Transformers: The Ride-3D, at Universal Studios Hollywood, won the International 3D Society’s Creative Arts Award for best Themed Attraction of 2012 on Thursday night, Feb. 6.
Chick Russell accepted the award on behalf of USH.
Combining the best of Star Tours 3D at Disneyland with Universal’s former Back to the Future-turned-The Simpsons Ride motion-based simulator attraction, Transformers swivels, tilts and bumps its audience from one big 3D screen to another to make you feel like you are in the center of a massive nighttime battle in the middle of a city of skyscrapers and four-story-tall robots. The 3D is impressive, especially when robot arms reach out to either grab at you or pull your vehicle along behind them. The key is keeping your entire field of vision consumed by the many screens your vehicle faces.
The ride (coming soon to Universal’s Orlando park — see videos below) features original, photo-realistic 3D-HD media and special effects masterminded by Industrial Light & Magic. The director of all three Transformers films in 2007, 2009, and 2011, Michael Bay, was a creative consultant on the attraction that was created in a partnership between Universal Parks & Resorts and Hasbro, Inc.
“We’ve pushed the boundaries of 3D, hyperrealism and immersive visual effects to transport our guests, physically and viscerally, into the world of Transformners,” said Mark Woodbury, President, Universal Creative.
— By Scott Hettrick