Shrek 4-D, also known as Shrek 4-D Adventure, Shrek 3-D Adventure, Shrek The Adventure Continues, or The Ghost of Lord Farquaad, is a 4-D animated short film produced by DreamWorks. It is included on a separate disc included with the Shrek Single-Disc DVD, then in a double feature with B.O.B.'s Big Break, and then on the Shrek's Thrilling Tales DVD, and finally on a Shrek/Shrek 2 Blu-Ray. The DVD version is of course in anaglyptic (red/cyan glasses) format; the Blu-Ray version was presumably in dual-image format for viewing on 3D TVs. The story takes place after Shrek and before Shrek 2. Lord Farquaad was eaten by the dragon, but his ghost has returned, and he's still evil. With the help of his henchman, Thelonious, he captures Princess Fiona. Shrek and Donkey set out to save her, with help from the dragon, before she goes over a waterfall on a raft.
Cast
- Mike Myers as Shrek
- Eddie Murphy as Donkey
- Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona
- John Lithgow as Farquaad
- Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man
- Cody Cameron as Pinocchio and Three Little Pigs
- Christopher Knights as Three Blind Mice and Thelonious
Amusement Park Integration
Universal Parks & Resorts have implemented the movie into four of their amusement parks with plans to integrate it into a fifth. The first park to show the film was Universal Studios Hollywood on May 23, 2003.This was followed by Universal Studios Florida and Japan in June. In 2010, the attraction opened with Universal Studios Singapore in the Shrek-themed Far Far Away themed area. Outside the Universal Parks, the film has only been shown at two theme parks. Movie Park Germany began showing the film on May 27, 2008 (which was shown in German), with Warner Bros. Movie World starting on September 17, 2005. Universal Studios Hollywood's Shrek 4-D queue has been used for many years to make mazes for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights event. In 2006, The Asylum operated in the queue. This was followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street themed mazes for 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2009 My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever operated in the queue. The final mazes used in this venue were both themed to La Llorona in 2011 and 2012.
Other Releases
The attraction was released on DVD with the original Shrek film as Shrek 3-D with both 3-D and 2-D versions included. The release included pairs of two-color 3-D glasses. The DVD included an anaglyph 3-D version along with a conventional version without 3-D effects. The DVD release also included a preview of Shrek 2. On May 13, 2007, the film was shown on Nickelodeon as Shrek's Never Before Seen Adventure, with the 3-D effects removed. In October 2011, the film was released on Netflix under the title The Ghost of Lord Farquaad as a part of DreamWorks Spooky Stories. A comic adaptation of the film was featured as issue #1 of the Shrek comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics. Also the 3D re-release short film shown before the 3D family films in 2011–2012 such as Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in the UK. It was also released on August 28, 2012, as part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales.
Queue
In the Universal Studios parks, guests wait outside the building (housed in a soundstage) where they watch various clips from the first Shrek film running on a loop. The queue also includes multiple posters for fake advertisements for attractions in the Kingdom of Duloc. Guests then enter a dungeon in Duloc where the storyline for the attraction will be revealed. At Warner Bros. Movie World, the queue began outside the Roxy Theatre and wrapped around the left-hand side of the building into the alleyway. Guests were ushered into the pre-show room where they were given a pair of 3D glasses. A similar set-up occurred at Movie Park Germany.
