Behind the Scenes King Kong The Legend Lives On Universal Studios Hollywood

King Kong (better known as King Kong Encounter and also known as Kongfrontation during opening and King Kong: The Ride) was an attraction formerly part of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. The attraction was based on the 1976 King Kong film and served as a basis for a stand-alone Kongfrontation, a former attraction at Universal Studios Florida. The scene, located amongst the New York Street backlot sets in the heart of the studios, was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire and was replaced by King Kong: 360 3-D, which was opened on July 1, 2010. The show began as the tour tram entered the soundstage into a world of New York City where they stopped in front of an apartment building facade. Guests watched a breaking news report about Kong's rampage on television monitors located inside of the building's windows showing live coverage of the destruction and it showed footage from ABC News, anchored by Sander Vanocur, of King Kong on the loose in the city. The giant ape was destroying the city, including throwing two elevated trains off the platforms of the rail track. New York City Police Department (NYPD) authorities could do nothing to stop him who was heading towards the Brooklyn Bridge. A news chopper that carried reporter Kelly King (Sheree J. Wilson) was circling overhead and covering the story when Kong suddenly swatted at the chopper, causing it to come crashing down from above and exploding only a few feet away from the tram. As the tram rounded a corner, it drove out onto the Brooklyn Bridge, putting guests at eye-level with the giant animatronic ape. An NYPD helicopter fired upon Kong to protect the tram, but this enraged the beast who then shook the bridge and ripped the suspension bridge cables apart in an attempt to grab the tram. Miraculously, guests managed to escape the clutches of Kong as the tram exited the soundstage just in the nick of time. The 7-ton, 30-foot-tall Kong figure in the attraction was the largest and most complex animatronic figure in existence for many years. Kong was designed by legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr. The detailing was so rich that Kong even had banana-scented breath. The attraction broke new ground and paved the way for the complex themed attractions of today and was the inspiration behind the former Kongfrontation attraction at Universal Studios Florida. Universal Studios Tour began building its $7-million, computer-controlled, 30-foot animated King Kong in December 1985 to be housed in his own lower-lot studio that duplicated Lower East Side New York. The attraction opened on June 14, 1986, and was completely destroyed by a fire in the early morning of June 1, 2008. As of June 3, 2008, Universal Studios Officials had stated that the experience would not be rebuilt, but would instead be replaced by a new contemporary attraction. This had caused outrage among fans of the giant ape, which prompted Universal's decision to bring Kong back to the tour in the form of a 3D film experience. Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of WarnerMedia Studios & Networks and controlled by AT&T through mass media and entertainment subsidiary WarnerMedia. Excerpt from HBO Behind The Scenes Spoken in the video Peter Alexander - Producer, MCA Recreation Services (Totally Fun Company) Tom Reisenbach - Designer, King Kong Bob Gurr - Mechanical Designer (Sequoia Creative) Credits Lew Wassermann - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MCA Inc. Sidney Sheinberg - President, MCA Inc. Jay Stein, President of MCA Recreation Services Barry Upson - Executive Producer - V.P. of Planning and Development, MCA Inc. Gordon Armstrong - Executive Vice President of Marketing, MCA Recreational Services Bob Ward - Co-Show Designer, MCA Recreation Services Henry Bumstead, Set and Production Designer Larry Lester, Project Manager Bill Watkins - Designer, Sliding Bridge Steve MacIntire - Designer, Kong's Computer Control System Dave Schweninger, Tom Reidenbach, Bob Gurr - Sequoia Creative Advertising Agency - Foote, Cone and Belding John Poorman Delores Cortez Florie Kaplan Joan Bullard Linda Johnson Landmark Entertainment Steinberg Pawnshop Kemp Brothers General Contractors - https://www.kempbros.com/ Audio-Animatronics Fire Effects Frame Work Art Director 660 pounds of fur Universal Studios, Inc. Technical and Design Services For more information about Universal Studios Hollywood, visit https://www.universalstudioshollywood... ©1986 Home Box Office, Inc. (http://www.hbo.com/) Posted for entertainment and educational purposes only. No copyrights infringed. All works property of the company listed above. Please do not reproduce without their expressed written consent. #KingKong #KingKongEncounter #StudioTour #UniversalStudiosHollywood #UniversalStudios #TramTour #NewYorkStreet #Soundstage #UniversalStudiosTour #BobGurr #Kongfrontation #HBO #Backlot #MCAPlanningAndDevelopment #CowMissing