The Transformers attraction is expected to open at Universal Studios Hollywood in spring 2012.
Transformers will be located in the buildings that previously housed the Backdraft and the Special Effects Soundstages attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Universal has not released a lot of details, but based on the similar attraction that opened in late 2011 at Universal Studios Singapore, it will be a dark ride (ride-through attraction) with 3-D, high-definition projected images, 4-D sensory and special effects, and large-scale animatronic characters. It will use a roving motion base vehicle like the
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (which is truly amazing) that Universal developed for Islands of Adventure and subsequently built at its Japan park.
The blockbuster Transformers film and toy franchise demands an over-the-top attraction -- the kind that Universal, home of Jurassic Park-The Ride and
Revenge of the Mummy, is more than capable of delivering. While Universal hasn't revealed all of the specifics, Transformers will take its inspiration from Spider-Man, which gets my nod as one of the
best attractions anywhere. It is so immersive and jaw-droppingly stunning, Spider-Man effectively blurs the line between virtual and reality. If Transformers is the next evolution of the roving motion-base attraction, we should be in for a incredible treat.
Universal is certainly raising expectations. The park industry is rife with overblown hyperbole, but Universal is promising that Transformers will be a "jewel" in its ride portfolio, that it will include "mega special effects," and that it is destined to become "one of the world's most exciting theme park rides and a centerpiece attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood." Whew. I'm breathless already, and I haven't even boarded the ride.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Transformers story, it has something to do with alien good-guy and bad-guy robots, known as Autobots and Decepticons, respectively. They battle it out by blasting one another with laser cannons embedded in their enormous arms and by transforming into trucks, planes, and other weird alter egos. It may not make much sense, but Transformers will undoubtedly provide plenty of material for Universal's hallmark of loud, in-your-face, explosive action.
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