A Dreamworks Themepark in New Jersey? Maybe

Dreamworks Animation was born out of Sparky Katzenberg’s desire to do it better than Disney after being forced out of the Mouse House by Michael Eisner, who had the nerve not to die or retire after a scare with his heart. You can quibble about the quality of the movies produced by Dreamworks, but you have to admit that the studio has been a financial success. They’ve produced one box office hit after another, often out-performing Disney Animation at the box office.

Katzenberg has long stated he would love to have a theme park as a home for the Dreamworks characters. There have been some licensed properties (Shrek at UOR) and a failed attempt in Dubai (which sucked in every company except for Disney), but no theme park yet. That might be about to change in, of all places, New Jersey.

A story in the NY Times says that a Dreamworks theme park was announced as part of a revived shopping and entertainment district near the famous Meadowlands that just got the regulatory green light.

Dreamworks fans should not get their hopes up for a Disneyland of their own, the Dreamworks portion of the project will only be 14.7 acres. That’s just a bit larger than the new Cars Land expansion at Disney California Adventure. But three will be some other fun entertainment, like clubs and an indoor ski slope.

Do you have a favorite Dreamworks movie? What sort of attraction would you like to see from it. For instance, “How to Train Your Dragon” is a natural for a coaster.