Shrek’s Adventure, the South Bank: an immersive Dreamworks experience
Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey are being brought to life in London’s newest attraction, on the South Bank.
Shrek’s Adventure, which celebrates the four-film animated series about a grumpy green ogre, is to open in County Hall, next to the Sea Life London Aquarium and London Dungeons.
Inside the Grade II-listed building, the team from theme park operator Merlin are constructing a fairytale world featuring characters and key sets from the films.
The attraction does not open until July but creative lead Eddie Saul gave the Standard a tour, to give a sense of what visitors can expect when work is finished.
The journey begins on a London Routemaster bus that whisks visitors off to the kingdom of Far Far Away, with the help of 4D animation and special effects. Guests are then set their challenge: to find Shrek and locate a magic portal to get safely back to London.
On the way, they discover a maze of paths and rooms, scattered with characters from the films, including Puss in Boots, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and the Three Blind Mice. Actors appear in full costume in the rooms, each crafted to recreate key locations including Shrek’s swamp home, the Muffin Man’s House and the Poison Apple pub.
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The creative team promise a full immersive experience, with cutting edge technology including new Dreamworks 3D animation.
When guests make it out of Far Far Away and back to London, the journey continues into the worlds of three other Dreamworks films: Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. There are plans for Shrek’s Adventure, which has been two years in the making, to be recreated across the world after its launch in London.
Paul Moreton, group creative director at Merlin, said: “The guest steps into an adventure where they play their part and the actions they take affect the whole attraction.
“This is a completely new Shrek story told in a completely new way.”
