Sunday, September 27, 2009

Universal Studios Singapore Announces World's Exclusive Attractions Inspired by Dreamworks Animation



Just in case you've forgotten about it, a brand new Universal Studios theme park will open in Singapore early 2010. The park will of course include Universal favorites like Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, The Mummy and the Waterworld show, but also unique attractions which exist at no other Universal Studios park in the world!

Universal Studios Singapore announced last Thursday the world’s only “Madagascar” attraction, and that the park will also bring to life the world’s first “Far Far Away” Castle from the world of Shrek. Themed after DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster movie Madagascar, "Madagascar: A Crate Adventure" will be a mega-attraction when the park opens next year. The film will be brought to life with a state-of-the-art indoor boat ride featuring animated figures, digital projection, evocative sound, and special effects that create a one-of-a-kind, funny and fun family ride.



Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park will also be home to the world’s first Far Far Away Castle, a landmark in the box-office hit series Shrek. King Harold’s 40-meter high castle will house attractions such as Shrek 4-D, Donkey Live and Magic Potion Spin. On the high-res bird's eye view artwork below, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is located on the left and Far Far Away Castle on the right.



Madagascar: A Crate Adventure and Far Far Away Castle are part of the world’s single largest collection of DreamWorks Animation theme park attractions, making its debut at
Universal Studios Singapore. The collection of six attractions, complemented by more than 10 DreamWorks Animation themed dining and shopping outlets, will also feature rides suitable for the entire family. Let's have a closer look to these new rides all inspired by DreamWorks Animation movies.


Madagascar: A Crate Adventure
: The hit DreamWorks Animation films are brought to life with state-of-the-art animated figures, digital projection, evocative sound, and moving show-action effects that create a one-of-a-kind, immersive ride experience. Cast adrift while being transferred from the New York Zoo, our four heroes – Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria – arrive at the shores of Madagascar. Here, they meet the impulsive leader of the local lemurs, King Julien, who, between bustin’ moves on the jungle floor, asks the New Yorkers to help defeat his nemesis – the dreaded Foosa. Aided by the technically- savvy but psychotic penguins, our heroes defeat the Foosa at the rim of a bubbling volcanic cauldron.



King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round: King Julien, the self-appointed king of the lemurs, knows how to move it, move it, and now he spins guests round and round to the beat of high-energy dance music in this crazy carousel, sure to be a family favorite. At this festive beach scene, King Julien and the Lemurs are throwing a party for their favorite freaks from New York: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe.




Shrek 4-D: Guests will join Princess Fiona, Shrek and Donkey on a honeymoon adventure that picks up where the Oscar-winning movie “Shrek” left off, through an original 3-D film, complete with jumps, bumps, bounces, air blasts and water spray that bring the action to life for each guest – with an extra dimension of special effects through the miracle of Ogre Vision. This attraction already exist at other Universal Studios parks.



Donkey Live: Shrek’s fairy tale sidekick Donkey will bring the crowd to its feet in this all-new, one- of-a-kind, interactive live show experience, where guests sing along and even talk with Donkey in an intimate theatre setting. Situated along Far Far Away’s glamorous Romeo Drive, Hook’s Knight Club is the hottest nightspot in town.



Enchanted Airways: Guests of all ages climb aboard Donkey’s beloved Dragon for a flight over Far Far Away and beyond. At Enchanted Airways, a merry cast of fairy tale creatures – from the Three Pigs to the Big Bad Wolf, from Gingerbread Man to Pinocchio – forms part of a magical airline in the form of a junior coaster that serves destinations throughout the World of Shrek!



Magic Potion Spin
: As guests make their way past the bubbling vats of Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop, they’ll encounter the fantastical heart of the factory, the Magic Potion Spin. This miniature Ferris wheel drives a clinking, clanking potion assembly line that circles the room, bottling magical elixirs from a giant wooden vat.

Universal Studios Singapore will be part of Resorts World Sentosa, a $4.2 billion project and a collection of resorts and attractions with fun-filled offerings for the entire family built on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa and spanning 49 hectares (more than 120 acres) of lush greenery.



Besides attractions, Resorts World Sentosa offers six hotels and full conference and meeting amenities. Entertainment performances include the Crane Dance – the world’s largest animatronic performance - set out at the Resort waterfront. Guests of the Resort can also choose from dozens of shopping and dining options at the Resort’s bustling strip, FestiveWalk. Resorts World at Sentosa will have its soft opening in early 2010.



Have a look at this video where Universal Creative guys tell you more about this new park.



You can count on Disney and more to bring you fresh news about Universal Studios Singapore as soon as available, in the meantime if you live in south-east Asia and looking for a job, have a look to this last video!




Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All pictures: copyright Universal Studios Singapore

Many thanks to Nate Walz for the text editing.

19 comments:

Traitor of a Million Galaxies said...

Huh interesting. Lots of Shrek. Lots and lots of Shrek.

Seems to want to take on a 'Fantasyland' style land.

Anonymous said...

Very Disney-wannabe, but besides the castle, it's not that impressive. I actualy don't like Shrek (and other Dreamworks characters for that matter), but I can see people want to go to this land for the characters.
The resort as a whole looks good, though.

Anonymous said...

i agree , while im excited i have a new park i cant help but feel sad that we didnt get disneyland ... also i think we will have the worlds first transformers ride too

Gilad said...

Shrek castle = Disney castle wannabe.
Donkey live = Turtle Talk & live Monsters Inc. show at the disney studios.
Been there, done that...

Anonymous said...

Donkey Live = Stitch Live?

Caleb said...

cool. thanks =D

Anonymous said...

Wow, so much negativity at such great news and it was kept a secret too. Why can't we just enjoy this for what it is, a great new collection of unique attractions for us to experience. A castle created anywhere will be compared to Disney/Fantasyland, that was the whole joke in the movie Shrek, Disney didn't invent castles, I know that’s a shock to some, they just commercialized them. If we are going down the road to comparisons the same could be done for Disney mirroring Universal. (Men In Black vs. Buzz Lightyear and MIB out everything’s Buzz hands down on all levels.) This is a tired, old “issue” which will unfortunately forever stand as people seem to be unable to think two such companies as Disney and Universal cannot co-exist. People always feel the need to take sides, argue who’s better and bash the one they find a connection with. Why not drop the cattiness, bashing rhetoric and just enjoy the arrival of great new themed environments and attractions for all of us to enjoy. I only wish these new attractions were stateside.

RandySavage said...

To its great credit, every time Universal opens a theme park, it is a full-day exoerience(USF, IOA, USJ, USS).

Disney, on the other hand, hasn't thought highly enough ("we can dupe them into paying full-day prices for a half-day park") of its patrons to build anything but watered-down parks for the last 25 years (HKDL, WDSP, DCA, DAK, MGM), excluding what OLC pays for (TDS).

In southeast Asia, it is the same story. I hope Universal Singapore is a hit from day 1, showing Disney how being cheap on the attraction roster (HKDL) is a recipe for failure.

Matt said...

Thanks as always for the concept drawings, Alain.

The map looks good, and it's always great to see new attractions being created - competition is good.

That being said, personally, the artist's renderings for the specific attractions in the park look a little dry. The things at street-level don't look cohesive, and I'm assuming this is a result of the artist more than the final, tactile output. Could've done a better job there imo (for pre-build excitement value). Neither drawing makes me want to visit the place.

Also, what a better way to spend the day with the kids than take a ride on a merry-go-round, then teach them how to play Blackjack. Strange combination there... though, I guess Vegas does sell itself as a "family-friendly" environment now, doesn't it.

Gilad said...

The attractions are going to be in english or not? (I also want to enjoy them :) )

Alain Littaye said...

Probably half english half native language

Gilad said...

That's good enough for me! :) thanks

Anonymous said...

Universal knows that a 'castle' works very well with theme park visitors. We see it in Orlando with their new Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter.
Now they come up with the 'castle' from Shrek (I wouldn't be surprised if hardy anyone knows there was a castle in the Shrek movie). How orriginal. Yes, they will have unique rides added to this resort, but they also are desperately trying to copy Disney-style parks lately.

Sashacat said...

"Anonymous Anonymous said...

i agree , while im excited i have a new park i cant help but feel sad that we didnt get disneyland ... also i think we will have the worlds first transformers ride too

September 28, 2009 5:55 AM"

Yes you are right.I heard the Transformers ride will only be up in 2011 though.

And to Gilad and Alain, English is the business language in Singapore, so don't worry about signages. :)

Anonymous said...

Was the employment video created by Universal? Because the music used in the intro (up to and including "Quiet on the set, this is a take!" is pulled directly from the soundtrack of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me... I need to clarify. The entire song that they built this promo video around is the load/unload audio from The Great Movie Ride. I wonder if they paid Disney, the author/owner of that particular recording, or if the creative team even knew what they were downloading to put the thing together...

Interactive Agency said...

The 3D rendering of Universal Studios Singapore map is really nice! can't wait to visit!

http://ussingapore.blogspot.com/ said...

Groundbreaking and new technologies awaits us in USS. Really interested to see how the Donkey Live attraction works.

the business minded said...

been there the other month..universal studios made the travel all worth it..loved it..want to come back next year