Discover the magic
Have you ever wanted to learn more about the hidden workings behind beloved DreamWorks films such as Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon or Shrek? From now till the end of September, you can!
DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition is making its first stop in a five year world tour in Singapore. Featuring over 31 films and over 400 displays, DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition gives visitors insight into the actions and ideas that go into your favourite animated features.
We were given the opportunity to preview the exhibition and were blown away at the sheer amount of stuff for us to discover. The exhibition is separated into three different sections, Character, Story, and World, each focusing on a different aspect of the creative process.
What to see
In Character, we got a exclusive look behind the concept of characters and how they were brought from the drawing board to the screen. Some interesting features were the original concept looks of Po and Shrek. I bet you didn’t know that Po was originally designed as a small, chubby, but cute baby panda! 
Photo by Mark Ashkanasy
Moving onto Story, we got an introduction to the world of writers and the cutting room floor. Here, we took away memorable insights into the planning behind the stories and the pitching process behind the films. With storyboards, art and props all around us, we truly felt like we were in a DreamWorks writing studio. 
The final sector, World, brought us right into the various fantasy worlds that our favorite characters inhabited, from the dusty sands of Egypt to the underwater world of Reef City. We were amazed at the amount of detail put into recreating sets from the movies.
Photo by Mark Gambino
The main draw of the exhibition, the Dragon Flight, also resides in this section. Recreating a ride on Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon, you get to see the Isle of Berk build around you in real-time. Watching the marvelous animation construct itself brought joy to the child in me, and I’m sure it’ll bring a smile onto the faces of the other visitors.
What to do
Photo by Mark Ashkanasy
There’s plenty of things to do and experience in the exhibits as well. In every section, interactive sections allow you to have fun with the same softwares that Dreamworks animators use on actual films. Play with various facial reactions on beloved characters and learn to sketch just like a real artist.
We spent over 30 minutes trying to draw Moses from the Prince of Egypt and Lenny from Shark Tale in the Drawing Room, and had fun warping the faces of characters at the Face Poser.
If you’re up for something a little more hands-on, claymation and animation workshops are held every weekend, from 20th June onward, at S$5 per person. For those looking for a refresher course on DreamWorks’ slate of films, worry not! Movie screenings will be held every weekend, and it’s free of charge for all ticket holders of the exhibition.
About DreamWorks Animation : The Exhibition
What: DreamWorks Animation : The Exhibition
When: June 13 – late Sept 2015
Where: ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands
Address: 6 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018794
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm daily
Ticketing Details:
- Singaporean Adults : $14.00
- Singaporean Children : $9.00
- Singaporean Senior Citizens : $12.00
- Adults : $21.00
- Children : $13.00
- Senior Citizens : $17.00
This post was brought to you by the ArtScience Museum.