Gardaland has announced a new multi-million-euro themed area for the Italian park and resort, based around the popular DreamWorks Animation IP, Kung Fu Panda.

Kung Fu Panda Academy, which opens in May, will feature all the favourite characters from the film franchise, including Po, the loveable protagonist, and his friend Tigress.

Themed interactive games and attractions, including a family-friendly rollercoaster, will be part of the Academy, as well as a Kung Fu Panda cast and live entertainment staged from a brightly coloured pagoda at the centre of the family-oriented zone.

“Gardaland develops great new projects every year to ensure its guests have the best possible experience. Setting up Kung Fu Panda Academy in our park allows us to add, for 2016, another prime offer to our current portfolio of fantastic attractions,” said Aldo Maria Vigevani, CEO of Gardaland.

The resort would not reveal exact details of the budget for the new area, but a spokesperson said that Gardaland owner Merlin Entertainments has recently invested €45m (US$50m, £36m) in the theme park. This covers Oblivion: The Black Hole, which opened in 2015, and the upcoming Gardaland Adventure Hotel – a four-star, 100-room themed hotel – which opens in June 2016.

This is not the first time Merlin has collaborated with DreamWorks Animation, having opened Shrek’s Adventure in London last July, with a deal for five more to be created worldwide.