When you walk in to find the world famous Universal Globe spinning amidst a flurry of water fountains, you instinctively know you have entered a land of make-believe of truly cinematic proportions. Having opened its doors to the public in 2010, Singapore’s Universal Studios Theme Park is only the first such instalment in Southeast Asia while being the second in all of Asia.
Dominating the landscape of Resort World Sentosa, the massive 49-acre Universal Studios enclave encompasses nearly 24 attractions with almost 18 originally created attractions only available in Singapore’s version of the global brand. Home to the world’s largest collection of DreamWorks animation theme park attractions and the world’s highest duelling rollercoaster ride, the Singapore Universal Studios is divided into a total of seven zones of pure unadulterated amusement.
The Hollywood Zone is of course one of its most popular venues with its iconic Hollywood Boulevard style Walk Of Fame and flagship shops. The 1500-seater Pantages Hollywood Theatre hosts musicals by the Universal Monsters and other headlining performers while photo ops with screen legends like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin are also available. Theme park collectables are all the rage at the Universal Studios Store in addition to other souvenir stores such as Silver Screen Collectibles, Star Characters, The Brown Derby and Superstar Candies. Adrenaline junkies on the other hand can head down to Sci-Fi City which features the globe’s tallest duelling rollercoaster ride Battlestar Galactica which has two incarnations named Battlestar Galactica: CYLON and Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN. Other attractions include the Accelerator while a movie inspired Transformers Ride is also set to open in 2011.
Far Far Away is the favorite haunt of all Shrek enthusiasts as this sprawling replica of the setting of the Shrek trilogies also encompasses the Far Far Away castle. Other hotspots in this zone include Shrek’s Swamp House, Hook’s Knight Club and Romeo Drive while the Shrek 4-D adventure film and the interactive Donkey Live show are also must-see attractions. A mini-rollercoaster ride named Enchanted Airways takes guests on board Donkey’s love interest Dragon in this area where photo ops with Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots, Shrek and Donkey are also up for grabs.
Madagascar fans on the other hand must venture down to the Studio’s Madagascar movie theme park zone where visitors can engage with their favorite characters King Julian, Melman, Gloria, and Alex or ride King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round carousel. All Jurassic Park and WaterWorld fanatics should not forget to stop over at the Lost World theme zone which features many of Universal Studios’ most iconic rides and shows. Highlights include the Waterworld stunt extravaganza and the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure in addition to rides such as the Canopy Flyer, Dino-Soarin’ trip on a pterodactyl and the Amber Rock Climb.
Ancient Egypt is a multi-sensory treat for all amateur Egyptologists and fans of the Mummy movie franchise as Pharaohs’ tombs, pyramids and obelisks dot the landscape which has been built to represent the Golden Age of Egyptian discovery of the 1930’s. The New York zone with its replica of the New York Public Library and other world famous landmarks of the Big Apple is also worth exploration while 30 restaurants and 20 singular retail stores are also located throughout the theme park for added convenience.
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