The storyline for Uni-versal Orlando’snewest attraction,

“Transformers: The Ride— 3D,” sounds simple:Get the AllSpark. Keep itsafe. Avoid the Decepti-cons.

But when a Transfor-mer the size of a cityblock — aptly namedDevastator — comes atyou, that’s a tall order.

“We get sucked in byDevastator. We get towedby Starscream through abuilding and then a finalbattle by Megatron,” saidMike West of UniversalCreative team. “It’s awhirlwind tour. It’s thegreatest battle you’llever ride.”

The theme park’s new-est attraction opened togreat fanfare Thursday.“It’s been a huge successand award-winning at-traction in Singapore andHollywood, Calif.,” Westsaid. “It was a thrill forus to bring it here at Uni-versal Orlando.”

The ride starts with atour of the NEST Facility(Non-biological Extrater-restrial Species Treaty)and brief introduction ofthe main players. Guestsget an overview of theAllSpark and its signif-icance. Grumbles andslight tremors from be-yond the room help buildthe excitement and an-ticipation. This is thecalm before the storm.

Megatron, leader of

the Decepticons, makesseveral memorable ap-pearances. Don’t makethe 28-foot-tall Transfor-mer angry. But remem-ber your orders fromOptimus Prime, leader ofthe Autobots (the goodguys): Don’t give up theAllSpark.

“Our job is to take it toa safe place. Since we areonly human, we have tohave some help,” Westsaid.

That’s where brandnew character AutobotEVAC steps in. EVACtransforms into a vehiclethat takes guests out ofheadquarters and into alarger-than-life battle.Fan favorite Bumblebeedukes it out with Ravage.Starscream steps in.

You may recognize theoriginal voices from thecharacters of the “Trans-formers” ’80s cartoonseries. There was anoth-er animated series,“Transformers: BeastWars,” in the 1990s and atrilogy of big-screenadaptations from direc-tor Michael Bay. A fourthpicture is in the workswith actor Mark Wahl-berg taking the lead forShia LeBeouf.

“It lives up to the bigTransformer fans and forthose guests who mightnot be into it,” West said.

Universal’s creativeteam worked closelywith Bay for the 3D ride.The two-story attraction,jam-packed with movingplatforms and specialeffects, stays true to the

film series.One of the biggest

challenges for designerswas the Transformers’transformation from carto Autobot or tank toDecepticon. In themovies, West said, whenyou see a charactertransform, the scenesare cut for dramatic ef-fect.

“In ours, you see theTransformers changeand unfold right beforeyour eyes.”

He’s heard compari-sons of “Transformers:

The Ride — 3D” to Uni-versal’s “Spider-man”ride. The difference?“We placed you in themiddle of a real world, ina real city. Everythinghad to be very exact,” hesaid.

The response to theride has been over-whelming.

“People are just blownaway by it,” he said. “Wesave the world in a littleover four minutes.”

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee make in-parkappearances at Universal Studios Florida.UNIVERSAL ORLANDO

COVER STORY

PREPARE FOR

BATTLEMegatron, Decepticons wrestle for control in ‘Transformers 3D: The Ride’ at Universal

THEDETAILSWhat:“Transformers: TheRide—3D”When:Hoursvary. 9a.m. to9p.m.Sunday throughFriday,9a.m. to10p.m.Saturday in Juneand9a.m.to10p.m.daily in July.Where:Universal Studios, 6000UniversalBlvd.,OrlandoCost:Ticketsare$92foradults, $86 forkids.Discountsavailableonline.Info:Call 407-363-8000orvisituniversalorlando.com.SendaTweet to@UniversalORLorusehashtag#transformers

By Jennifer SangalangFLORIDA TODAY

Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630or jsangalang@floridatoday.com.Twitter: @byjensangalang

PAGE 12 TGIF FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013 FLORIDA TODAY FLORIDA TODAY FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013 TGIF PAGE 13

1. Christopher Latta was theoriginal voice actor for the

Decepticon Starscream. He alsovoiced two original “Simpsons”characters, including Mr. Burns inthe first-ever “Simpsons”episode. Who was the othercharacter voiced briefly by Latta?

a.Moe Szyslakb. Homer Simpsonc. Barney Gumbled. Apu

2. Peter Cullen has been thevoice of Optimus Prime,

leader of the Autobots, since the1980s. He also voiced a characterin “The New Adventures ofWinnie the Pooh.”Whichcharacter did he voice?

a.Winnie the Poohb. Pigletc. Tiggerd. Eeyore

3. Before becoming a Prime,Optimus Prime had a

different name. What was thatname?

a. Alpha Trionb. Orion Paxc. Hot Rodd. Ultra Magnus

4. Fans today know theAutobot Bumblebee as a

yellow Camaro with blackstripes. What was he in theoriginal cartoon series?

a. Red Lamborghinib.White ambulencec. Yellow Volkeswagen bugd. Army-style Jeep

5. In the “Transformers”cartoon series, there was a

storyline involving Dinobots, inwhich the Transformerstransformed into dinosaurs. Ofthe four choices listed, whichone is NOT one of the originalthree Dinobots?

