| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The ride's post-show | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics | ||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Totally Fun Company & Universal Creative | ||||||||||||||
| Type | |||||||||||||||
| Capacity | Roosevelt Island Tram seating thirty-two guests each | ||||||||||||||
| Animatronics | 2 | ||||||||||||||
Kongfrontation was a Dark Ride formerly located at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. It opened with the park on June 7, 1990, and was one of the most popular attractions at the park.
Technical difficulties and changing focus on park management caused its closure on September 8, 2002, and replacement by Revenge of the Mummy.
History
In 1986, the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood debuted the King Kong Encounter as a show for the tour. Designed by former Disney Imagineers such as Bob Gurr,[1] the 7-ton, 30-foot-tall Kong animatronic was one of the most sophisticated and complicated figures ever designed for any attraction ever for many years.
When Universal was planning their park for a Florida expansion, one of the ideas was to port a similar experience to the encounter to the new park. It would be renamed to Kongfrontation, and it would be experienced via a Roosevelt Tram system, which was provided by Arrow Dynamics, who had subcontracted manufacturing to Intermountain Lift, Inc.[2]
Not only would it have a giant Kong figure like the original ride, but there would also be 2 King Kong figures, both being extremely innovative and ahead of their time. The first one, which weighed 13,000 pounds, or 5,600 kg., had a 54-foot-long arm span. The second one, which weighed 8,000 tons, or 3,000 kg., was in the bridge sequence of the ride, and had an extremely innovative function of being able to physically carry the tram itself and push it down.
Another feature the animatronics had included a unique Smellitizer, in which it would hold in a fragrance smell, and then, when either Kong opened their mouths, a banana breath was unleashed onto guests.[3]
The ride was housed inside a soundstage show-building, with 6 floors on the edges of the walls. The slabs used to construct the building were some of the largest ever used for construction. Dozens of facades were built to model the ride as if it really were New York City in 1976.
The attraction would open on June 7, 1990. It was a majorly popular attraction and was a star attraction the park.[4] However, right from the start, the ride, and other attractions at the park, were plagued with technical issues that hampered operations all summer long.[5] The ride would be operating reliably by October, and would operate for many years to come.
Closure
By the early 2000s, the focus of Universal's park management had changed. They needed the biggest and most popular themes and intellectual properties at the park. In order for these new ideas to happen, many of the opening day experiences in the park were shut down.
Kongfrontation's closure was announced in August 2002, where it was said that the ride would operate for the final time on September 8.[6] On that day, final rides were given, and it would be replaced by Revenge of the Mummy. If one's eye is careful, one will notice that the track is still suspended from the building, years after the ride shut down permanently.[7]
References
- ↑ "King Kong". theStudioTour.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ↑ "Intermountain Lift, Inc. - Specialized Steel Fabrication / Transportation". web.archive.org. 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ↑ Theme Park History (2018-06-28), The Theme Park History of Kongfrontation (Universal Studios Florida), retrieved 2025-02-04
- ↑ "The Totally Fun Company - King Kong: The Monster Who Created Universal Studios Florida". web.archive.org. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ↑ "Travel Advisory". The New York Times. 1990-09-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ↑ "'New mega-attraction' kills the beast". The Miami Herald. 2002-08-18. p. 1053. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ↑ Memeroni72100 (2020-12-05). "Mummy broke down on our last ride, got a cool pic with the lights on doe". r/UniversalOrlando. Retrieved 2025-02-04.