I’ve been bad, and neglected to blog about the new Universal Project that stole me away from the Transformers.  At least temporarily.  I’ve been working for the last year and half on the replacement attraction for King Kong.  The original sadly burned down in a backlot fire in the summer of 2008.  We’ve been extraordinarily busy developing the new show to open this summer.

I first didn’t blog about it because, well you know, it’s all a big secret.  Then they announced it, and then the press began, but by then I was far too busy working on it to blog about it.  In fact I only have time today because I’ve worked myself sick, and was sent home to nurse my cold so they can overwork me some more.

The attraction is a collaboration between Universal Creative, the department I work in at Universal Studios, and Peter Jackson who is directing the film with his company Weta Digital creating the 3D animation.  The project break’s new ground with a never done before immersive 3D projection system that I helped design with  3D savant and cinematographer Peter Anderson, and the talented crew from Electrosonic systems.  It may in fact be the largest 3D projection system ever conceived.  We’ve spent the last year in the same Sound Stage that James Cameron pioneered Avatar on in Playa Vista getting the projection system configuration and screens just right.  It hasn’t been easy, but breaking new ground never is, which is why I’m happy when I see press like this, after someone views our mock-up system:

Now, what we saw was rough, but incredibly impressive. If you were to look directly ahead at the direction the tram was moving in, the environment around you feels completely genuine. That’s not to say the effect wasn’t terrific when you looked at it dead-on. I’m just talking about the peripheral effect of the attraction’s 360 layout.

-Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor – Shock Till You Drop

If they found that impressive, I can only imagine the satisfying reactions we’ll get for the real thing.  You can read more about the attraction via some fresh articles from a group who visited our mockup yesterday, including Mr. Rotten quoted above:

• Shock Gets an Early Look at King Kong 360 3D!
• Dread Central Tours the Upcoming King Kong 360 3D Ride
• LA Times

For more info you can signe up for email updates here, and you can enjoy the teaser trailer below:

Universal officially announces my latest project, the Transformers Ride.  Read the article in Variety for the information, or the press release at Superhero Hype as I won’t be giving out any other details.

There’s a lot of tooting our own horn this month. First MERCY wins an award , now:

ThemeParkInsider.com’s readers have voted The Simpsons Ride , the Best New Attraction of 2008 .

From the article:

"These twin rides debuted on consecutive days in May and wowed fans with their mix of irreverent humor and physical thrills. Theme Park Insider readers said that The Simpsons Ride is ‘hilarious, thrilling, and visually astounding,’ and that even ‘the waiting is enjoyable.’
Mark Woodbury, President, Universal Creative, Universal Parks & Resorts said of the honor, ‘The Simpsons Ride represents what Universal does best – which is to take pop culture’s blockbuster entertainment concepts and bring them to life in wildly entertaining theme park experiences. We appreciate the recognition and share it with our partners at Fox Licensing and Gracie Films, who helped us create a truly authentic Simpsons experience.’ "

More than 75,000 votes were cast picking the Simpsons Ride over some Tough competition like Disney’s Toy Story Mania. It’s always fulfilling to have been a part of something that people truly enjoy.