a. T-Rexb. Triceratopsc. Pterodactyld. Brontosaurus

6.As a Hasbro toy, Megatron,leader of the Decepticons,

transformed into a Walther P38handgun. In the “Transformers”films directed by Michael Bay, hechanges into a flying aircraft.What did he transform into inthe “Transformers: Beast Wars”cartoon?

a. Alligatorb. Cheetahc. Gorillad. Banana Slug

7. Frank Welker was the voiceof Megatron in the original

animated series, and his voicetalents were used for othercharacters in Bay’s movies.However, he did not voiceMegatron. Who did?

a. Jess Harnellb. Charles Adlerc. HugoWeavingd. Robert Foxworth

8. Bay filmed scenes locally atKennedy Space Center for

“Transformers: Dark of theMoon.”What other film broughthim to KSC?

a. “Bad Boys II”b. “The Rock”c. “Pearl Harbor”d. “Armageddon”

9. Shia LeBeouf played acharacter named Sam

Witwicky in Bay’s“Transformers” trilogy. But inthe original cartoon series,Witwicky went by a differentfirst name. What was it?

a. Chipb. Spikec. Sparkplugd. Daniel

10. In the original“Transformers: The

Movie” animated movie releasedin 1986, several big Hollywoodstars lent their voice talents tocharacters. Which of thefollowing was NOT a voicetalent in that movie?

a. Harrison Fordb. OrsonWellesc. Leonard Nimoyd. Casey Kasem

TRIVIA

Test your ‘Transformers’ trivia

Howwell do you know the “Transformers”? FLORIDA TODAY’sVisuals Editor TimWalters, a die-hard “Transformers” fan, came up

with some trivia about the iconic Hasbro characters.Answers, Page 23

By TimWalters | FLORIDA TODAY

Contact Walters at 321-242-3681 or twalters@floridatoday.com.Twitter: @twaltersinforms

to think of it, it still does.This ride could easily be a

mini Transformers film. Andthe coolest part: It was in 3D.

It’s cold. It’s hot. It’s evena little wet.

Universal Studioscertainly earns itsreputation as the theme parkwhere you can ride themovies.

Optimus Prime preps youfor the ride of your lifeaboard a newAutobot heronamed EVAC. He helpednavigate us through aharrowing battle whereMegatron relentlesslyattacked, Starscreammade asurprise appearance andDevastator tried tearing usto shreds using histractor-beam-like suctionweapon.

But despite warm blastsfrom laser cannons andbattles that tore apartbuildings, when the rideended, wewere inpossession of the AllSpark,andMegatron had beendefeated.

So, howwould we rate

the ride?I gave it an overall 4.5 of 5

stars, while Jennifer gave ita 4. I’mmore familiar withthe storyline, so she said sheneeds to ride it again to fullytake in all of the story anddetail.

However, we both gavethe ride a 5 for the funfactor.

As far as the fear factor, itdoesn’t have the speed of aroller coaster, but the enemyattacksmight be a littlemuch for small children.

For those kids— big andsmall—whomake itthrough, the payoff is a hugememorabilia store with toysand other gifts that are acollector’s dream.

So if you’re a bigTransformers fan, it wouldbe well worth it to check outthis ride.

Jennifer was so pumpedup after, that she keptstaring at tractor-trailers onState Road 528, waiting forOptimus Prime to help usthrough our 90-minute drivehome.

After we fell out of abuilding in the new“Transformers: The

Ride— 3D,” we hoped tohighHeavenwe still had theAllSpark.

After all, the fate of theworld depended on it.

Entertainment reporterJennifer Sangalang and Idueled the Decepticons withferocity as not to let ourAutobot allies down.

And, thankfully, we didn’t.Universal Creative

worked closely with“Transformers” directorMichael Bay to create atrue-to-themovie ride thatleft mewith an ear-to-eargrin.

I was chosen to try out theride because I have been afan of the Transformerssince theywere introducedto the United States in1984. Iwas 7, and a vehicle or jetthat converted into a robotseemed like themostingenious thing ever. Come

“Transformers:The Ride - 3D”puts guests in

the midst of anintergalactic

battle betweenAutobots andDecepticons.

UNIVERSAL

ORLANDO

Action-packed ‘Transformers’ ridedoesn’t disappoint franchise fans

Stunning 3Dattraction atUniversal getsthe heartracing

By TimWaltersFLORIDA TODAY

VIDEO ONLINEFor scenes from“Transformers:

The Ride— 3D,”scan this code.

REVIEW

RATINGOn a scale of 1 to 5,our reviewer rated“Transformers: TheRide— 3D”:

Overall: 4.5Fun factor: 5Fear factor:3.5

TimWalters is Visuals Editorat FLORIDA TODAY.Contact him at 321-242-3681or twalters@floridatoday.com.Twitter: @twaltersinforms