Pre-Show
Participants are given their "Ogre-Vision" 4-D Goggles as they enter a dungeon-like room with two giant television screens on either side. While loading the pre-show room attraction presenters commonly make jokes to encourage people to move closer to each other in order to fit the capacity audience in the room. The pre-show begins with the Three Little Pigs, Gingy, and Pinocchio revealing that Lord Farquaad has kidnapped them and is holding them in Castle Duloc's dungeon. Gingy flees in the middle of the explanation. The Magic Mirror begins to summarize the story of what happened before (i.e. the first Shrek film) by stating "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." as a spoof on Star Wars. When he is chastised, he quickly responds, "Sorry...I've been feeling really spaced out lately...". After the Mirror finishes, Farquaad appears and states that he intends to torture the fairytale creatures as well as the audience in order to find Shrek and Fiona. The monitor screen later shows a test card with Lord Farquaad in the center. The Mirror then warns the audience about safety. In the Hollywood version, Donkey appeared in audio animatronic form and interacted with the guests. With the addition of Donkey, the pre show was shorter in which it did not feature the recap of the story. Everything else was the same. In the Japan version, the Mirror tells the audience to put on their goggles. The cinema doors are then opened and guests take their seats in the theatre.
Main Show
The short film takes place right after the first Shrek film. It opens with the ghost of Lord Farquaad returns from the dead to capture Princess Fiona. Therefore, it is up to Shrek and Donkey to rescue her. Upon Shrek and Donkey searching around the local graveyard, Farquaad sends a stone statue of Dragon from his tomb to go after them and kill them. Fortunately, the real Dragon arrives to the rescue, leading to a chase scene (featuring the sound of a TIE fighter's blaster from Star Wars when Dragon shoots a fireball to create a tunnel in a cliff face), ending with the stone dragon losing its wings against the walls of a hole and falling into the water below. Lord Farquaad sends Fiona on a raft to fall over the waterfall (with Thelonious still on it, not realizing he was supposed to get off). Fiona manages to break the restraints and knees Thelonious in the groin, causing him to fall off the raft. Shrek and Donkey arrive shortly after to rescue her before the raft plunges over the waterfall, but in the end, all four of them fall over the waterfall, only to be saved by Dragon, who then (under Donkey's orders) breathes fire at Farquaad, destroying him again. Although the animation is 3-D, the ride is a 4-D film, which incorporates physical effects including motion seats which tilt forward, backward, vibrate, and raise up and drop down during the show. Water sprayers are attached to the back of each seat, to spray the face of the rider sitting behind it. Water sprayers on the ceiling spray riders seated on the front row. Multiple lighting effects are used, such as projected images of a moving waterfall on the walls, or "magical" sparkles of flickering light. Air blasters on the front of every seat blow air against riders neck and head. Leg ticklers are also used to simulate spiders crawling across the theater.Stationary seats, which do not move during the film, are marked and available for those who want to watch the film with the motion or vibration. Every other effect is available for the stationary seats.
Spin-Off Attractions
Universal Studios Florida, Donkey's Photo Finish is a meet and greet attraction that opened in 2003 alongside the film, replacing Stage 54. The attraction consists of guests walking up to an animatronic Donkey who mingles with them and makes fun of them. The guests have their picture taken with Donkey, and then move onto meeting Shrek and Princess Fiona, the latter of which talks to them. Guests then have their picture taken with Shrek and Fiona. These photos can then be purchased. The attraction temporarily closed in June 2012 to make way for Transformers: The Ride 3D, before reopening in a new location next to Monsters Cafe. A similar attraction is located at Universal Studios Hollywood named Meet Shrek and Donkey. In Universal Studios Singapore, Shrek 4-D exists within the larger Far Far Away themed area. Other attractions in the area include Donkey Live (an interactive live show using digital puppetry technology, which features Donkey entertaining and engaging guests in conversation in an intimate theater setting), Enchanted Airways (a junior roller coaster that features trains modelled after Dragon), Puss in Boots' Giant Journey (a roller coaster with suspended ride vehicles, featuring Puss in Boots as he runs from a giant goose) and Magic Potion Spin (a miniature ferris wheel for children which is themed to be a part of a potion assembly line).
Trivia
- In Universal Studios Florida, this show replaced Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies. In Universal Studios Hollywood, it replaced Rugrats Magic Adventure 3-D.
- In Movie Park Germany, it replaced Spongebob SquarePants 4-D.
- In the Shrek's Thrilling Tales DVD, the short is called The Ghost of Lord Farquaad.
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