Skull Island: Reign of Kong - General Discussion
- Thread starter Drew
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Could be a hot take but speaking of AAs, Kong AA is my least favorite if I had to put them in order.
1.) Bridge Kong
2.) Drop Tram Kong
3.) Hollywood Kong
4.) Skull Island
1.) Bridge Kong
2.) Drop Tram Kong
3.) Hollywood Kong
4.) Skull Island
Yeah, some ghosting issues too.
I think the Skull Island Kong is the most technically impressive (range of motion, facial expression).
I think Kongfrontation's two AAs had a better overall design (I've never loved the Peter Jackson Kong design) and overwhelmed you with the scale.
I'd take any of those over the old Hollywood Kong, though, with the caveat that I never saw it in person. As important a piece of Universal's history as he is, I hate those giant cat whiskers!
He was impressive.. and he had a cameo in The Wizard which allowed you to see him "backstage". Here's a screenshot..
I always liked to believe that Hollywood's Kong was the Bridge Kong scene in Kongfrontation. Trams got attacked on the bridge while the Sky Trams escaped only to be "dropped" lol
for one holiday season he became Santa Kong!
For more in-depth Hollywood Kong, check out here:
King Kong - theStudioTour.com
As for the whiskers... have you never seen The Aristocats!? "Everybody, everybody wants to be a cat!"
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- Dec 28, 2009
- 324
- 695
I have fuzzy memories of Kongfrontation but it was amazing in making you feel small and powerless. Reign of Kong lacks in that regard since the sets aren't as tall so your sense of size comparison isn't the same for most of the ride. At the end of Skull Island you're only seeing a portion of Kong's full size and it's the only time he's physically there. It may also have something to do with the fact he doesn't interact with the RV the way he did in the old ride so there's less of an intimidation factor.
When digging through some videos I came across this one with guests needing to walk out of the ride because it stopped.
It would be cool if they did something where you had nothing between you and a full-size Kong AA like this. Can you imagine if he lurched forward suddenly? Maybe the next iteration of Kong in like 20 years will have vehicles with no roofs.
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Make it a KONG photo-op encounter. It works for JP/JW, pretty sure guests would flock to this meet-n-greet...
Or just pull this out of storage
Feel like a post-ride photo-op was a missed opportunity to be included with this ride..
Loved that scene from THE WIZARD, which I'm sure was the first time I ever saw any footage of USH.
The sets inside that massive showbuilding were really incredible in helping to sell the size (both of the city streets and of the Kong AAs).
The bridge scene, in particular, which featured the first of the two Kong figures, was a masterclass in forced perspective and lighting.
One of the great theme park photo-ops of all time. If the Legacy Store had been a little bigger, I wonder if they might have included this in there (assuming they've got it in storage somewhere).
I know they were somewhat space-limited outside Skull Island, but it would have been fun if they could have done something similar at the exit.
- Jul 24, 2018
- 3,456
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Ah yes, Magic Kingdom vs Lebron
lol sorry i had to
Maybe I'm a normie, but I'm still blown away by the Skull Island Kong AA to this day. The detail and movement is truly insane, The only thing I wish they'd add is some warm air cannons to make it feel like he's breathing on you.
It’s an objectively impressive figure, but the effect is ruined by the context IMO. Like others have said, he doesn’t interact with the vehicle at all…he really doesn’t do anything. He just fended off a bunch of dinosaurs, shouldn’t he be doing more than….sitting? And he’s just there shoulder-up in a room behind some potted plants; there’s no continuity with the setting of the 360 tunnel and it doesn’t make sense why we wouldn’t be on the same ground level as him.
The whole thing COULD have worked if the animatronic was his first full appearance after a whole ride of building up to him (like how the Yeti is in full body after being teased through pictures, sounds, and shadows) but then there wouldn’t be much of a ride beforehand.
I always thought the AA would have been more effective if they would have continued some screen action after the 360 tunnel room. There's an entire empty space, mostly unthemed wall there.
Dunno if it's just me but "remote island jungle Kong" is so unappealing to me. I want to see him climbing on buildings and destroying cities. That's the King Kong I grew up with.
Finally experienced without 3D. Thanks Chapek.
- First Screen - the scene's "depth" of the cave is no longer believable
- Second Screen - significantly impacted, the squinching effect is made even more apparent and just doesn't work
- 360 - not impacted as much, but there's some blurring occurring with some of the sequences on the dinosaurs
- Brightness isn't much of an issue, but 3D glasses helped block partially the edges of the screen, now its difficult to ignore
I was going to make the effort to visit during this “test” period to see for myself… but I’m sure it’ll stay 2D after the 9th. So no rush.
Not sure if Universal has sent out emails to those who have visited the park (I haven't see one yet after my 4 visits since the change), but the lack of survey takers at the exit is unfortunately telling.
If they're going to let the ride operate in this very compromised fashion (taking into account an entire scene is also being skipped), they should just replace the ride. It's stunning (and frustrating) how quickly this has gone from one of my favorite rides in the park to one I may never ride again.
There's no (acceptable) justification for this.
There's no (acceptable) justification for this.
Just for discussion sake:
What if they fix the outdoor part, but the ride is still 2D - fair trade? Or still wanna replace?
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