Videos give sneak peek of Cars Land and Transformers attractions

By Hugo Martin

April 6, 2012 12 AM PT

The two largest theme parks in Southern California unveiled sneak peek videos Friday of their newest attractions.

The latest expansion of Disney’s California Adventure is set to open June 15, Disney officials said Friday, while offering a look at one of the biggest attractions featured in the $1-billion expansion.

The 12-acre Cars Land, featuring the characters of the Disney-Pixar film “Cars,” will open with three rides, including Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi’s Flying Tires and Radiator Springs Racers. The most elaborate and anticipated attraction is the Radiator Springs Racers, in which small convertible cars carry passengers around realistic-looking buttes and canyons.

Disney posted a short video Friday, showing the drive around the track from a passenger’s point of view.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios Hollywood unveiled a video of its latest attraction, Transformers: The Ride 3D, an attraction that features the “autobot” and evil “decepticon” characters from director Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. It’s a thrill ride scheduled to open May 25 that carries guests along a track and envelops them in the world of Transformers using special effects and high-definition 3-D technology.