Skull Island: Reign of Kong was arguably one of Universal’s worst-kept secrets in history, but its official announcement last week opened the floodgates for speculation and rumors about the upcoming attraction, scheduled to open at Islands of Adventure in Summer 2016. This marks the big ape’s first appearance at the Florida parks since Kongfrontation closed for good in 2002. As a former Kongfrontation team member, I am ecstatic about the new ride, and the more I hear, the more it seems like an epic follow-up to one of Universal’s classics.
The company is keeping a tight lid on the specifics, so it’s possible for things to change. Sorting through the rumors and facts, however, here is my best guess on the similarities and differences between Kongfrontation and Reign of Kong.
Similarities
1. Spielers
Although nothing has been confirmed, the concept art for the new ride seems to show safari-style trucks manned by a human driver. Rumors state that Reign of Kong will, indeed, become the first spieling attraction at Universal Orlando since Jaws closed in 2012. Of course, the original Kongfrontation was a spieling attraction, and in my mind, you really can’t have Kong without a spieler. The two just work together.
2. Animatronics
The latest incarnation of King Kong at Universal Hollywood is basically a 3D film with some tram movement and special effects, and many have worried that Kong’s return to Orlando would also be screen-based. If the rumors are true, however, screens will play only a small role in a dynamic, multi-sensory attraction. The most persistent rumor states that King Kong will make an appearance in the form of a next-generation audio-animatronic that moves in ways that were simply impossible when Kongfrontation was built. That ride’s 30 foot tall animatronics were truly groundbreaking for their time, but I’m hoping this incarnation will be even more realistic. I wonder if he’ll still have banana breath?
3. Physical sets
Kongfrontation used no screens at all, except for the overhead drop down monitors that showed footage of the guests’ experience at the end of the ride. Instead, guests were placed in the center of the action via real physical sets that represented their harrowing journey from Manhattan to the relative safety of Roosevelt Island. The setting is entirely different than that of the original ride, but the importance of the physical sets remains the same. Screens may play a role, but it is the physical elements that will ground guests in Kong’s world.
4. Immersive queues
Universal Orlando arguably has the best queues anywhere, from the pine-scented forests of E.T. Adventure to the faithful recreation of Hogwarts Castle at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Reign of Kong’s queue looks to be a worthy successor in this department, serving as a dynamic first act in the overall experience.
Kongfrontation also utilized its queue to set the stage. That queue recreated a New York City subway station, complete with graffiti done by legitimate New York graffiti artists who were flown in for the job. Strategically placed television monitors throughout the queue played clips from real newscasters, all commenting on Kong’s ongoing attacks on New York. By the time you boarded, you knew clearly what was going on. Reign of Kong’s story will be wildly different, but its queue will perform the same function.
Differences
1. Setting and storyline
At Kongfrontation, the premise was that Kong was terrorizing Manhattan and you were being evacuated to Roosevelt Island. It was set in 1970s New York City, and King Kong was clearly the villain. Although he was never actually stopped, the video epilogue indicated that he did leave New York after the events of the ride.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong has a vastly different premise. You are an explorer in the 1930s who has found your way to Kong’s mysterious island home. As you battle fierce, prehistoric predators in this most unusual jungle setting, you come face to face with the king of beasts, King Kong himself.
For me, the biggest question is: Will he be a clear-cut villain this time? Removed from the city, where he clearly doesn’t belong, is he actually a villain at all? The movies did a remarkable job of making him a sympathetic character, somewhere between anti-hero and anti-villain, caught up in a web he did not understand. By setting the entire ride on Skull Island, this time the designers have an interesting story choice to make: what if Kong turns out to be the hero, the only one who can save guests from the true predators of the jungle? We’ll have to wait to find out, but it is clear that the events of this ride have absolutely nothing in common with the events of the previous attraction.
2. Physical location of ride vehicles
Part of what made Kongfrontation such an instant classic was that it placed guests 30 feet in the air on aerial trams. Jaws used to be described as “Kong in the water,” and Kong was described as “Jaws in the air.” Both had very similar basic plots, but I always felt that Kong had the edge. The dramatic moment when Kong dropped the tram, sending guests hurtling towards the “East River,” was a shining spot in late 20th century ride design.
The ride vehicles in Reign of Kong are safari-style trucks that remain firmly on the ground. Of course, there’s no telling what tricks Universal might use to fool our senses into believing that we’re somewhere other than terra firma. But I’m slightly concerned that without physically elevating the rider, this incarnation will lose some of the wow factor of the original. And how will we ever come face to face with the great ape himself? We’ll have to wait to find out.
3. Size and scale
The five minute Kongfrontation attraction was in itself an impressively massive and lengthy attraction. Yet Universal assures us that this one is so much more, in every conceivable way. More massive, more immersive, and even longer than before. The 72 foot tall Great Wall is only the beginning. On sheer size and scale, Reign of Kong looks to win decisively.
4. Height restriction
Interestingly, Reign of Kong will be the first Kong attraction with a height restriction. At Kongfrontation, the only requirement was that children had to be able to sit up on the bench seat next to a parent. King Kong 360 and the former King Kong Encounter, both at Universal Hollywood, have always been part of the Studio Backlot Tour, which does not have a height requirement. Reign of Kong’s restriction is low, at just 34 inches, but it does arouse curiosity. What could this ride possibly entail that would require the imposition of a height restriction at all?
We have only the barest of information about Skull Island: Reign of Kong. As opening day draws nearer, many of the questions posed here will likely be answered. But one thing seems certain: the new attraction will be truly epic, and a worthy successor to a much-loved ride. I’m happy to see the ape who, in many ways, built Universal Orlando Resort, finally return home.
