Tag: King Kong 360 3-D

WAMG Checks Out Universal Studios Hollywood’s “King Kong 360 3-D”

KONG: THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD has returned.

 

My favorite theme park has always been Universal Studios Hollywood. For movie lovers, it’s like being a kid in a candy store. Movie-themed attractions, games, food and rides, not to mention the world famous Tram Tour that takes visitors on a tour of a working Hollywood movie studio back lot.

You get to see where famous movies and TV shows, past and present were filmed and there are surprises around every corner. I go at least 3 times a year, when friends and family visit, or to just check out the latest attractions and rides.

So you can imagine my horror back in June 2008 when a fire broke out and burned down a huge portion of the back lot. Among the casualties was the King Kong attraction that was part of the tram tour. They would drive the tram into a huge soundstage and you were instantly transported to New York City where the famous ape was running amok. The fun special effects included fire, smoke, helicopters, and search lights, all leading to the final climax where Kong himself roars at the guests on the tram, banana breath and all. Needless to say it was cool.

When it was announced that the new King Kong attraction was finally ready to re-open, I knew it was something I had to see. And I must admit I was a bit skeptical. It bragged of CGI and 3-D special effects created by no other than Peter Jackson himself, famed movie director of the 2005 remake of King Kong. The CGI and 3-D technology that has become such a huge part of blockbuster, adventure, and animated movies of late is fun, but some critics and movie fans claim that after awhile, it all starts to look the same, and I have to agree. This was my concern going in.

But I have to admit, the minute that tram entered the soundstage, that was all out the window. This was some serious fun. On either side of the tram are 2 giant screens. As we enter Skull Island , we are instructed to put on our 3-D glasses and we are transported deep into the jungle right in the middle of a fierce battle. As our tram is attacked by some amazingly realistic 3-D dinousaurs, King Kong comes to the rescue and kicks some serious dinosaur butt. It’s so exciting, you have to see it for yourself.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

This is one of those attractions that if it were separate from the tram tour, you would want to do it over and over again. I highly suggest that if you live in SoCal or are planning to visit, take a day to go to Universal Studios Hollywood and experience King Kong 360 3D.

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Visit the official site at : http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/

Universal Studios Hollywood Opens “King Kong 360 3-D” To Fanfare

“Ladies and gentlemen, look at Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World.”

-Carl Denham, King Kong (1933)

Just two years after a fire destroyed the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, the southern California theme park’s most entertaining attraction makes its return in King Kong 360 3-D!

Unveiling today as part of the Universal Studios Hollywood Tram Tour, visitors will get their first look at the newly designed, high-tech world of the famous ape.

Climb aboard!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO… that’s gonna be AWESOME!!!

Guests on the park-favorite backlot tram tour can expect all the thrills of the original attraction, but with the added bonus of Peter Jackson’s concept and the ever popular 3-D technology.

Universal Studios show producer Valerie Johnson-Redrow said, “the initial thought was, of course, to go back to Peter Jackson’s 2005 film and re-imagine KING KONG in an entirely new way for the studio tour.”

Before boarding the tram, riders are given 3-D glasses and instructed by Jackson in a video when to don them for the brawl, which at one point cleverly depicts the last car of the tram being ripped off. (AP)

Sound like fun? Check back for my review after I have a one-on-one with old Banana Breath next week.

Visit the official site at : http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/

King Kong 360 3-D

Making its colossal debut on July 1st, KING KONG 360 3-D, based on Peter Jackson’s 2005 blockbuster, will open as a signature ride on the world famous, behind-the-scenes Studio Tour. Hailed as the world’s largest, most intense 3-D experience, KING KONG 360 3-D will feature visceral state-of-the-art special effects with new 3-D media to deliver an incomparable theme park ride of epic proportions. Studio Tour guests will be transported to Skull Island where they will find themselves catapulted into the middle of a terrifying struggle between a giant T-Rex and “the eighth wonder of the world,” King Kong!

In the new attraction, 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′ 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. The action will immerse guests in the battle between the two colossal predators!

Have a look at NBC’s broadcast of “The Making of King Kong 360 3-D” which opens this summer at Universal Studios Hollywood. If you missed it, here’s the first segment!

Forget Disneyland. Besides KONG, Universal Studios Hollywood is also adding a TRANSFORMERS rollercoaster!

Source: Variety