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Did Universal Studios Singapore Build a Castle for a Disney Park?

About four million visitors enter Universal Studios Singapore (USS) each year, but is it really a “one-of-its-kind theme park?”  Some Team Members allegedly believe Universal inherited an unfinished Disneyland Singapore from Disney, as evidenced by the massive fairytale castle featured in Shrek’s land of Far Far Away.

Universal Studios Singapore is home to 28 different attractions across seven themed zones, one of which depicts characters from the Dreamworks’ Shrek franchise. Unlike its counterparts in other countries across the globe, USS is unique in that it boasts an extensively grandiose palace, a large structure that only houses the Shrek 4-D Adventure attraction.

far far away shrek universal singapore

Credit: Resorts World Sentosa

As a result, many theme park fans seem to believe that King Harold’s castle, as seen in Shrek 2 (2004), came first, even before the Universal Studios Singapore concept existed… When Singapore built it as the Disneyland Park icon to entice a deal, similar to  Dubai’s Riva Creative.

In fact, Disney was considering investing in Singapore Disneyland back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Plans to increase themed entertainment in Southeast Asia had been underway after a study conducted for Singapore Airlines found that a theme park could increase tourism in the country.

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Credit: D23

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However, Disney requested around 300 hectares of land at a low price and expected the local government to heavily contribute to the Park’s construction and management. So, when the deal fell through, Disney turned their sights on Hong Kong instead, and later, Shanghai.

Afterward, Genting Singapore struck a deal with Universal and the country to create its sixth Universal Studios Park in Sentosa Island, with the private sector of Genting Group and Resorts World Sentosa managing USS on just 20 hectares of land. So, had Genting Singapore already built their castle in anticipation of a Disney Park?

Madagascar: A Crate Adventure and Far Far Away Castle are part of the  world's single larges… | Universal studios singapore, Universal studios  theme park, Theme park

Credit: Universal Studios Singapore

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Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that this particular rumor is true. For instance, Universal Singapore didn’t even reveal plans for the Far Far Away-themed land in late 2009 but had already begun construction on the rest of the theme park back in April of 2008.

Plus, mentions of any negotiations between the Walt Disney Company and the Singapore government seem to end by 2006, after struggles with Hong Kong Disneyland. Although, when you look at King Harold’s Castle and, say, the Shanghai Disney Resort’s Enchanted Storybook Castle side-by-side, at least they seem to share similar sources of inspiration, just like the Studios themselves.

For more information on visiting Universal Studios Singapore, click here.

About Spencer Beck

Spencer is a lifelong lover of theme parks, princesses, and Disney history that recently relocated to Northern California. She completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA, where she was the founder and first president of the campus Disney Club. A former Cast Member still mourning the loss of the Disney Store, she now haunts the halls of the Walt Disney Family Museum, and shares her opinions with anyone who will listen @pinknpurble everywhere.