Discovering the Magic of DreamWorks Land: A Playful Adventure for All Ages at Universal Studios Orlando
My littles are not so little anymore. When we go to Universal, it is synonymous with Harry Potter World. However, during a recent trip to Universal, I felt compelled to check out the new imagined Dreamworks Land featuring The Trolls, Shrek, Puss in Boots, and Po from Kung Fu Panda. I was thoroughly impressed with this little corner of the world.
The first spot I had to check out was Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp. This is an open air spot in the back of Dreamworks, but has full shade and extremely powerful fans running. On a hot Florida day, one can still be very comfortable back here. The design for the entertainment is similar to Turtle Talk with Crush; Po is animated, but is fully interacting with the audience and calls them out according to the color of their shirts or whether they are waving, dancing, etc. He opens by saying he is looking for his cousin, which invites the littles to cry out when she pops up from various hiding places. Then Po walks us through his culinary expertise by making some stir-fry, using peppers, garlic and potatoes. Finally, he invites everyone (littles and adults alike) to come towards the front and center to learn Kung Fu. Thankfully he did not call me out, as I was wanting to stay in the back filming.
Dreamworks has also incorporated several splash zones into their land. One is based on Shrek’s swamp, and includes fun interactive frogs singing and spitting out water when the littles jump on the lily pads. Another splash zone is called the Pond of Perpetual Wetness, and is based on Po’s village. The centerpiece of the splash zones, though, is a huge playground of wetness with levers, pulleys, bucket dumps, and fountains for the littles to run, climb, and play. There are several drying stations in Dreamworks to blast the littles dry after burning off steam.
Other attractions include a precious rollercoaster inspired by Trolls that is perfect for the littles, as well as a Puss in Boots interactive world where they can help cats get into mischief by pushing buttons, pulling levers, and spinning wheels. Plenty of character appearances were made, including the Trolls and Puss in Boots. My favorite attraction, however, was the Imagination Celebration, a live performance that features characters from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Trolls. It is a sweet story about a boy who has lost his imagination, and his best friend intervenes to help him rediscover it. The performers were incredibly talented, the show was lively, and as a grown-ass adult, I wanted to jump up and dance along with them. Being in an air-conditioned environment was also a big plus!
Universal Studios did an amazing job providing a center of play, keeping cool, and imagination to this corner of their world. For families with littles, multi-generational trips, or even a range of ages, this little area has so much to offer guests. It was truly a delight.