For more than two years now, a section of the Comcast (CMCSA) -owned Universal Studios Orlando has been closed off to visitors as the park worked to build the new DreamWorks Land with rides and characters from beloved movies such as “Shrek,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Trolls.”
It was built on the site of the former Woody Woodpecker KidZone that opened in 1999 and, after 25 years, started to appear a little dated as a new generation of children grew up with different cartoon characters.
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After more than two years of teasing fans with the occasional park expansion updates, Universal Orlando just announced that DreamWorks Land will open to its first visitors on June 14.
Some of the experiences available in the new land will include a kid-friendly Trollercoaster, a 35-foot Shrek’s Swamp for visitors to pass through and an immersive play area called Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp.
Universal will host a range of new ‘never-before-seen experiences’
“We are thrilled to debut an array of never-before-seen experiences for the entire family to enjoy from day to night,” Universal Orlando President and Chief Operating Officer Karen Irwin said in a statement. “These new experiences – coupled with the amazing attractions currently in our theme parks – will allow our guests to create lasting memories that will make this summer truly unforgettable.”
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Along with the new land, Universal Orlando shared that three new experiences are coming to the rest of the park — a projection show on the Hogwarts castle similar to the nightly fireworks projected onto Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disney (DIS) ‘s Magic Kingdom, the new CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular nightly show at Toon Lagoon and a new daytime parade premiering on July 3 for the holiday.
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‘Leap off the screen and land on the streets’
For both the parade and night shows, Universal promised use of the latest technology in order to combine physical characters and features with film projection. The lagoon show will make use of 228 fountains, 600 drones and 4K projection mapping.
“Some of the most beloved stories from Universal’s films will leap off the screen and land on the streets of Universal Studios Florida for Universal Mega Movie Parade – a spectacular celebration of iconic movies ‘E.T.,’ ‘Back to the Future,’ ‘Jaws,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ Illumination’s “Minions ‘ and ‘Sing’ and DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Trolls’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda,'” Universal says in the press release.
Two weeks ago, Disney announced that it was embarking on a massive renovation of its Parc Walt Disney. Originally opened with classic Disney rides such as ‘Hollywood Tower,’ the park be renamed Walt Disney Adventure World and expanded to include a Frozen-inspired Kingdom of Arandelle. Once construction is complete in 2025, guests will be able to walk into a view of Elsa’s castle and North Mountain as well as ride a new high-speed roller coaster called the ‘Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs,’ and the ‘Frozen Ever After’ boat ride.
The wider park will also be modernized to include different “worlds” for visitors to pass through and a Central Park walkway featuring historic movie theatres and moments from film history’s past along with an entrance building that takes one from the park gates straight to what looks like the set of a movie studio.
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