The most sophisticated attraction on the planet, Spider-Man blurs the line between virtual and reality so well that you'll emerge slack-jawed and awe-struck.
- Guide Rating (0=Yich!, 10=Wow!): 10
- Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 5
- Type: 4-D, roving motion-base simulator, dark ride (really!)
- Height restriction (minimum, in inches): 40
Spider-Man is the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink of high-tech theme park attractions. It is a "dark ride," an industry term for an attraction that sends guests through an indoor environment. In this case, riders climb aboard 12-passenger vehicles to journey through the ravaged streets of New York City. In addition to traveling from scene to scene, the computer-controlled vehicles are outfitted with motion bases. They move in synch with filmed action that is rear-projected on dozens of screens throughout the ride. Here's where it gets completely insane: The filmed sequences are presented in 3-D.
Spider-Man appears out of nowhere and lands with an audible and tactile thud on the moving vehicle. One of his archenemies, the Hobgoblin, hurls a flaming pumpkin and real flames all but singe the hairs off riders' skin. (The multi-sensory effects make this a "4-D" attraction.) The final sequence, a 400-foot "sensory drop" off the top of a skyscraper, is so utterly convincing, it will completely take your breath away.
In reality, however, the motion-base vehicles never leave the ground and never move more than a few miles per hour. It's all an illusion.
The ultimate how-did-they-do-that attraction
So how DO they do that? "The real magic of Spider-Man is creating an environment in which the boundaries of film projection have been shattered," says Mark Woodbury, Universal's vice president of design and creative development. The biggest challenge was manipulating the 3-D images so that they wouldn't appear distorted to the passengers in a moving vehicle. "This technology, a 'moving point of convergence,' didn't exist," notes Woodbury. "We had to create it."
"Everybody told us it couldn't be done," adds Scott Trowbridge, Spider-Man's show producer. A self-described "creative person with a bit of a techno-geek streak," he and his team persevered. They included many subtleties in the attraction to reinforce the illusion. For example, when a filmed 3-D object enters a scene, a shadow of the object appears on the real wall. "It helps fulfill your brain's expectations and use them against you," Trowbridge explains. "You can make the leap of faith."
And you will leap. With its full-tilt assault on the senses, even the most jaded rider will succumb to Spider-Man's virtual charms.
Photo: (C) Universal 1999
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