March 8, 2013 – We’re back after a long hiatus from Universal Studios Singapore – this time, focusing on Madagascar and Far Far Away, home to Shrek 4D and Madagascar: A Crate Adventure.
Because both areas are limited in size and scope, we’ve combined both lands into one update (after all, both are DreamWorks franchises). So without further ado, let’s get started:
The entrance to Far Far Away…does this remind anyone of Disney?
Some excellent theming (as with all of Singapore, really).
Shrek’s castle…
…and Shrek’s facade. Judging from the castle and entrance, you’d expect something pretty spectacular inside, wouldn’t you?
Well, sorry to disappoint, but here’s what it looks like in the inside. Pretty disappointing, really. Nothing more than an indoor queue with sparse theming. The rest of the attraction, I guess you can say, is similar to Hollywood. Given the size of the castle, you’d expect something bigger and more elaborate.
Back outside.
An overview of the eateries available. This is kind of a dead area of the park. Nothing really to do but a virtual-meet-and-greet with Donkey. I didn’t bother to go inside based on the recommendation of a friend, but I was told it was similar to Turtle Talk with Crush at Disney. Seeing how I didn’t have a voice at the time, that might have been a disastrous (if not awkward) experience.
A nice hidden area of the land.
A close shot of Enchanted Airways. Nothing too spectacular. A small children’s coaster.
More theming in the front of Shrek.
Cute? Freaky? You decide.
They’ve even included Shrek’s swamp.
This seemed like some sort of meet-and-greet, but I never found any activity in this section during my visit. Anyone know if they plan activities in Shrek’s swamp?
Seemed like you could cross…
One last shot…
…and we’re exiting Far Far Away! On the other side: Madagascar.
“I like to move it, move it”
Again, magnificent theming – akin to that of Islands of Adventure in Florida.
The anchor attraction in Madagascar: Madagascar – A Crate Adventure.
Think of Crate Adventure as a technically more advanced version of It’s a Small World over at Disney parks.
Let’s take a look inside. A bit dark and hard to see, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
All-in-all, quite a decent attraction. I found it enjoyable, but I’ve been told that fans of Singapore have a different take (think of the general consensus surrounding the Simpsons, and you’ll get a feel of some of the animosity some hold towards Crate Adventure). But for non-fans, I still think it’s worth checking out.
Moving back outside, we have King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round – a small carousel.
Nothing major here. Cute, nonetheless. I didn’t bother to try it out.
…and that’s it!
So as you can see, both Madagascar and Far Far Away are very small areas of the park. Both are anchored by their respective main attraction – as we’ve outlined above – and both have a sprinkling of children-oriented mini-attractions here and there. Nothing worth highlighting, but it’s worth a mention. Again, Shrek was rather underwhelming given how big the entire attraction building appeared to be, and Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is something you’d expect from an indoor attraction designed for kids. As for the lands themselves, spectacularly well themed. It’s just a shame there isn’t much for one to do.
That does it for me and our Singapore posts. Videos are forthcoming hopefully in the Summer as we aim to cover each land in our small series. In the meantime, thanks for browsing. Be sure to join the discussion over at USHForums.com, like our Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal.
Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing families and fans a resource for all things “Universal Studios Hollywood.” Since then, the website has taken him throughout the United States and around the world – including to places like Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore.
Jon currently resides in Santa Cruz, California with his bamboo plant. You can reach him at jon@insideuniversal.net.
