Shrek's Merry Fairy Tale Journey is a trackless dark ride located at Motiongate Dubai. It retells the events of the first Shrek film through puppet-like animatronics, making it a "puppet show." The ride received mixed reviews upon opening, but is largely considered one of the better rides at the park.
History[]
Motiongate Dubai, a part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, announced an indoor section dedicated to DreamWorks IP. The main four being Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and of course, Shrek. Beforehand, a fully realized DreamWorks theme park in the resort was announced, but was later merged with the Motiongate park. Scheduled to open on October 31, 2016, it was delayed to December 16, 2016. However, not all of the rides were open, with the Lionsgate section of the park (containing rides themed to The Hunger Games) completely closed off. Major portions of the DreamWorks indoor land were also closed, with How to Train Your Dragon still having yet to be complete. While the Shrek section was open, the star attraction, Shrek's Merry Fairy Tale Journey, was closed to the public. It opened on-and-off throughout early 2017, until being permanently open throughout the rest of the year.
The official bio of the ride reads as follows:
A touching story told by a puppeteer, a couple that shall never veer,
A tree as old as me, it’s a Merry Fairy Tale that I seek to see,
what a starry night hovers over us, a true love is never superfluous.
If I’m to Motiongate then I must attend, a heartwarming start, a heartwarming end.
Come today and enjoy the show, we’ll sing a lullaby to bliss what we sow.
The ride received mixed reviews when it officially opened, with praise given to its creative presentation and overall faithfulness to the original film. However, criticism was directed at the poor use of the trackless ride system, alongside the clunky and uneven pacing of the story. In addition to the existing critiques, the immersive, larger-than-life "puppet show" approach was viewed as an excuse for a cheap experience. All of the major Motiongate rides faced massive criticism for their lack of innovation and below average quality. While Shrek's Merry Fairy Tale Journey also met this backlash, it was still widely considered one of the better offerings for trying to work with the given budget.
Story[]
Shrek and Fiona are putting on a puppet show for their children, as well as Donkey and the Dronkeys. They tell them the story of how the two met, which began in Shrek's swamp when he lived alone. Suddenly, a hoard of fairy tale creatures were sent by local tyrant, Lord Farquaad. A talking donkey among the crowd volunteers to help Shrek, because he knows where Farquaad is. On their way to Duloc, the tyrant is figuring out who will be his queen to turn his city, Duloc, into a legitimate kingdom. He chooses Princess Fiona, and orders Shrek to fetch her for him after he tries to get his swamp back. After walking through the sunflower fields, Shrek and Donkey enter the Dragon's Keep, where they encounter rickety bridges, dead remains of knights, and the dragon herself, ready to devour the duo. Shrek eventually finds the princess and rescues her, and they escape with Donkey. After the events, Shrek and Fiona initially don't get along and constantly fight on their way back to Duloc. Eventually, they begin to fall for each other, with Fiona lamenting that she can't stay with Shrek because of her "ugliness." Shrek overhears, thinking she is referring to him being ugly and wanting to love Farquaad instead. Later, he lets Farquaad marry Fiona, until rushing back to Duloc to stop the wedding and confess his love to Fiona. She then unveils her ogress form to Shrek, disgusting Farquaad. Before he can do anything, he is eaten by Dragon, who had made amends with Donkey. Shrek and Fiona share a kiss, which breaks Fiona's curse, and the two have an exciting wedding in the swamp. All of the fairy tale creatures rejoice and celebrate the occasion, performing "I'm a Believer." The ride then transitions back to the real Shrek and Fiona in the swamp putting on the puppet show, with Shrek concluding the story.
Trivia[]
- Several liberties were taken with the attraction. Including the appearance of Little Red Riding Hood, Donkey being thrown into the swamp with the creatures before meeting Shrek, Lord Farquaad randomly deciding Shrek would be "perfect" for the quest to rescue Fiona, and a much heavier emphasis on the Dragon's Keep sequence.
- This marks the first appearance of The Three Good Fairies since the original film in 2001.
- Little Ride Riding Hood is seen walking on a log with her arms up. Her movements allude to sobriety tests often done to detect drunk drivers.
- Despite not appearing in the attraction, statues of Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws can be seen in the ride's gift shop.