Shrek's Adventure Review - 2021

So this is part 2 of my reviewing London Attractions series and today we're reviewing Shrek's Adventure. My last trip to Shrek's was in late November and was surprisingly really enjoyable for a family attraction😭. Shrek's Adventure is located in Embankment, London next to London Dungeons, Sealife London and the London Eye, so is really accessible for a multi attraction day trip.

To me, Shrek's Adventure is the child's version of London Dungeons. They have a very similar storytelling method, with short acted scenes, ride(s) and a lot of humour. London Dungeons is targeted at around 11+ and Shrek's Adventure is aimed at a younger audience; generally under 11's. Shrek's obviously is less scary and is shorter, but they're still very similar.

The huge queue before actually getting in the attraction can be quite frustrating, queuing anywhere between 15 mins and 1hr 30 mins for the first scene. There's a single shop before the photo stop, which is almost never manned or selling anything. One you finally get in the first scene, it's pretty well acted and the singing is funny along with an interesting storyline (to a child). The simulator is probably more believable to a child than it was to me, but it was a quite grainy quality video to me (probably just be because it hasn't been updated very recently).

The scenes onward from that are more playful, slightly less well acted versions of the Dunegons' scenes with a different storyline, not based in the past. Especially with an attraction like this, basing on an IP not set 'on Earth in the present' it's a lot easier to design the setting and make the rides more believable as you can easily use magic to your advantage to explain how it works. The attraction is also very interactive, which keeps young children engaged in the storyline and setting. Children don't have a very long attention span and can easily get confused/lost in the story of a ride or attraction over a few minutes long.

Shrek's Adventure isn't the most well rounded ride but the storytelling and theming are fabulous. It definitely doesn't suit all audiences but I think that's why Merlin created it along with the Dungeons. I would definitely recommend this attraction to families with younger children.

What do you think of Shrek's Adventure? Do you plan on visiting any Merlin Attractions this closed season? Thank you so much for reading, I'll see you next time!

Cleo x