He may be a terrifying ogre, but Shrek will be helping kids enjoy the holiday season at Westchester”™s Ridge Hill in Yonkers this winter.
The DreamWorks Animation character will be part of DreamPlace, a holiday experience featuring a cottage that puts a new twist on meeting Santa Claus.
“It”™ll be a new, family-oriented way to experience the season,” said Kathryn Welch, executive vice president of Forest City Ratner Cos.”™ retail development division. “The Santa experience has been the same for so long. For families, it can be difficult and unpleasant with long lines, and the kids can be afraid of Santa sometimes. We”™re taking the experience to a new level with new aspects.”
DreamPlace will be in Ridge Hill”™s town square, where the facility used to put up a Christmas tree, and will be free to visit.
“It”™s all about taking a trip to the North Pole and meeting Santa Claus there. The part of this that is so exciting is that DreamWorks has characters kids are used to, like Shrek, and that will help kids get over the fear of Santa Claus,” said Welch, who noted that younger children often are afraid of jolly old Saint Nick when they get to the front of the line.
The attraction will open at the Forest City Ratner-owned complex in mid-November and run through the end of the year.
