Shrek 4-D

Shrek and Donkey are back! This attraction features an original and stunning 3-D film, plus an extra dimension of special effects. Through the miracle of OgreVision, you will see, hear and actually FEEL the action right from your seat.

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DIS Moderator and award-winning guidebook writer Simon Veness managed a sneak preview of the new Shrek 4-D attraction at Universal Studios before it opened. Here are his exclusive thoughts on Universal Studios Shrek 4-D.

It was an invitation I could not turn down. Would I like to go to Universal Hollywood for a sneak peak at their latest – and, by all accounts, greatest - 3-D film attraction? Admittedly, I had to get myself to LA, but that was a minor detail to set against the possibility of getting the skinny on this new show ahead of time (which is always a major benefit when I’m battling deadlines with my Orlando guidebook!). The basic idea has been well known for some time, but this promised to be a major walk-through of the film itself and the building it’s housed in. So, count me in, guys!

Now, I hadn’t been to Universal Hollywood (or Universal City, as it is more properly known) for some 16 years, hence the place was virtually unrecognisable from what I could remember, but happily I had most of the day to play, uh, I mean re-familiarize myself, with the park, before getting my sneak preview. And, despite an untypically grey and gloomy Southern Cal day, I managed to get a good look at just about everything there thanks to the excellent Front of Line ticket privilege (yes I know, it’s a dirty, rotten job but someone has to do it).

The 35-minute Studio Tram Tour remains a standout highlight, with its King Kong, Jaws and Mummy sections, but I was also impressed by the Mummy Returns walk-through exhibit (nicely creepy), the Spiderman Rocks show (well staged and performed, and with great audience participation) and the trio of Behind The Scenes special effects stages (which are just superbly hosted – very amusing). The Waterworld stunt show has been there for some time but was also new to me (it was a Miami Vice show way back when) and was a big hit for Yours Truly. A magnificent set, fun pre-show and then a hugely action-packed 20 minutes. I would put it second only to Moteurs…Action! at DLP among all the stunt shows I have seen, and that is high praise indeed. The Back to the Future ride, Blues Brothers show and Terminator 2 3-D attraction are all identical to their Orlando counterparts, while the Jurassic Park river adventure is also akin to the version in Islands of Adventure over in Florida. With the addition of the Backdraft special effects show (quite literally a blast – and more enjoyable than the movie, IMHO), Nickelodeon kids’ play area and Flintstones midway of games, there is a lot to do here, and a full day (10am-6pm) was only just enough, even with Front of Line. Then of course, there is Hollywood’s version of CityWalk, and this I really enjoyed, even more so than the Orlando version. It is far more of a ‘city’ in overall terms, with a terrific range of stores, restaurants and bars, plus the big movieplex, and, while they don’t have a club as hip as Bob Marley’s or with the verve of Latin Quarter, there seems to be far more here in overall terms (or perhaps it was just because I also found a Karl Strauss bar with a great choice of beers.

But back to the Main Attraction, and my reason for being here – Shrek 4-D. The front of the building is pretty well hidden from general view by hoardings, and I had to enter via a back door, but the overall impression is of a (significantly) scaled-down version of Lord Farquaad’s castle, with a whole series of amusing boards around it advertising rewards for the capture of various annoying (to Lord Farquaad) fairytale characters, notably a certain ogre of our acquaintance (and the whole experience is advertised in Ogrevision, to give you an idea of what’s in store).

‘Guests’ are shown in to the dungeons and the 7-minute pre-show featuring the ghost of the infamous Lord F. This wasn’t fully up and running for my visit, but suffice it so say the character brought to life by John Lithgow vows a terrible vengeance on Shrek and Princess Fiona after his sudden demise as a tasty dragon snack in the original movie. The dungeons are also notable for four highly amusing ‘cages’ for the Three Little Pigs and Pinocchio, as well as some other suitable castle artefacts (which are all pretty securely fixed to the walls, so don’t get any ideas of some extra ‘souvenirs’ !).

After the pre-show, you are ushered into the main 496-seat theatre, which was still awaiting its extra ornamental detail around the walls when I was there (May 2). It is an extremely plush auditorium, however, and the seats are hugely comfortable (more of them later). Armed with your 3-D glasses, it is on with the movie, and the scene opens with a hilarious encounter between Tinkerbell and a hungry frog (I kid you not!), but which quickly fades into the background of a suitably argumentative exchange between Shrek (again voiced by Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy), while Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) sobs quietly in a fairytale coach in the background. Shrek and his new bride are about to set off on their honeymoon, but the initial problem is the coach – it is made out of a giant onion (!), hence the Princess’s sobs (and not any lack of appropriate attention from her husband, as Donkey suspects). But, before the happy couple (and their ‘noble steed’) can embark upon their wedded vacation bliss, Lord F’s henchman torturer gallops in and abducts the Princess (with another clever pastiche of the Matrix fight scenes, which they imitated in the movie).

And this is where it gets really clever. Because, as the evil henchman rides in, so your seat suddenly springs to life in quite dynamic fashion. And, as Shrek and Donkey gallop off in hapless pursuit, so does your seat! And this is a key feature all the way through (hence the claims for 4-D-ness), as the various bolts, jolts, crashes and smashes are literally transferred to the audience. When, for instance, Lord F’s enchanted stone dragon sets off to eat Shrek and Donkey, you ‘feel’ every pounding footstep through your padded chair and it takes on the impression of a ride as much as a show.

There are a whole host of good visual and verbal gags in best Shrek fashion, while there are also the usual sudden ‘splashes’ when characters sneeze and the extra effects of ‘spiders’ around your ankles at one point as the on-screen action threatens to come to life all around you (fans of Disney’s Honey I Shrunk the Audience and It’s Tough To Be A Bug will know what to expect!). Surprisingly, there is no Eau de Ogre, no surprise whiff of Shrekogas (and those who enjoy the ‘stinkbug’ in ITTBAB will be disappointed) as it was an element that they apparently could not get to work satisfactorily, but that is only a minor quibble. Of course, the Good Guys save the day (with the assistance of Donkey’s ‘hot’ girlfriend) and rescue Princess Fiona, and the ghost of Lord F is once again condemned to a fiery demise, to the great amusement of all concerned. The mini-movie then culminates in another celebration of the fairytale characters, with the DreamWorks version of Tinkerbell suddenly shooting off out of the screen and into the auditorium, with drastic effects for the movie equipment. Cue a quick curtain down.

All in all it is an absolutely hilarious re-visiting of the original storyline, irrespective of the interactive 3-D elements. The antics of the ‘moving’ seats then add a whole new layer of unexpected fun and dynamics which go a good step further than any other 3-D film show I’ve seen. The faithful re-creation of the fun from the first movie (with Shrek 2 due out next year) will be a must-see for all fans of this Oscar-winner, while everyone is sure to enjoy the Fourth Dimension of almost literally ‘galloping’ into the action in such unexpected and outrageous fashion. I left with a huge smile still stuck to my face and the remnants of several serious belly-laughs echoing around the mainly-empty theatre. Two thumbs way up from me – but then, I didn’t really expect anything else.