RWS Celebrates Grand Opening of Transformers The Ride

On Friday, Universal Studios Singapore celebrated the grand opening of Transformers The Ride, the world’s first theme park attraction based on Hasbro’s popular franchise.

 Making a grand entrance on stage in a 2010 edition of the Chevrolet Camaro, Transformers film director and executive producer Michael Bay powered up the ride with the Allspark shard. Bay also served as the ride’s creative consultant.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman of the Genting Group and Resorts World Sentosa, home to Universal Studios Singapore, said, “We set out with the vision of transforming Asia’s tourism landscape when we built Resorts World Sentosa. And less than two years since its opening, Resorts World Sentosa 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.”

Welcoming the New Year, Universal Studios Singapore will also be launching its Hollywood Dreams parade on 31 December, and new developments in phase two of the integrated resort, including two new luxury hotels, the Marine Life Park and an ESPA Complex, will open progressively in 2012, providing an even wider range of entertainment options for the family.

Mr Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, said, “The Universal Studios experience is all about ‘Riding the Movies’. Over the years, we have developed many signature rides and attractions based on great film properties. Transformers The Ride continues our proud tradition. I am confident that this ride will set a new standard for theme park attractions and become a beloved crown jewel not only here at Universal Studios Singapore, but also at Universal Studios Hollywood when it opens there next spring.”

Nearly four years in the making, Transformers The Ride will transport guests into the Transformers universe as new recruits of Nest, protecting the Allspark shard from the evil Deceptions, alongside the Autobots.

Guests will board Evac, a new Autobot who will be featured for the first time in the attraction, as they experience this four-minute epic motion thrill ride which takes them zipping through subway tunnels, down city streets and across rooftops, with the Deceptions hot on their heels.

“For all Transformers fans, the hyper-realism of this ride will make it the ultimate one-of-a-kind immersive experience. Included in this ride are many of their favourite larger-than-life characters, including Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and this brings the brand to life in a whole new way,” said Mr John Frascotti, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Hasbro, Inc.

Chiefly responsible for creating the ground-breaking visual effects exclusively for this attraction is Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. Digital artists 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 3D scenes within the attraction.

“Transformers 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 Mr. Jeff White, visual effects supervisor at ILM. “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 most recent Transformers feature film, released during the summer of 2011 which is now the 4th highest grossing global movie of all time. “This provided much synergy in the process and also provided the ride with unmatched authenticity in the sets, action scenes and characters while telling its own unique story,” Mr White said.

Transformers The Ride is located within Sci-Fi City – one of the seven zones of Universal Studios Singapore. The attraction is enhanced both by a Transformers retail store, the Transformers Supply Vault, and a new food/beverage venue, the Starbot Café. In addition, theme park guests will be welcomed to Transformers The Ride by a walking Optimus Prime character who measures a whopping 2.9 meters in height, and a 2.3 meter tall walking Bumblebee character, providing great photo opportunities for the family.

A special 3D2N Ultimate Fun package for Transformers The Ride has also been rolled out through the Resorts World Sentosa website and authorized travel agents, which includes complimentary Transformers The Ride souvenirs.

Guests planning to visit Universal Studios Singapore and take part in the ultimate 3D battle at Transformers The Ride are encouraged to make prior reservations as early as possible.

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