Merlin Entertainments has agreed a deal with Hollywood studio DreamWorks Animation to open attractions based on the Shrek movies, with next year's London opening scheduled to be followed by five more worldwide.

The attractions will take visitors on an interactive adventure featuring characters from the franchise and will see an initial roll-out of six attractions up to 2023, with the London opening expected during Q3 of 2015.

The announcement marks the first time Merlin has worked with DreamWorks to create a branded entertainment attraction based on a globally recognised franchise. It also marks Dreamworks' first foray in helping produce an attraction of this scale by licensing the use of its characters and stories.

Shrek’s Far Far Away Adventure will debut on the original film’s 15th anniversary at County Hall, close to Merlin’s other attractions in the South Bank area including the London Eye, Sea Life Aquarium and London Dungeon.

The 2,000sq m (21,500sq ft) attraction will be based around a completely new story written by the DreamWorks team and will include characters from Shrek, as well as others from Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. In addition, there will be a rotating exhibition area for various DreamWorks releases and a branded retail outlet.

“Developing an attraction based on Shrek and his friends is hugely exciting for Merlin Entertainments and the start of what we hope will be a wider collaboration with DreamWorks Animation,” said Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments.

“Merlin’s expertise in delivering memorable days out for visitors and DreamWorks’ skill in developing globally recognised entertainment franchises will be a winning combination.”