By Zack Gill
Arts Editor
Since the beginning of the previous decade, America’s triple-A theme parks, namely Disney’s parks and the Universal Studios, have participated in a game of extreme one-upmanship, often laying down hundreds of millions of dollars to compete in creating the most visually lavish, technologically advanced attractions.
Universal Studios may have finally, once and for all, come out on top, following its incredible “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” attraction in Florida with “Transformers: The Ride 3D,” here in California at Universal Studios Hollywood, which opened May 22. “Transformers: The Ride 3D” combines a thrilling vehicle apparatus and incredible 3D effects to create what is possibly the greatest ride in the entire world.
In a lengthy, heavily-themed queue through the United States’ Transformers base, riders are informed of an imminent Decepticon attack, who are looking to steal the Transformers’ All-Spark (the MacGuffin from the first “Transformers” film). Riders then board EVAC, a Transformer created specifically for the ride that attempts to smuggle the All-Spark out of the city. EVAC and the riders are almost immediately ambushed by Decepticons as the ride begins, and chaos ensues.
“Transformers” borrows technology from Universal Studios Florida’s 10-year old ride “The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman.” Both attractions feature vehicles on a hydraulic chase that allows for motion similar to the jeeps in the “Indiana Jones” attraction at Disneyland. The vehicles can spin a full 360 degrees (and are strategically designed so that riders can only look forward so as to not ruin the 3D effect).
The ride moves through both real scenery and through rooms containing massive high definition 3D screens (riders are required to wear “battle goggles,” in actuality stereoscopic 3D glasses, provided during the line).
However, in the 10 years since the “Spider-man” attraction, the engineers at Universal Studios have access to greater technology and have improved in ride design. There are some key differences between the attractions: namely, “Transformers” features a much greater number of massive screens that are often even larger than IMAX.
“Transformers” features vehicle movement on a track, but its vehicles also stop for extensive moments at the massive screens, where it basically becomes a simulator on a massive scale. Through this clever concept, EVAC is thrown through absolutely massive environments and put in situations that could never be built physically.
The films on the screens depict the ride vehicle flying through cityscapes and fighting Decepticons along the way. The screens are so massive that even the simulator portions of the attraction are thrilling. A smart use of physical effects, like heat and wind, also helps compliment these sections.
Because park guests are actually riding in a Transformer, the ride vehicle participates in the action by launching missiles and punching enemy robots, and every time the vehicle does something cool, the films go into slow motion, in perhaps the most cinematic touch on a ride ever.
Screens are strategically placed for the fullest immersion; when EVAC stops in front of one of the massive IMAX-sized screens for a simulator-portion of the attraction, often times Decepticons will “hit” the ride vehicle in the film.
Promptly, the ride vehicle spins into another room which also contains a massive screen and portrays the action previously behind the car. For example, during a scene above a city street, EVAC is knocked backward into a room containing a screen portraying the same city street in the opposite direction. This essentially creates dynamic, high definition environments in 360 degrees.
The best thing of all is that “Transformers” clocks in at more than four minutes, providing a much lengthier ride time than most equivalently high-tech attractions at competing amusement parks.
The new “Cars Land” at Disney’s California Adventure featuring the massive “Radiator Springs Racers” is expected to be the main competitor to “Transformers.” Unfortunately for Disney, there’s almost no possible way that it will be able to top Universal. “Transformers: The Ride 3D” opens Memorial Day weekend at Universal Studios Hollywood.
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