DreamWorks Animation has found a new home at Universal Orlando Resort, as the theme park announced the impending arrival of a DreamWorks Animation-themed land set to debut in 2024.
The theme park said Thursday that guests will “share special moments with their favorite characters like Gabby from ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ and explore themed, interactive play spaces and attractions that bring popular franchises like ‘Shrek,’ ‘Trolls’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda’ to life in the most imaginatively fun ways.”
The area will take over what was formerly known as Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone, over by E.T. Adventure (which, mercifully, has not been touched). You can tell from the concept art (above) that they are utilizing some of the preexisting structures and attractions for the new land – in particular Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster has been seemingly rethemed to a “Trolls”-indebted attraction. You can also see a Shrek and Donkey meet-and-greet area, which used to be a staple of Universal Studios until Shrek 4-D closed last year (a new “Minions”-inspired attraction utilizing moving sidewalks and laser shooter technology is opening soon where Shrek 4-D once stood).
Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone closed permanently in January 2023, making the turnaround to the DreamWorks-themed land lightning fast (even if it opens at the end of next year). Other areas of the former land included Fievel’s Playland (based on the character from “An American Tail” and “Fievel Goes West,” and Curious George Goes to Town, based on the books by Margret and H. A. Rey and illustrated by Alan Shalleck (and turned into movies and TV shows by Universal). It’s understandable why the area is undergoing a retheme.
Since buying DreamWorks Animation in 2016, Universal has been bullish about putting the characters into the Universal portfolio of theme parks – in Hollywood a “Kung Fu Panda”-themed 3D attraction called Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest opened in 2018 and there is an entire “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed land opening in 2025 with the rest of Universal’s third gate in Orlando, Universal Epic Universe.
