DreamWorks (NASDAQ:
DWA
) has signed a deal with Triple Five to produce an indoor theme
park in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Designed as part of the
American Dream project, the theme park will feature characters from
the animation studio's most popular films, including Shrek, How to
Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots, and
Madagascar.
In addition to the DreamWorks theme park, American Dream will
feature an indoor water park, an indoor ice skating rink, an indoor
ski and snowboard park, a movie theater, nearly 1.7 million square
feet of retail space, and 150,000 square feet of "fine dining" and
restaurants.
The project is 80 percent complete. But according to
American
Dream's website
, "Triple Five and its team of experts, architects and designers
are making changes to the exterior to improve aesthetics and to the
interior to improve retail attraction and retention. Triple Five is
also adding new world scale interactive components including,
amongst other things, an amusement park, ice rink and water park,
to make American Dream a true tourism entertainment center."
The theme park portion of American Dream will be the first in
North America to exclusively feature DreamWorks Animation
characters.
Concept Image Source:
American
Dream
"American Dream at Meadowlands is poised to become a
one-of-a-kind retail and entertainment destination in North
America," Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation, said in a
company release
. "We look forward to working with Triple Five Worldwide to
incorporate DreamWorks Animation characters, storytelling and
technology into a unique and innovative family entertainment
experience at the venue."
DreamWorks and Triple Five have not announced when the park will
be completed, or when American Dream will open to the public. But
both companies promise that the theme park will offer a "new
amusement park experience, driven by innovation, to entertain
adults, teens and children alike."
Today's announcement comes less than one month after Disney
(NYSE:
DIS
) opened Cars Land at the company's California Adventure theme
park. Featuring life-size replicas of the automobiles and
environments from the hit Pixar movie, Cars Land is expected to
drive massive traffic to the Disneyland Resort.
When American Dream opens, this will be the first time that a
major animation studio challenges Disney's theme park dominance in
North America.
Triple Five has not released any visitor expectations for its
new theme park. However, the company projects that its ski and
snowboard park will receive 1.6 million visitors annually.
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