Dive Into a Dream at Dreamwalk Park
The UVU Review was granted early access to Dreamwalk Park, a fully immersive dive into a whimsical, science-fiction world.
Opening Dec. 12, Dreamwalk Park is the latest addition to the University Place Mall in Orem, Utah. Similar to Meow Wolf, Dreamwalk Park is an interactive art exhibition created by Ben McPherson and John Pope.
Dreamwalk, first and foremost a filmmaking company, wanted to showcase their prop and set designs while “building a place for their tribe to gather,” Vice President/Creative Director Brad Skaar stated.
With their history in filmmaking, Dreamwalk is deeply focused on the art of storytelling. While an art exhibition is more static than a film, Dreamwalk has still found the ability to infuse a coherent narrative into the project. They draw inspiration from other imaginative filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, Jim Henson and Walt Disney.
Originally, Dreamwalk Park was intended to be worked on alongside Dreamwalk’s upcoming film project. But as they started work, they realized how much bigger this project was than they realized. Therefore, they put their film project on hold to focus on bringing Dreamwalk Park to life with a high level of detail.
Skaar expressed Dreamwalk’s commitment to making the park fully immersive. Skaar wants to make the exhibition feel like stepping into a dream and has carefully designed it to avoid anything that might disrupt this dreamlike experience. He identifies problems with other theme parks that take away from the illusion, such as exposed ceilings or glimpses into behind-the-scenes work.
This visual experience features a variety of awe-inspiring spaces. The first destination is called the “Galactic Grotto,” and was jokingly nicknamed “Gen Z Falls” by Skaar. Throughout their journey, viewers will see shiny crystal caves, waterfalls, glowing plants, volcanoes, giant mushrooms, robots, and more. Each space features what Skaar called “anomalies,” in which elements of the set light up in synchronization with dynamic music to match the vibe of the space.
Dreamwalk Park is an experience that stimulates all of the senses. A constant soundscape brings the rooms to life, giving the illusion of movement all around. Each room also features a carefully curated scent that heightens the experience. This entire intricate exhibition was built by a small staff of 15–20 dedicated local designers.
The Dreamwalk team was careful to recruit local artists to help, like illustrator Guy Francis whose work was on display at a local restaurant. The Review stumbled upon Francis drawing a blend of prehistoric yet futuristic cave paintings on the walls of the park. Francis also helped design some of the mechanic robots featured in the park, explaining why Skaar referred to him as “one of our wizards.”
Along with being a stimulating experience, Dreamwalk Park also provides pieces of lore to discover. The story told by Dreamwalk Park picks up after an asteroid strikes the mall, tearing through the fabric of spacetime and opening a portal. This asteroid was sent by the ‘portal keepers,’ ancient aliens who contact various universes, opening up an “interstellar highway between galaxies,” Skaar explained.
Through this portal, viewers are taken to various destinations throughout the galaxy, featuring what is called the “Muselium,” where representatives of various mythologies are laid to rest. The room is divided between positive mythological figures—like unicorns and fairies—and more villainous figures. This distinction is meant to display instances in which interaction with other parts of the galaxy has been peaceful and instances in which it has not.
Upon entering, each viewer is given a portal pass and a decoder wand. Portal passes can be scanned at numerous terminals to unlock hidden features throughout the exhibition. The more one scans their portal pass, the higher they rise in ranking. Decoder wands are used to follow a secret language and discover hidden clues that slowly reveal the lore behind the portal.
While the atmosphere of some spaces and the content of the lore can feel heavy, Dreamwork has worked to balance this out by “injecting moments of levity,” as Skaar put it. The space with the most levity is “Merge Market,” a marketplace created by robots for robots. There, viewers can play a variety of robot-themed arcade games and see a robot DJ play.
Along with the grand opening of Dreamwalk Park will be the release of a trading card game featuring elements and characters from the Dreamwalk world. Viewers will receive a “dream bag,” featuring sixty trading cards and other goodies. Only the first edition of cards is available now, but Dreamwalk has plans to release further editions.
Dreamwalk Park is the type of exhibition that will likely attract tourists from across the country, especially as it continues to evolve. Dec. 12 is their initial opening date, but they plan to continue expanding further after its opening, both regarding the space the exhibition fills, and the level of detail achieved. Visit dreamwalk.com to get tickets and learn more about the park. Tickets are $34.95 for adults and $24.95 for children, but UVU students can get 20% off by using the promo code UVU20PERCENT.
Braxtyn Birrell is a senior at Utah Valley University earning her Bachelor’s in Writing Studies. She is currently serving as a Beat Reporter for the Review. In previous semesters, she has served as Editor-in-Chief for Touchstones Literary Magazine and Lead Student Editor for the Journal of Student Leadership. Her areas of expertise include the arts and humanities, specifically literature.