Supplier News

Philippines – City of Dreams diversifies with DreamWorks opening

By Phil - 15 June 2015

The world’s first DreamWorks-themed, indoor interactive play and creativity center, ‘DreamPlay by DreamWorks’, celebrated its official opening at City of Dreams Manila to great fanfare involving excited children and beloved DreamWorks animated characters, together with a stellar line-up of VIP celebrity parents.

Lawrence Ho, co-chairman and CEO of Melco Crown Entertainment was joined by DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jeffrey Katzenberg, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open the family entertainment destination.

They were joined at the celebratory event by a host of dignitaries and celebrities including, the Mayor of Parañaque City Edwin Olivarez; and celebrity stars and their families, including Kaye and Freddie Tinga; Tessa Valdes; David and Jennifer Celdran; Mikaela and Chucho Martinez; Grace and Lauro Baja; Gian and Joy Sotto; and Cecile and Jeroen van Straten to name a few.

The DreamPlay center is a first-of-its-kind environment where kids can play and participate in a wide range of creative activities and fun-filled experiences with the characters of DreamWorks Animation’s world-famous films, including Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.

DreamPlay features twelve original attractions including learning Kung Fu with Po, the Kung Fu Panda; exploring Shrek’s swamp with the big green ogre himself; testing dragons for flight alongside Hiccup and Toothless; embarking on seafaring adventures with the Penguins of Madagascar. Each franchise area represents a different type of interactive learning, with Kung Fu Panda teaching physical activity and agility; Madagascar involving physics, buoyancy and trajectories; Shrek teaching food preparation and cooking skills at ‘Cooking with Gingy’; and ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ exploring the principles of flight and aerodynamics.

The facility has enjoyed high levels of visitation, exceeding initial expectations, since first opening its doors to the public in March. The 5,000 sq. meter creative play-center brings a new dynamic to family-focused entertainment in Manila and the Philippines as part of Melco Crown Philippines’ strategy to widen the domestic, regional and international appeal of the city to leisure destination seekers.
Each ‘DreamPlay’ experience has been designed by the artistic and creative forces of DreamWorks Animation and iP2 Entertainment. It combines the best elements of the DreamWorks library with the hands-on activities of a play-center inspired by learning through creativity, to produce a truly one-of-a-kind entertainment facility the whole family can enjoy.

“Melco Crown Philippines is thrilled to officially introduce ‘DreamPlay by DreamWorks’ to the overall entertainment offerings at City of Dreams Manila, already enjoyed by millions of visitors since our initial opening December last year,” said Mr. Clarence Chung, Chairman and President, Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation. “‘DreamPlay by DreamWorks’ is key to our family-entertainment appeal and ensures that City of Dreams Manila truly has something for everyone – as a compelling visitor leisure destination for families across the region. City of Dreams Manila now enjoys a comprehensive range of world-class entertainment facilities, developed by Melco Crown Philippines with the strategic aim of further diversifying the tourism potential of Manila and the Philippines.”

“This is a very exciting day for DreamWorks and we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Mr. Lawrence Ho and Mr.James Packer, to introduce DreamPlay to Manila,” said DreamWorks Animation’s Head of Retail Development & Entertainment Paul Kurzawa.

“We are continually working to build experiences that bring the stories of DreamWorks to life and with DreamPlay, we’ve introduced a fantastically fun and creative destination for the entire family.”