Did you enjoy feeling part of the action courtesy of the 3D in Transformers: Dark of the Moon? Wait until you get the chance to ride Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. The ride celebrated its grand opening just the other day and Shockya had the opportunity to get all of the details from ride representative Trana Pittam.
Oddly enough, Universal Studios was actually a chicken farm back in 1912 when Carl Laemmle first started making movies there. When the public interest in movies being made became undeniable, the Universal Studios Tour was born and, even to this day, it’s the park’s tentpole attraction.
The park now has over a dozen big attractions, a number of which are 3D rides like King Kong 360 3D, and now, Transformers: The Ride officially joins the ranks. Considering all three Transformers movies made a killing at the box office, odds are, you already know that the series centers on the rift between the good guys, the Autobots, and the bad guys, the Decepticons. In the four-minute ride, the Decepticons steal the Allspark, the object that created the robot race, and you, the rider, join forces with the Autobots to track it down.
As Pittam explained, “The queue line is actually part of the show,” so when this hot new ride attracts the masses, standing on a long line shouldn’t be all that bad. The scenery is very elaborate. In the line segment’s first chamber, you’re introduced to the Allspark and as you make your way closer to the start of the actual ride, the chambers continue to get you up to speed on the story.
Then, in comes EVAC. He’s your ride vehicle. “EVAC was actually an action figure back in the early 80s,” Pittam noted. However, EVAC has yet to appear in a Transformers film and he wasn’t even in the television series. But now his time has come and not only is he responsible for bringing 12 riders through the adventure, but he’s getting a brand new action figure this month, too.
“You’re going to be traveling along 2,000 feet of ride track in a motion flight simulator.” Think you’ve experienced something similar before? Think again. Pittam continued, “The technology used on the ride car is so advanced and so new that when we have broadcast crews come and visit, you’re not allowed to shoot underneath the car because there are trade secrets.” That vehicle moves and responds to all of the practical set decorations and everything the riders see on the surrounding 60-foot screens that are all rocking HD 3D. “The animation is so brilliant, that I promise you, because I’ve tried, when you have your specially designed 3D glasses on, you can’t tell what’s tangible and what’s animated.” There are also some visceral effects. For example, when Megatron fires a missile at your head, you really feel the wind and the heat.
An aspect that makes Universal Studios rides stand out is that the creative teams make a point of getting the filmmakers involved. Just like Peter Jackson helped put together King Kong 360 3D, so did Michael Bay with this one.
So what can you expect from Transformers: The Ride during your next trip to Universal Studios? When I made a comparison to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Pittam insisted Transformers: The Ride is above and beyond. If you’ve yet to give that Orlando attraction a go, just think the immensity of a Transformers movie, the brilliance of ILM visual effects and the sensation created by a motion simulator combined.