the fairytale creatures as well as the audience in order to find Shrek and Fiona. The monitor screen later shows a

test card A test card, also known as a test pattern or start-up/closedown test, is a television test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast (often at sign-on and sign-off). Used since the ear ...

with Lord Farquaad in the center. The Mirror then warns the audience about safety. In the Hollywood version, the 2015 refurbishment added Donkey appeared in audio animatronic form and interacted with the guests. With the addition of Donkey, the pre show was shorter in which it did not feature the recap of the story. Everything else was the same. In the Japan version, the Mirror tells the audience to put on their goggles. The cinema doors are then opened and guests take their seats in the theatre.

Main show

The main ride has the riders watch the

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

with their OgreVision 3-D Googles in the theatre, while special effects simulate interaction with the events of the film. Although the animation is 3-D, the ride is a

4-D film 4D or 4-D primarily refers to: * 4-dimensional spacetime: three-dimensional space of length, width, and height, plus time * Four-dimensional space It may also refer to: Computers and photography * 4D (software), a complete programming environme ...

, which incorporates physical effects including motion seats which tilt forward, backward, vibrate, and raise up and drop down during the show. Water sprayers are attached to the back of each seat, to spray the face of the rider sitting behind it. Water sprayers on the ceiling spray riders seated on the front row. Multiple lighting effects are used, such as projected images of a moving waterfall on the walls, or "magical" sparkles of flickering light. Air blasters on the front of every seat blow air against riders neck and head. Leg ticklers are also used to simulate spiders crawling across the theater. Stationary seats, which do not move during the film, are marked and available for those who want to watch the film without the motion or vibration. Every other effect is available for the stationary seats. When the film ends, the fairy shot off with the champagne cork lands up in a speaker attached to the wall of the theater. In the Japan version, the screen splits open for guests to step through the post-show area leading to the gift shop.

Spin-off attractions

A number of spin-off attractions operate alongside Shrek 4-D in various amusement parks. In Universal Studios Florida, ''Donkey's Photo Finish'' was a

meet and greet Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an Australian television series * '' Meet: Badlegi Duniya ...

attraction that opened in 2003 alongside the film, replacing '' Stage 54''. The attraction consisted of guests walking up to an animatronic

who mingled with and made fun of them. The guests had their picture taken with Donkey, and then moved onto meeting

and

, the latter of whom talked to them. Guests then had their picture taken for purchase with Shrek and Fiona. The attraction temporarily closed in June 2012 to make way for '' Transformers: The Ride – 3D'', before reopening in a new location next to Monsters Cafe (now known as Minion Cafe) before that area closed alongside the attraction on January 10, 2022. It was relocated to the Woody WoodPecker's KidZone area on July 14, 2022, replacing The Barney Shop, a gift shop located near the former A Day in the Park with Barney live show. Five months after, on November 1, 2022, Universal Studios Florida announced that the meet and greet area, alongside Fievel's Playland, DreamWorks Destination, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, and

Curious George Goes to Town Curious George Goes to Town was a children's water play and ball play area at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. The Florida attraction originally opened in 1998 on the former site of ''The Bates Motel Set'' used in ''Ps ...

, would close permanently on January 16, 2023, with its last day of operation the day before on January 15, 2023. A new meet and greet hosted at a recreation of Shrek's swamp home, featuring a refreshed Donkey puppet, opened with DreamWorks Land on June 14, 2024 as ''Shrek's Swamp Meet''. A similar attraction is located at Universal Studios Hollywood named ''Meet Shrek and Donkey''. In Universal Studios Singapore, ''Shrek 4-D'' exists within the larger Far Far Away themed area. Other attractions in the area include '' Donkey Live'' (an interactive live show using

digital puppetry Digital puppetry is the manipulation and performance of digitally animated 2D or 3D figures and objects in a virtual environment that are rendered in real-time by computers. It is most commonly used in filmmaking and television production but has ...

technology, which features Donkey entertaining and engaging guests in conversation in an intimate theater setting),Donkey Live – Far Far Away – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from th
Official Site
. Enchanted Airways (a junior roller coaster that features trains modeled after

),Enchanted Airways – Far Far Away – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from th
Official Site
. Puss in Boots' Giant Journey (a roller coaster with suspended ride vehicles, featuring Puss in Boots as he runs from a giant goose) and ''

Magic Potion Spin Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort at Sentosa in Singapore. It features 24 Theme park#Rides and attractions, rides, shows, and Theme park#Rides and attract ...

'' (a miniature ferris wheel for children which is themed to be a part of a potion assembly line).Magic Potion Spin – Far Far Away – Universal Studios Singapore. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from th
Official Site
. During the attraction's time at Warner Bros. Movie World, a short-lived live show named ''Shrek Live'' was shown in the park's Show Stage.

References

External links

*
Shrek's 4-D Adventure at Universal Studios Japan

Shrek 4-D Adventure at Universal Studios Singapore
{{Shrek 2003 3D films 3D animated films 2003 children's films 2003 American animated short films American children's animated fantasy films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films 4D films Amusement rides based on film franchises Amusement rides introduced in 2003 Amusement rides introduced in 2005 Amusement rides introduced in 2008 Amusement rides introduced in 2010 Amusement rides that closed in 2010 Amusement rides that closed in 2011 Amusement rides that closed in 2017 Amusement rides that closed in 2022 Former Universal Studios Hollywood attractions DreamWorks Animation short films DreamWorks Animation in amusement parks Universal Pictures animated films Shrek (franchise) mass media Movie Park Germany Animated films about legendary creatures American ghost films American animated films about revenge 2003 establishments in Florida 2022 disestablishments in Florida 2003 establishments in California 2017 disestablishments in California 2003 establishments in Japan 2005 establishments in Australia 2010 disestablishments in Australia 2010 establishments in Singapore Universal Destinations & Experiences attractions by name Universal Destinations & Experiences films Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Japan Universal Studios Singapore Warner Bros. Movie World Films directed by Simon J. Smith Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams 3D animated short films 2000s English-language films Former Universal Studios Florida attractions English-language short films he:שרק#שרק 4D