- Universal Studios Florida’s newest land, DreamWorks Land is open and welcoming you into the worlds of Shrek, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, and more.
- The newest ride, Trolls Trollercoaster, is the perfect kid coaster for youngsters.
- Don’t leave DreamWorks Land without trying one of the new snacks like the ogre-shaped Shrekzel.
If you’re like me you’ve likely seen the movie Shrek way too many times to count and think Poppy is the cutest troll of them all. While Universal Studios Florida used to have separate meeting places and attractions for all of the DreamWorks characters, the opening of DreamWorks Land at the park brings all of your favorite trolls, ogres, kung-fu fighting pandas, and more to one space in the park.
The area is geared towards youngsters, something that we at FamilyVacationist love, especially because Universal Orlando Resort is known for its high-speed thrills and attractions catered towards older kids and adults. If you’re visiting the Universal Orlando Resort, keep reading our ultimate guide to DreamWorks Land.
DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida: The Basics
DreamWorks land is located near the E.T. Adventure ride and the Animal Actors show. It took over the area once known as the Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone. The new land has everything you could want in a space built with younger kids in mind. There are five interactive play areas (more on those below), a kid-friendly Trolls-themed rollercoaster (Trolls Trollercoaster), and two incredible shows (Po Live and DreamWorks Imagination Celebration).
Of course, no new land is complete without food, and DreamWorks Land has two quick-service food stands where you can feed your inner ogre or troll (Swamp Snacks and Trolls Treats). And don’t forget to stop at the cute gift shop, High Five Hideaway, where you can find accessories and merchandise themed to the DreamWorks films that the lands.
There’s a lot of DreamWorks fun packed into a fairly small area of the park so kids will love being able to run around and explore and parents won’t feel overwhelmed. The land is a short walk from the entrance of the park and it’s a good place to let kids get their energy out halfway through the day before heading back to your hotel to rest up for a fun-filled night.
Here’s a breakdown of all of the attractions, character meet-and-greets, dining areas, and shopping opportunities inside DreamWorks Land.
DreamWorks Land at Universal Orlando: Attractions
Universal Studios Florida’s DreamWorks Land is home to one attraction based on the popular Trolls movies. The coaster is kid-friendly and super cute.
Trolls Trollercoaster
Fans of the Trolls franchise know all about the iconic characters from the movie, Poppy, Tiny, and twins Satin and Chenille. On the Trolls Trollercoaster, you’ll join the cute trolls on the caterpillar-themed Caterbus to escape from spooky spiders. The queue is filled with bright colors, just like all of the Trolls movies, and the coaster track is orange and yellow, bringing a lot of color to the land itself.
I love that the cute purple Caterbus ride vehicles are covered in iridescent paint so it sparkles in the Florida sun.
Anyone who wants to ride has to be at least 36 inches tall, and kids between 36 and 48 inches must ride with an adult. The ride does offer Universal’s skip-the-line system, called Express Pass.
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Interactive and play areas inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Orlando Resort
There are five new interactive play areas for kids and adults inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Orlando.
Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres
This is where kids can find splash pads, a playground, and multiple slides. The most popular slide is the outhouse slide, which makes funny fart noises while guests make their way from the top to the bottom of the slide.
Mama Luna Feline Fiesta
Mama Luna Feline Fiesta is inspired by the movie Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish. The virtual experience allows guests to play with cats via a digital screen using bells, buttons, maracas, and levers to get the cats to move and bounce about.
King Harold’s Swamp Symphony
Kids will love making music at King Harold’s Swamp Symphony. Here, little tadpoles can jump on musical lily pads to make the frogs sing.
Poppy’s Playground
If your kids need to get some energy out head straight for Poppy’s Playground, a shaded play area with climbing structures and swings.
Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp
Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp is the spot for Kung Fu Panda fans. The interactive zone has wet and dry places to play, so be sure to bring a change of clothes if your kids want to play in the water here.
Shows to watch inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida
There are two new shows inside DreamWorks Land. On hot days these areas are a sweet reprieve from the Florida sun.
DreamWorks Imagination Celebration
Step inside the air-conditioned DreamWorks Theater and take a seat to watch the all-new DreamWorks Imagination Celebration show. The 20-minute show is all about the power of imagination. The cute performance is filled with iconic songs, plenty of dancing, and characters like Shrek, Poppy, Trance, Po, and more
Showtimes can be found on the Universal Orlando Resort app. It’s best to arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes before showtime to get a seat.
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Po Live!
Po Live! is part interactive experience and part show. During the performance, you’ll be able to “meet” Po on a large screen and he can even answer questions in real-time (thanks to the magic of a voice actor behind the scenes, but kids don’t need to know that). You’ll also get to take part in a kung fu lesson.
Pro-tip: The show is 12 minutes long and runs every 15 minutes. There’s no need to plan your time in DreamWorks Land around being able to participate in this show since it runs regularly throughout the day.
Restaurants and dining inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida
Even if you’re not a fan of the DreamWorks IP, you’ll want to stop by DreamWorks Land to try some of the snacks that have taken over social media. Here’s where to eat and what to try inside DreamWorks Land.
Swamp Snacks
The main dining option inside DreamWorks Land is Swamp Snacks. The quick-service spot is dishing out sweet and savory snacks, including a pretzel shaped like Shrek, known as a Shrekzel. The pretzel is served with ogre green cheese and is a great snack for sharing. Other savory snacks include the Far Far A Waffle, a pepperoni or ham and cheese pressed waffle sandwich; and the Swamp Dog, a hot dog wrapped in pizza crust with green cheese all baked together like a giant pig in a blanket.
On the sweet side of things, there are three options. The Mud Puddle Pudding is a Shrek-themed dirt cake with chocolate pudding, cookie crumbs, cookie cake, and gummy bugs. If you’re looking for a frozen treat, try the Frozen Ogre Sour Apple Ice Pop which is shaped like Shrek, or the Chonkey Donkey Chocolate Ice Pop which is shaped like Donkey.
Trolls Treats
The other quick service spot that can be found in DreamWorks Land is Trolls Treats. The beatbox-shaped stand sells two different soft-serve ice cream cones. One is themed after Poppy called the Poppy-licious Pink, and is a pink lemonade flavor. The other cone is the BroZone Berry and features a huckleberry-flavored soft serve. The cones are even cuter with the themed cone sleeves that really sell the Trolls theme.
Character appearances inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida
There are two main character meet and greet areas inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida. The first is Shrek’s Swamp Meet. Here your entire family can meet Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey just outside of Shrek’s cottage. The second spot is the DreamWorks Character Zone where you can see a rotating cast of characters like King Julien from Madagascar and Poppy from Trolls.
Pro-tip: If you want to see a certain character ask one of the nearby attendants about the timing for that meet and greet so you can get a better idea of when you need to line up. Note that not every character is guaranteed to be available to see every day.
Retail locations inside DreamWorks Land at Universal Orlando Resort
If you’re looking to shop for cute keepsakes themed to your favorite DreamWorks movies head to High Five Hideaway. The shop has everything from Trolls plush dolls and movie-themed apparel to the must-have Shrek ear headband.
