Universal Studios Hollywood gears up for the return of King Kong

March 8, 2010, 7:39 PM · Last night during the Oscars telecast, I saw the first promo commercials for the return of King Kong to the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Take a look, if you missed it:

The previous Kong attraction was destroyed during the backlot fire at Universal in 2008. Here's what Universal says about the new version, which will open in "late June/early July" according to the latest estimate from the park:

Guests will don special glasses as they enter a darkened soundstage aboard the Studio Tour trams and will be transported - via the magic of Surround Digital 3D projection - deep into the dark heart of the world of Skull Island. They’ll survive a close encounter with a swarm of monstrous bats, only to be confronted by the terrifying presence of Kong himself. Suddenly, an enormous, ravenous 35-foot tall dinosaur will challenge Kong and guests will feel their trams jolt, roll and shudder as they find themselves caught in the middle of a ferocious showdown between the great ape and the giant lizard.

Thoughts?

Replies (9)

March 8, 2010 at 9:39 PM · 1 How will they pass out glasses on a tram tour

2. How are they going to make sure said glasses don't break between the time The tram tour stars and and time they go into Kong

March 8, 2010 at 10:11 PM · I would imagine that glasses would be passed out at the beginning of the ride, maybe with a pocket to keep them in on the tram.

Most theme park 3D glasses are pretty indestructible. Parks don't like paying for replacements, so they buy ones that you can beat the heck out of and will still (for the most part) work.

March 9, 2010 at 1:31 AM · "We're not sure what has caused this mass destruction at Universal Studios?"

I'm not sure what that commercial was for. No mention of Kong. Barely a mention of USH. I guess it's supposed to make me go to their website and get more info?

March 9, 2010 at 3:20 AM · Why all this negativity ?

Kong has long been a favourite at Universal Studios. I was against it being withdrawn from Orlando ,despite it's replacement being so good, so I'm pleased to see plans for an updated short version at it's Hollywood venue.

3D seems to be the popular way to go with attractions of this type and, if done well, it should provide excellent entertainment. I always thought that the short format as part of the Studio Tour was never enough to do the subject justice. But then I also felt that about the Jaws section of the tour. They will need to maximise all the effects in a limited time frame which may not be that easy.

Anyway I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out and whether, if it proves successful, we might see a return of Kong , in some format, to Orlando.

The teaser trailer achieves exactly what it was designed to do. Stimulate interest without giving anything away. Be sure to look out for more revealing adverts soon.

March 9, 2010 at 6:20 AM · Always found 3D to be fun, doesn't work for me, but it is still fun. I like watching everyone duck. It will be interesting to see if they can combine the tram with 3D. A lot different than Catastrophe Canyon in Hollywood studios.
March 9, 2010 at 7:42 AM · I'm a little bummed out about the 3D. My eyes stopped adjusting to the "in your face" aspects of 3D about five years ago, so anything from Honey I Shrunk the Audience/ Captain EO/ A Bug's Life that's totally in your face doesn't work right for me.

I don't know, but Avatar in 3D worked fine for my eyes, but it's not like things were supposed to come out of the screen in the extreme levels of the attractions. Can anyone confirm if it's a different type of 3D?

I'm hoping the Return of King Kong does well despite my eyeballs not working the same.

March 9, 2010 at 8:08 AM · Well, it's much better than that crappy Jungle Cruise talking characters ad for Disney.
March 9, 2010 at 8:59 AM · Maybe that's some of the new technology that'll be employed in Universal's "ground breaking" Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" this spring at Universal's Islands of Adventure...
March 9, 2010 at 11:23 AM · When the commercial first came on, my son Brian was watching as I was walking into the room. He asked "what is this commercial for," just as the Universal Studios sign appeared in the background. (He likes to guess what commercials are for when watching them for the first time, but this one stumped him.)

I saw the Universal sign + massive destruction and immediately guessed "King Kong coming back to the Studio Tour."

At the end of the commercial, the "King Kong" screen appeared. Brian yelped and high-fived me, then asked "how did you know?"

I said, "Dude, you know what website I run for a living, right?"

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