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Photo via Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando is filling a Shrekzel-shaped hole in theme park goers lives.
DreamWorks Land, the new world filled with Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda, is now open at Universal — along with a CineSational lagoon show and Hogwarts Always projection show.
DreamWorks Land fills the space formerly taken up by Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone. The Nuthouse Coaster may be history, but Universal ensured its replacement remained just as kid-friendly. The only ride in the area is the Trolls Trollercoaster. Play areas, snack stands, shows and character encounters make up the remainder of DreamWorks land.
Movie fans can also dine at Trolls– and Shrek-themed snack kiosks. Menu items are mostly cinematic twists on familiar favorites — like the Shrekzel, a Shrek-shaped soft pretzel, or the Poppy-licious Pink and BroZone Berry ice creams.
Here’s a look at the Universal attractions now open in DreamWorks Land and two new light shows.
Shrek’s Swamp Meet
The character encounter Shrek’s Swamp Meet takes place outside the green ogre’s 35-foot cottage, where guests can meet and take pictures with Shrek, Fiona and Donkey.
Movie characters at theme park meet-and-greets usually stay silent, but Donkey chats with guests with full-on Eddie Murphy swagger, so be prepared to bring some of your most burning questions about life in the Swamp or his wife, Dragon, if you visit.
Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres
With four slides, a wet play zone and a colorful playground, Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres is a play area designed for the youngest park visitors. The area also features a Pinocchio animatronic whose nose sprouts as he tells white lies.
King Harold’s Swamp Symphony
Kids’ play area King Harold’s Swamp Symphony invites guests to stand on lily pads in front of a frog-studded log. Stomping on the pads triggers the frogs to croak in a symphony of ribbits.
Mama Luna Feline Fiesta
The Puss in Boots: The Last Wish film came out less than two years ago, but it already has a presence in the new land. Mama Luna’s house features a digital screen with hundreds of cats visitors can play with using bells, maracas and buttons.
Trolls Trollercoaster
The Trolls Trollercoaster is DreamWorks Land’s only ride, and it’s designed with kids in mind, with a minimum height requirement of 36 inches (compared to The Incredible Hulk Coaster’s 54-inch requirement).
The ride doesn’t go upside-down, but it does lean heavily into its source material — riders take a seat in the caterpillar Caterbus before joining the movie’s protagonists Poppy, Tiny, Satin and Chenille in an escape from “spooky spiders.”
Poppy’s Playground
Poppy’s Playground is another kid zone, where a 20-foot mushroom extends over a field of Trolls flowers and mushroom swings for little parkgoers.
Po Live!
The central attraction of Kung Fu Panda protagonist Po’s village is a digital screen where Po appears to chat with the crowd and lead a group kung fu session. Po’s cousin Ling-Ling makes an appearance in the virtual character meet, which repeats every 20 minutes.
Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp
As another kid zone, Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp stands out for its interactive water features — including cannons and dump buckets — which Universal assures visitors will leave them soaked.
The play zone also has giant fans, gongs and merry-go-round noodle bowls.
DreamWorks Character Zone
In a break from DreamWorks Land’s focus on Trolls, Kung Fu Panda and Shrek, the DreamWorks Character Zone offers the chance to meet Gabby from the animated kid’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse — as well as other characters, according to the attraction’s website.
DreamWorks Imagination Celebration
DreamWorks Imagination Celebration brings together characters from all three of the area’s featured film franchises in a 20-minute live show. The multi-sensory show combines live actors, animated characters and dancers.
CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular
Located in Universal Studios alongside DreamWorks Land, CineSational is the park’s new lagoon show. It features soundtracks from several Universal films, including Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Jaws and the Minions franchise, according to a release.
The show will include 228 water fountains that extend up to 131 feet.
The CineSational show takes the place of the Cinematic Celebration, which was shown at the same central lagoon and ran from 2018 until 2023. Like its replacement, Cinematic Celebration also featured franchises like Harry Potter and Jurassic World.
Hogwarts Always Castle Projection Show
The Hogwarts Always show is the only new attraction unveiled Friday in Universal Islands of Adventure. The nighttime show is set against the backdrop of the Hogwarts castle and will feature visuals from the Harry Potter films.
Universal confirmed in a release Friday the show will feature the Hogwarts Express and the Sorting Ceremony.
The show will be available on select nights, but Universal has not provided a calendar of scheduled showings. The new show replaces “The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle,” which ran from 2018 until 2023.
The new light show will tie Potterheads over until the 2025 opening of Universal’s Epic Universe.
The upcoming five-world park is still under construction for now, but the Epic Universe Preview Center is now open at Universal CityWalk. Those looking forward to challenging Bowser in Super Nintendo World or soaring with Hiccup on the How to Train Your Dragon wing glider coaster will have to keep practicing their fire-breathing and dragon-saddling techniques a little while longer.
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