Not to be confused with "Shrek Forever After" (the upcoming theatrical Shrek 4, which will be in 3-D), Shrek 4-D, the theme park attraction, was directed by Simon J. Smith, who went on to direct the movie Shrek 2.
Confused yet? It gets worse: A home version of the film, minus in the in-theater effects, was sold on DVD as Shrek 3-D. Yikes.
Anyway... Shrek 4-D takes place after the action of the original feature film. Shrek and Fiona are on their way to their honeymoon, only to be waylaid by the ghost of Lord Farquaad. One thing leads to another (being chucked at the audience), and our heroes eventually go plunging over the edge of a waterfall. But, of course, everything turns out okay in the end.
Except for Tinkerbell, of course. Hey, it's a Universal show. Ya gotta take a shot at Disney, right?
Shrek 4-D plays at Universal Studios in Florida, Hollywood and Japan, and will soon debut in Singapore. The attraction also plays at Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia and at a theme park in Germany.
Four-D movies were all the rage in the theme park business in the early 2000s. Relatively inexpensive to produce, 4-D films offered more "ride-like" action than traditional movies and a better on-screen experience than many guests could find in their local theaters at the time. But with newer 3-D movies, such as Avatar, providing visual thrill rides in neighborhood movie houses, the appeal of 4-D movies in theme parks has diminished somewhat.
Yet, a fun story remains a fun story. And Theme Park Insider readers have rated Shrek 4-D among the best in the industry. But will they vote it beyond the first round of this year's tournament?
We'll find out when the tournament starts in March. In the meantime, let's hear what you think about Shrek 4-D, in the comments.
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This gets a 6-Fair. Besides the recycled jokes from the movie, the other main thing that bothers me about the attraction is the horse chase scene, in which pneumatic controls on your seat give the sensation of galloping. Too bad those pneumatics are extremely loud, and not to mention jerky, making a relatively new attraction seem old and cheap.
That said, you'll just have to wait to see if (okay, who am I fooling?) where PhilharMagic makes the field. :-)
I will give credit to the preshow and Donkey's Photo Finish which is very interactive and funny!
There's not really anything too unique about the attraction apart from it's moving seats, which as Josh mentioned are extremely jerky.
I bought Shrek 3-D on DVD, which is essentially the 4-D attraction you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. I'd much rather put that in the DVD player every now and again than wait in line for the attraction, especially when you consider just how long the line can get.
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