Universal Studios Hollywood will soon be opening a ride based on the Secret Life of Pets movies, called The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!, and Screen Rant was recently able to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the new attraction. Located at where the old Globe Theater was in the upper lot (situated around the Despicable Me/Minions attraction), The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! gives parkgoers a new experience, one that steps away from Universal Studios' media-focused rides and in the direction of a more classic one.

Opening on March 27, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! will have people - two per car (or really, box, because that's what lost puppies are typically kept inside) - go through a transformation that will turn them from being strays into "adorable" puppies by the end so they can be ready for Adoption Day at the pet store. While all the specific breeds weren't mentioned, there will be 15 different ones, giving people a new experience when they go on the ride again.

Related: What The Secret Life Of Pets 2 Cast Looks Like In Real Life

While The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! was undergoing its final leg of construction ahead of its late March debut, we were given a behind the scenes tour by Universal Studios' Project Director and Show Lead, Jon Corfino. Here's everything we learned about the upcoming ride:

Secret Life of Pets Off the Leash Entrance
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! was been in development for two-and-a-half years. Universal Studios worked together with the team at Illumination to make sure that the attraction was as close to the films as possible.
  • The original voice cast, including Dana Carvey, Kevin Hart, and Eric Stonestreet, reprised their roles for the ride by recording new dialogue.
  • Universal expects a queue of about 30 minutes, but people won't be waiting around idly doing nothing; they'll be walking through the pets' homes, which are filled with all sorts of interactive media (be sure to check the door mail slots, though not all of them open). This begins with people going through Katie's apartment and then proceeding through the apartments of other pets from the films, who will recognize attendees as lost puppies.
  • An exact number wasn't specified, but Corfino says the ride lasts between four and five minutes. And to mitigate long lines, Universal Studios will have a virtual queue for people to take advantage of.
Secret Life of Pets Off the Leash Dogs
  • Although there are stairs in the queue - a byproduct of the fact that the line goes through New York City apartments - Universal Studios remains ADA compliant and will have elevators for guests to use.
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! features 64 animatronic characters and utilizes optical gesture tracking technology that adds puppy-like features on top of guests. Universal flirted with the idea of using technology that would morph riders' faces with puppies, but they decided not to go in that direction in order to avoid the uncanny valley effect.
  • Corfino says that the ride answers the question about what people's pets do when they're not home. That's a question that's at the core of the Secret Life of Pets movies, so it makes sense for it to be the crux of what the new attraction is all about - and judging by what we saw on the tour, it certainly lives up to that expectation.
  • While on the ride itself - in one of the cardboard boxes, one of which looked like a pizza box - guests will be transported through New York City, traveling through rough situations before making it to the big party at the end; at one point, people will even go through a fireworks factory. By the end, people will see their puppies cleaned - washed and dried - before being presented at the pet store on Adoption Day.
Secret Life of Pets Off the Leash Car Boxes
  • Although Universal Studios is using new optical tracking technology on the ride, which does include some form of media, it's a physical ride, first and foremost, which means no 3D glasses are required. It's very much a different ride compared to what the park has opened in recent years, so it could be a breath of fresh air for parkgoers.
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! doesn't take place at any one point in time - either before or after the first or second movie; it's its own thing. Whether this was a conscious decision or not, it's a fine one since it indirectly avoids any sort of continuity issue and can be updated or tweaked down the line without any problems. Sure, that may not seem important for a franchise like The Secret Life of Pets, but continuity questions can arise in any franchise.
  • There will be a gift shop at the end of the ride for people to walk through; specifics weren't given, but there's an expectation that there will be items for both humans and pets.
  • The Secret Life of Pets and Illumination fans in general will have a great time searching for Easter eggs throughout the ride - from right when the queue starts to the very end. Corfino offered up one Easter egg in our behind-the-scenes tour: there's a tailor shop on the ride that was named after Illumination CEO and owner Chris Meledandri's father.
Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood

Overall, Universal Studios Hollywood aims to offer guests a vastly different experience with The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! than they're perhaps used to with rides and attractions based on some of the other major franchises. Everything that we saw on our tour seemed quite promising; even the outside was an impressive recreation of a block in New York City - and one that was quite large. It extends all the way from the Despicable Me ride to The Walking Dead's maze (which recently closed its doors).

Since pets are a unique part of daily life for many people, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! appears to be something that can easily attract guests of all ages and is an immersive experience from start to finish. Unfortunately, the ride wasn't yet in operation when we were given our behind-the-scenes tour, so we weren't able to actually go on it. But going based on what we saw, there's certainly a lot to look forward to.

Next: 25 Things You Missed In The Secret Life Of Pets