Join the battle of robots

0

NEW recruits of the Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers (NEST) recently joined the mighty Optimus Prime and Bumblee on a mission of their lives as they rolled out alongside the Autobots to protect the Allspark shard –a powerful energy cube that gives life to the Transformers – from the evil Decepticons.

NEW AUTOBOT: Bay poses with Evac, the Autobot created especially for Transformers The Ride.

Equipped with 3-D glasses, the eager recruits hopped onboard Evac, a new recruit to the Autobots team, stationed on Earth, who shared a bond with the humans of NEST as he too had never been in combat with the Decepticons.

With the menacing, heartless villains hot on their heels, together they zipped through subway tunnels, down city streets and across rooftops on an action-packed ride that gave the passengers an exhilarating experience they will never forget.

The thrilling adventure of Transformers The Ride, which premiered on Dec 3 at Universal Studios Singapore (USS), was the epitome of the world-class theme park’s adage of ‘Riding The Movies’ as for a good four minutes, guests transported into the Transformers universe would feel as though they were part of the ultimate battle between the robots.

Chiefly responsible for creating the ground-breaking visual effects exclusively for this attraction was Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) – a division of Lucasfilm Ltd Digital – artists who worked simultaneously out of their facilities in California and Singapore to develop all of the ride’s pre-show media as well as the hyper-realistic 3-D scenes within the attraction.

“Tranformers The Ride is one of the most complex and technically challenging projects we have ever worked on. Creating a seamless and imperceptible blend between the incredible physical sets and our computer generated imagery was a real challenge,” said ILM visual effects supervisor Jeff White.

“It pushed the state-of-the-art in ride technology and computer graphics with the results being something that we are very proud of.”

He added that the project was worked on simultaneously with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the latest Transformers feature film, released earlier this year, and has since become the fourth highest grossing global movie of all time.

This provided much synergy in the process, and also gave the ride unmatched authenticity in the sets, action scenes and characters while telling its own unique story, White said.

In line with the grand opening of the world’s first theme park attraction, Transformers film director and executive producer Michael Bay made a grand entrance on stage in a 2010 edition of the Chevrolet Camaro at the ceremony where he powered up the ride with the Allspark shard, signalling the start of a new era in immersive theme park entertainment with Asia’s most technologically advanced motion thrill ride.

Favourite moment

Asked what was his favourite moment during the ride Bay, who also served as the ride’s creative consultant, cited a scene where Evac flew off a 30-storey building and it felt as though he was about to hit ground.

“I’ve just been on this ride once but there’s so much you can take that you can go multiple times and still discover something new during the ride. Now that’s pretty awesome,” he enthused.

Universal Creative senior vice president Thierry Coup, who is also the executive leading creative development activities for upcoming attractions off all Universal theme parks worldwide, chimed: “There’re so many places in the ride where the 3-D screen and the actual facility kind of merge, putting you in a state of almost reality where you are in a 3-D movie and each of those points really drives home the concept of ‘Ride The Movies’.”

Meanwhile, chairman of Genting Group and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay said: “We set out with the vision of transforming Asia’s tourism landscape when we built RWS.

“And less than two years since its opening, RWS has fulfilled this vision by becoming the region’s number one destination resort. Universal Studios Singapore, one of the crown jewels of the resort, has also risen to fame as one of the most entertainment-packed theme parks in the world.

“The premiere of the Transformers The Ride in Asia is iconic not only because it’s another milestone for the franchise but also highlights our unwavering commitment to delivering world-class attractions for the whole family,” he added.

POWERING UP THE RIDE: Tranformers The Ride is officially launched with the Allspark. Seen here (from left) are Transformers The Ride blog contest winner Malcolm Chen, Lim, Bay, Williams, and RWS chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck who are flanked by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

Signature rides

Chairman & CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts Tom Williams pointed out that the Universal Studios experience was all about ‘riding the movies’.

“Over the years, we have developed many signature rides and attractions based on great film properties and Transformers The Ride continues our proud tradition.

I’m confident this ride will set a new standard for theme park attractions and become a beloved crown jewel not only here at USS but also at Universal Studios Hollywood when it opens there next spring,” he said.

Located within Sci-Fi City, one of the seven zones of USS, the Transformers The Ride attraction is enhanced both by a Transformers retail store, the Transformers Supply Vault and a new food & beverage venue called the Starbot Cafe.

In addition, theme park guests will be welcomed to the attraction by a walking Optimus Prime character who measures at a whopping 2.9 metres in height alongside his sidekick Bumblebee who stands at 2.3 metres tall, providing great photo opportunities for the family.

Nearly four years in the making, Transformers The Ride has, indeed, livened up to the theme park’s mantra of ‘riding the movies’.

At the end of the ride, after a grateful Optimus Prime thanked the humans aboard Evac for their assistance, one couldn’t help but beam with pride as Evac rolled back out onto the exit platform.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Riders aboard the Evac are all smiles after successfully protecting the Allspark shard from the clutches of the evil Decepticons.