T2-3D: Battle Across Time

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
Directed by	James Cameron, John Bruno, Stan Winston
Written by	James Cameron, Gary Goddard, Adam J. Bezark
Produced by	Chuck Comisky (producer) Jessica Huebner (associate producer) Frank Kostenko Jr. (line producer) Andrew Millstein (executive producer) Scott Ross (executive producer)
Starring	Arnold Schwarzenegger Linda Hamilton Edward Furlong Robert Patrick
Distributed by	Landmark Ent.Group, Lightstorm Entertainment, Universal Creative, Universal Studios Recreation Group
Release date	1996
Running time	12 min 41 sec.
Language	English
Budget	$60,000,000

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time is an attraction at Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan. It is a mini-sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day and reunites director James Cameron and the main cast of that movie, including Arnold Schwarzenegger as "T-800", Linda Hamilton as "Sarah Connor", Edward Furlong as "John Connor", and Robert Patrick as the "T-1000". The show is in two parts: a pre-show where a spokesperson talks about Cyberdyne and the main feature which has performers interacting with a 3-D movie.

Movieland Studios in Italy has a similar attraction called "Terminator 2 Live".

Story

Queue

The queue has dozens of TV sets (like most rides at Universal Studios) showing innovations, products and special segments such as the Cyberdyne Radio Station (also known as CDYN). CDYN plays two songs from the movie, "Bad to the Bone" and "Guitars, Cadillacs", as well as a "live" video (via Satellite) from Costa Rica of a performance of La Bamba.

Preshow

The pre-show is hosted in the "Miles Bennett Dyson Memorial Auditorium" by Kimberley Duncan (portrayed only by a park employee, with no pre-recorded actor), Cyberdyne Systems' Director of Community Relations and Media Control. She welcomes the guests while extolling the virtues of Cyberdyne. The showing of a promotional film (which includes several references to the Terminator universe and a cameo by Shaquille O'Neal) is interrupted by a message from Sarah and John Connor with a different point of view. Order is restored and guests are ushered into a theater to see a demonstration of Cyberdyne's newest creation, robotic soldiers called T-70s, or as Cyberdyne affectionately calls them: Terminators.

Main Show

Guests put on their "safety visors" (actually polarized glasses needed for the 3-D film effects) and watch a demonstration of the Terminators, which is interrupted by the appearance of the T-1000 in pursuit of Sarah and John, who are on the premises in an attempt to disrupt the proceedings. Kimberley Duncan tries to stop the T-1000 but it strangles her to death. A T-800 shows up and rides with John into the movie screen through a time portal, preventing the T-1000 from killing John. The rest of the show (except the conclusion) takes place onscreen with John and the Terminator in the future, where they must destroy Skynet. Before they reach Skynet, they are chased by a Hunter-Killer which deploys miniature Hunter-Killers to kill the T-800 and John. Ultimately, the Hunter-Killers fail and John and the T-800 find their way into Skynet where they battle the "T-1 million", a gargantuan liquid metal spider-like Terminator built with the T-1000's technology. After defeating the T-1 million they manage to destroy Skynet. The line between the 3D film and the live performance stunt show is blurred thanks to the skillful use of environmental effects like smoke and lighting and the film presentation itself, which starts on one wide screen but later expands to three. Guests in the front rows have screens filling almost their entire field of view.

Cast

Actor	Role
Arnold Schwarzenegger	The Terminator
Linda Hamilton	Sarah Connor
Robert Patrick	T-1000
Edward Furlong	John Connor
Earl Boen	Dr. Peter Silberman
Michael Biehn	Kyle Reese (uncredited)
Jim Cummings	Cyberdyne Video Narrator (uncredited)
Mark Kriski	Cyberdyne Video Host (uncredited)

Production

An initial mock-up and motion picture projection effects were developed by Digital Domain in a Playa Vista airplane hangar built by Howard Hughes. The actual full scale mockup duplicating the dimensions of the planned Florida venue was created in another airplane hanger, this time at the Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley. The unique 3-D film format of the full scale mock-up utilized six, solid-state Electrosonic projectors that were electronically interlocked to run 70mm film synchronously, at the high speed of 30 frames per second. The image was projected onto a triptych of adjoined silver screens. The effect of the six projectors running simultaneously was to produce one, contiguous, 3-D image across the three screens, accomplishing a wrap-around effect reminiscent of Cinerama. The purpose was to check the 3D in a real-world environment and to use this arena to rehearse the live action stunts portion of the venue.

"This 12-minute short featuring much of the cast and crew of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) cost $60 million to produce ($24 million for the film, $36 million for the venue), making it the most expensive venture per minute in movie history."

T-1000000

T-1000000

T-70

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time features the T-1000000, a gigantic spider-like version of the T-1000 seen in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It defends Skynet's CPU from attack. Like the T-1000, it is made of mimetic polyalloy, allowing it to form its legs into stabbing weapons. The only known T-1000000 was destroyed when Skynet's core was destroyed.

T-70

The demonstration featured as the premise for T2 3-D involves several large practical effects robots called T-70s, designed as mechanical soldiers, with large miniguns on their arms. They are the earliest terminator models shown to have a humanoid form with arms and legs.

Refurbishment

According to Universal Studios employees, the Universal Studios Florida attraction will close shortly after the opening of The Simpsons Ride in 2008. Universal plans to replace the attraction with a new 4-D show, that shall remain as Terminator just an upgraded Terminator to suit the new technological advances that have been made since it was originally opened'.

See also

• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Universal Studios Japan

Trivia

• In Universal Studios Florida, This attraction replaced How to Make a Mega Movie Deal. In Universal Studios Hollywood, It replaced An American Tail Live Show.

External links

• Universal Orlando Resort - Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time
• Universal Studios Hollywood - Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time
• Universal Studios Japan - Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time
• T2 3-D: Battle Across Time at IMDb
• Screenplay