Shrek’s Adventure is a fantastic addition to the ‘must-do’ list in London, whatever your age.
Located at the The County Hall, London, this new attraction, Shrek’s Adventure, is a walk and ride through the magical kingdom of Far Far Away with amazing DreamWorks animation, live story-telling and a good dose of humour.
We were there as guests of another great London attraction, Big Bus Tours whose open top double-decker burgundy and cream-coloured hop on, hop off buses depart every ten minutes 364 days of the year with interesting live commentary, so much so, that even this man in London learned a thing or two. Along with many partners such as the welcoming, movie memorabilia-packed Planet Hollywood, Big Bus Tours provides another great London experience.
A bus plays a vital role in Shrek’s Adventure too. Albeit, a bit clapped out and driven by a maniac – but more of that later.
A guide introduces you to Shrek’s Adventure – the rules are no touching the characters and no photos – so we’re not going to spoil it in this review. But here’s an idea of what goes on.
Princess Fiona greets you at in the castle’s garage, by the look of it, before you board a clapped out London bus for a bumpy ride to the tune of “I’m a Believer“.
Princess Fiona’s powerpoint presentation of Who’s Who
You’ll be nervous taking this bus
Donkey is the driver, and he’s clearly not qualified. Don your 4d glasses and a crazy 360 degree world appears alongside the bus immersing you in a spectacular flight over London, splashing down into the Thames – it’s 4d so you do get a damp! The effects are spellbinding – as the bus whizzes on your journey you are joined by numerous animated characters such as Kung Fu Panda’s Po, How to Train Your Dragon’s Hiccup & Toothless and the infamous Madagascar Penguins cajoling and colliding with the bus. It’s calamity, chaos and fun.
We didn’t get to see all the rooms but there are ten of them, of the ones we saw, they are beautifully crafted with incredible attention to detail and all with high tech gizzmos- such as digital screens, melting witches and even this crystal ball. Each of the rooms is an interactive experience with sharp witted, funny actors.
Shrek in a bubble
Sleeping Beauty and Goldilocks didn’t make it to the film version but Cinderella does and she appears here in search of a prince. Sadly, she’s not amounted to much, ending up mopping out Shrek’s lavvy. I was coaxed into digging through the ‘used’ toilet paper for gold nuggets while the other adventurers got soaked when I flushed the loo. Not very princely, and apparently my ears are too small for the role, anyway.
We ended up in the Poison Ivy pub for a drink with Doris – she’s not all she seems..
Shrek is a mad cap romp based on on William Steig’s 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek! It’s come a long way since then, via Stephen Spielberg, a parody of Disney and the moral of accepting yourself for who you are. The movie was a massive hit and it’s the biggest selling DVD of all time so no doubt you’ve heard about Shrek, Fiona and the Donkey. Now Shrek’s Adventure is a world first, created with DreamWorks and Merlin Entertainments who also run Madame Tussaud’s, the London Dungeons many, many famous theme parks and attractions.
I can’t wait to visit again.
Book Tickets Here www.shreksadventure.com
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