Fans who head to Universal Studios next month could have the chance to experience the park’s newest ride, which will be available on March 27th and is themed after the adorable pets from Universal’s The Secret Life of Pets. The new ride is called Off the Leash!, and it features the voice talent from the hit films reprising their roles. Patton Oswalt (Max), Kevin Hart (Snowball), Eric Stonestreet (Duke), Jenny Slate (Gidget), Tiffany Haddish (Daisy), Lake Bell (Chloe), Dana Carvel (Pops), Chris Renaud (Norman), Hannibal Buress (Buddy), Bobby Moynihan (Mel), and Jessica DiCicco (Princess) are all along for the ride, which will bring 64 animated figures to life in what is being described as a tech-savvy ride (via NBC Universal).
Off the Leash! invites guests to meet some of their favorite characters, and the technology being utilized here is impressive, as each of the characters have been transformed into fully dimensional beings. That means their eyes blink, their eyebrows move, their heads tilt and nod, their mouths smile, and they even walk around, making this unlike any other theme park ride at the park.
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This is all done with what is called hyper-realistic media and projection mapping, and the ride will also recreate the pets’ home base of New York City, as guests will ride within vehicles that look like cardboard boxes (like where Katei first found Max) and travel towards the Pet Adoption event and forever homes by the ride’s end.
The ride is attempting to create a heartfelt experience, and guests will take the role of stray puppies as they look to become loved and adopted. State of the art optical gesture tracking technology will identify each guest as a unique stray puppy for the ride, of which there are 15 available, so the ride will change each time they ride.
Fans will wait their turn to ride via Virtual Line Technology, all done via the Universal Studios Hollywood app. While you’re waiting for the next available slot you can explore the area around the ride, which is designed like Katie’s apartment building, allowing you to explore Buddy’s apartment, Molly’s living room, and Max and Duke’s apartment. The ride itself will be located on Pets Place, which is nearby Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Silly Fun Land.
Are you excited for Off the Leash? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
