“Shall we sit together?”, a woman dressed as Princess Fiona from Shrek asks me. We’re both queuing for Trolls Trollercoaster, the standout ride of Universal Orlando’s new DreamWorks Land.
My green-dress-clad friend spotted me looking nervous as we moved towards the multi-coloured, open air rollercoaster – adrenaline chasing isn’t my forte.
Thankfully, this area of the theme park offers much gentler fun to both its younger, and less thrill-inclined, visitors. It replaces the park’s former KidZone as a space that’s child-friendly, while also appealing to adults.
It’s a welcome addition both for me, someone who views a ride on the teacups as a great day out, and parents, for whom it makes Universal Orlando a truly family friendly destination.
DreamWorks Studios has made 48 animated films, with some of its best-known characters including those from the Shrek Universe. In the last week, it was announced that there will be a Shrek 5 coming to cinemas in 2026 with Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz reprising their roles as Donkey, Shrek and Princess Fiona.
This will be a cause of excitement for people such as mother of three and Universal-mega fan, Alison Graves, 38, from Dundee. Alison was among the first bout of visitors after DreamWorks Land opened in June.
“The rest of the park is amazing, but it’s full of thrill-seeking rides,” she said.
“For the price point [of the theme park], I think a lot of families worried they might not find it worthwhile to go to Universal Orlando with young children.
“Now there’s this new magical place that’s got lots of space for the kids to run wild [general admission for one day at Universal Orlando is $109; DreamWorks Land is included].
“Plus, DreamWorks Land makes a triangle with the other more child-appropriate Minions and Simpsons Lands.”
Outside of DreamWorks Land, Universal’s coasters are not for the faint hearted. Its Jurassic World VelociCoaster reaches 70 miles per hour in 2.4 seconds. At one point, riders are held upside down, bottoms leaving the seat for a few heart stopping moments. Then there’s the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which swirls punters up to 51 metres above ground, at a speed of 65 miles per hour.
I witnessed both from the ground, looking after friends’ bags as they screamed on the ride above me. In comparison, Dreamworks Land feels like a gentle haven filled with fountains, candy coloured structures and attractions that don’t take you more than a few metres high.
On Trolls Trollercoaster, like a mini version of a rollercoaster, you’re outside and up in the air. It was enough of a thrill, without making me feel nauseous.
Elsewhere, there’s a splash park at Shrek’s swamp, with different water features to cool down in; King Harold’s Swamp Symphony, where you can jump on different lilypads to make a line up of frog sculptures croak in harmony; Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp, and an indoor theatre with regular shows – the characters around the park come and perform in a mini musical.
I found the musical performance genuinely entertaining. It included excellent choreography, singing, and at one point during the finale, a cloud of bubbles was released from the ceiling.
In the 1960s, Universal transformed its film studios into expansive theme parks, all with different “lands” to explore, each one representing a different film or franchise. It’s Florida-based park opened in 1990, and its lands travel the worlds of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Marvel, and, now, DreamWorks, which is themed around the animation house’s most beloved films.
Each land is brought to life through an ecosystem of rides, character meet and greets and live shows. Universal’s skill lies in how each one feels cohesive within the wider park, yet still unique. Lush, humid jungle fills Jurassic Park, then, within a few steps, you’re in a startlingly vivid recreation of Hogsmeade, complete with butterbeer and a towering Hogwarts overlooking it all.
DreamWorks Land lives up to the high standard. There are three different parts, dedicated to Shrek, Trolls and Kung-Fu Panda. Shrek’s swamp is the opener. A recreation of the ogre’s hut stands to the side, with the characters of Shrek and Princess Fiona appearing for meet and greets while a robotic Donkey looks out. There are no pre-recorded lines, instead Donkey’s head moves and blinks to real time wise cracks specific to each visitor who approaches.
Further into the “swamp”, I find a playground for “little ogres” with a talking electronic Pinocchio up in a hut above it, the collection of musical frogs that croak in harmony, and “swamp snacks”, including Shrek-shaped pretzels (called “Shrekzels”; $12.29/£9.68), sour apple “Frozen Ogre” ice pops ($6.99/£5.50), and “Swamp Dogs” ($9.49/£7.47), which come with an oozing, green cheese sauce.
Snacks are served from food stalls and trucks with themed menus. The food was tasty – the “Swamp Dog” (much like a cheese dog) was satisfyingly salty, despite being luminously green. The pretzels were warm and crunchy on the outside, and doughy on the inside. There were also Trolls frozen yogurt cones ($7.49/£5.90) that were vividly coloured and sparkly – these tasted a bit too technicolour for me, but should be a hit with children.
At the back is Kung-Fu Panda’s hideout, which has multiple splash zones to give kids (and adults) a reprieve from the Florida heat, including a gigantic bucket of water that fills itself, then empties over a building named the “laundry of ultimate cleanliness” every few minutes. Inside, there’s Po Live!, where fans can learn Kung Fu from an interactive, animated version of Po.
At the centre is Trolls, which has the most exciting of the rides, the Trolls Trollercoaster, but also Poppy’s Playground, which features a pink tree with pod-like flower swings underneath, and a vivid boombox shaped stand dishing out sparkly treats in pink lemonade and huckleberry flavours.
Each section is distinctive, moving from muddy greens to periwinkles and pinks, to Chinatown-esque shades of red and gold. The details are meticulous, with even the soundtracks changing between each. There’s also a noticeably higher concentration of characters appearing compared to other parts of the theme park, which will please children and parents.
“As amazing as characters are in Universal, they can sometimes be hard to come across,” said Alison.
“It’s a bit of a lucky dip, which can be stressful for parents when your kids have favourites. You can waste a lot of time trying to find them.”
In DreamWorks Land, there are specialised areas where you’re guaranteed a character meet, such as Shrek’s swamp and Trolls fountain.
“It’s really convenient, if kids have a character they want to, see for parents to make that dream come true,” added Alison.
As for the Trolls Trollercoaster, it’s a gentler, more whimsical, version of the soaring coasters elsewhere at Universal Orlando, coming in at just under nine metres high. It twists and turns, but never feels too intense. Instead of screaming, my new friend and I whoop and laugh our way through it.
For parents, children, and scaredy cats, DreamWorks Land is a guaranteed hit.
Booking it
Orlando – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights, at the 4* Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, from £1139pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 September–30 September 2024 inclusive. Includes economy (World Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 1 checked bag at 23kg per person and accommodation Book by 26 July 2024. For reservations visit britishairways.com/orlando or call 0344 493 0787. British Airways Holidays customers can also purchase their Universal Orlando Resort park tickets via ba.com