"Sure its only 10 minutes long but its definitely the next film - it's not a rehash of things you've seen. We take John Connor and the Terminator into the future war, an environment they never interacted with in the past films. T2-3D is actually a continuation of the storyline. It's a whole new ballgame, something people have never seen before"
James Cameron 1996
This
12-minute short featuring much of the cast and crew of Terminator 2: Judgment
Day (1991) cost $60 million to produce, making it the most expensive venture
per minute in movie history. The film was the centerpiece of a multimedia
attraction at the Universal Studios Florida theme park in Orlando and
represented a quantum leap forward in interactive entertainment. The show
begins with television monitors in the entranceway laying foundation for the
story as the spectators wait in line, and the show continues inside a
state-of-the-art auditorium. A spokeswoman for Cyberdyne Systems explains that
the terrorist actions presented in the last feature did not stop construction
of Skynet, the global satellite nuclear-defense system. Some stunt doubles for
the series' stars appear onstage while the real actors appear on video, taking
over the presentation and leading a motorcycle ride across the stage and
seemingly into the movie screen by the Terminator T-800 (Arnold
Schwarzenegger) and John Connor (Edward Furlong). This cues the start of the
spectacular 3-D short, which takes place in 2029 Los Angeles. John and the
Terminator battle vicious killer robots including the gigantic T-1000000, the
most fearsome Terminator yet seen, on their way to finally destroying Skynet
for good. Three different screens, astounding 3-D effects, and mechanical
enhancements such as mists of water and vibrating seats put the audience
directly into the multimedia experience as never before. This work was written
by James Cameron and Gary Goddard (Masters Of The Universe) and directed by
James Cameron with special-effects masters John Bruno and Stan Winston.
A
full scale mock-up duplicating the dimensions of the planned Florida venue was
created in an airplane hangar at the Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando
Valley. The unique 3-D film format used 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 attraction opened in the Hollywood area of Universal Studios Florida in Spring 1996, with additional venues opening in the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood on May 6, 1999 and the New York section of Universal Studios Japan on March 31, 2001. The Hollywood venue replaced a parking structure complex that previously held Fievel's Playland and An American Tail Theatre.
From Universal website:
Set in the present, “Terminator 2: 3D” sends the “Terminator” and cast member Edward Furlong on a time travel journey to Los Angeles 2029 and a world policed by cyborgs controlled by sentient corporate behemoth, Skynet. To save humanity from total destruction, the duo takes on Skynet’s doomsday complex and its army of killing machines including the all-new, fearsome T-1000000. If they are to succeed in preserving the safety of future generations, they must destroy Skynet.
The adventure begins when guests enter Cyberdyne Systems’ constructed
headquarters as interlocking three-dimensional images and digital composite
computer graphics are projected onto three massive 23’x50’ screens, spanning
165 feet and combined with explosive stunt work.
TERMINATOR 2 3D: BATTLE ACROSS TIME
Universal Studios and Lightstorm Entertainment 1996
Director: James Cameron, John Bruno and Stan Winston
Writers: James Cameron, Gary
Goddart and Adam J. Bezark
Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick,
Earl Boen
Producers: Jessica Huebner (associate producer), Frank Kostenko Jr. (line
producer), Andrew Millstein (executive producer), Scott Ross (executive
producer)
Composer: Brad Fiedel
Release Dates: Fall 1996 (Florida), May 6, 1999 (Hollywood), March 31, 2001
(Japan)
Running Time: 12 min 41 sec.
MPAA Rating: PG 13 Production Budget: $60,000,000
Winner of 1996' Themed Entertainment Award for Outstanding Achievement