‘Shrek 4D’ Attraction at Universal Studios Is Closing For Good
All good things must come to an end. Even 3D movies about flatulent ogres.
The rumors are true. The Shrek 4D attraction at Universal Studios Florida will close early next year after 18 years in operation. The 15-minute film that combines 3D effects with “4D” audience interaction like jets of water debuted at both Universal Studios parks in Florida and California in May of 2003. The Hollywood version closed in 2017; in its place the same space (now the “DreamWorks Theatre”) has expanded its repertoire of 3D movies beyond the Shrek franchise.
Below you can read the internal memo announcing the Shrek 4D closure. It also reveals that the park’s popular Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster will close for maintenance around the same time and remain closed until next summer.
The Shrek 4D film was made at the height of the franchise���s popularity; it debuted between the first and second films and featured all of the franchise’s core cast, including Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad. 18 years later, the Shrek franchise is pretty much dead. The last movie in the series came out in 2010 and even the most recent spinoff TV series, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, ended in 2018. When a theme park attraction is based on an entertainment property, it can only linger for so long once the property loses steam. Just ask Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen or the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre.
If you’re a huge Shrek fan, you have until January to visit Orlando and get in one last screening. Or hey, you could travel to some of the international locales where the movie has been installed, including Universal Studios Japan or Universal Studios Singapore. Or just track down an old copy of the Shrek DVD, which included the short film as a bonus feature, minus the special effects. To approximate the full experience, get a friend to squirt water at your face at the appropriate times.