'Transformers' attraction unveiled

U.S. film director and producer Michael Bay poses below a model of the Bumblebee Autobot character at the premiere launch for the "Transformers-The Ride" at Universal Studios Singapore theme park, part of Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore December 2, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday unveiled its newest attraction, "Transformers: The Ride-3D," based on the blockbuster films and toys that the theme park's operators called their best ride yet.

The ride, which opens to the public on May 25 as the United States kicks off its summer holiday season, takes people by car through a futuristic city under siege by evil and immersed in combat between heroic shape-shifting characters, the Autobots, and their nemeses, the Decepticons.

Rather than serve as witness to the conflict, guests are made to feel like characters in the battle, enlisted alongside the Autobots to save the world.

"We think this is the best ride that we've ever created," Steve Burke, President & CEO of NBCUniversal told Reuters. "It's got a lot of different aspects to it that you literally couldn't do as recently as ten years ago."

Built across 2,000 feet of track on a 60,000 sq. ft. stage in a 60-ft. high building, the ride was created to revolutionize the amusement park experience through motion-based flight simulation.

Autobots and Decepticons battle all around the cars as sensory stimulators unleash the heat of explosions, spit of the robots and quake of gears and exploding bombs.

The attraction also features the original voice work of actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, who voiced the robotic characters in three hit "Transformers" movies that took in over $2.6 billion, combined, at worldwide box offices.

"We're about guest experience, we want people to keep coming back," said Ron Meyer, President & COO of Universal Studios. "A ride like this, which is so extraordinary, just invites people to return because they will be more than thrilled that they did it, and will keep coming back to experience it again."

In addition to the ride, Universal Studios Hollywood is launching Energon, a Transformers-inspired energy drink to be sold at military-themed kiosks at the park.