Cool News
KING KONG is returning to the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS THEME PARK in 2010!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... We don't often write about theme park additions, but its rare that they're at a personal cool level that gets me excited enough to write about them. Although - the notion of taking a tram through a bit of SKULL ISLAND... FUCKING A! I'm all about that! Seriously. That's exactly what I want to do. Here's the full press release and art:
“The Eighth Wonder of the World” Rises From Ashes to Astound Studio Tour Guests: King Kong Re-Emerges In A Fierce New 4-D Attraction in 2010 At Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A. Los Angeles, California, May 19-2009--King Kong, among the screen’s most powerful and enduring icons, will re-emerge on the famed and newly upgraded Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour in summer, 2010 as a thrilling and ground-breaking 4-D multi-sensory marvel, a new signature attraction for Universal Studios Hollywood. The new King Kong attraction, based on the Oscar®-winning 2005 Universal Pictures film, will combine thrilling visceral effects with the world’s largest Surround Digital projection system to create a next-generation theme park experience. Larry Kurzweil, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios Hollywood, said: “King Kong has been an integral part of Universal Studios Hollywood for decades and, after last year’s fire, we knew he had to be resurrected for our Studio Tour guests. We’re very excited to announce that not only are we re-introducing King Kong, but we’ve completely re-imagined the experience and will incorporate this legendary icon into a truly innovative Studio Tour attraction.” 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. A previous King Kong attraction was introduced at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1986 and remained a much-admired part of the Studio Tour until it was destroyed last year. King Kong, known as “the eighth wonder of the world,” has been called “the experience for which movies were invented.” Since first appearing on the screen in the 1933 original classic, “King Kong” has been re-made twice, each time on a tremendous scale, earning a total of seven Oscar and three Golden Globe® nominations. Most recently, the 2005 version took the best elements of the original “King Kong” story and adrenalized them with up-to-the-minute effects magic and the alchemic talents of a superlative group of filmmakers, cast and crew. Released to critical acclaim in late 2005, “King Kong” was a worldwide box office hit and, with DVD sales, earned well over $700 million, becoming the fourth-highest grossing movie in Universal Pictures history. The arrival of the new King Kong experience will follow major enhancements to the Studio Tour. Universal Studios Hollywood will introduce an upgraded Studio Tour experience this summer, transforming its trams into "mobile movie theaters" with state-of-the-art flat-screen high-definition monitors and digital playback systems. The new high-definition monitors will feature commentary from filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Stephen Sommers, along with insight from such personalities as Al Roker, Nancy O’Dell, Billy Bush and Whoopi Goldberg. Clips from numerous movie and television productions, corresponding to sites visited along the Tour route, will add a new dimension to the tour of backlot attractions, sets and facades, capturing how they were transformed for various productions. Famed film locations on the Universal back lot include the “War of the Worlds” set, Western Streets, European Street, Mexican Street, the Psycho House-Bates Motel, and sets from ABC’s hit series “Desperate Housewives” on Wisteria Lane. Back lot attractions include "Earthquake," "Jaws," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and "The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb." Also this summer, Universal Studios welcomes the "The Tonight Show Starring Conan O'Brien" to a newly constructed soundstage at the studio and will celebrate the re-opening of most of the iconic sets damaged in last year's fire. Studio tours and film production will resume at the world- famous Courthouse Square, Brownstone Street and an enhanced New York Street. Additionally, new film locations will be introduced to meet contemporary film production needs, including a modern urban cityscape, with glass and steel façade structures that will provide film and TV crews with the opportunity to replicate a modern city street scene in a controlled studio environment. The new contemporary cityscape will be the largest modern urban backlot shooting location in Los Angeles. Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com) is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
Readers Talkback
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Fucking thing is disturbing. Very disturbing.
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May 21, 2009, 5:49 p.m. CST
If Michael Bay crap is like ADD captured on film
by Fa_Tass_DinoMolester
then PJ's Kong was like a prolonged bout of narcolepsy. "Interminable Boring Crap: The Ride". Oh joy.
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Seriously, this is old news. They talked about this earlier in the week.
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Petting King Kongs dong in that animation. BTW, what ever happened to Harry's weight loss? Whats the status? Every animation makes it look like the man has yet to lose a pound.
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Nothing will ever be as impressive as a giant King Kong animatronic.
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Wasn't a bad movie per se, but one that really didn't need to be told again.
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They shut down the K.K. tram ride (didnt even wait for a fire) a few years back. Never could understand why. And now a new "wear the glasses" ride. I liked rides where they didn't have to rely on 3-D projection, and instead just built f***ing big anamatronic monsters (that said, the 3-d movie medium is perfect for the spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure, seeing as its a comic book ride). Anyway, much like real movies, I find old-school technology more involving than new fangled methods(ie; CGI) when it comes to theme park rides.
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...earlier this week. If I had known it would lead to this I would have kept my filthy mouth shut.
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BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL KING KONG RIDE IN ORLANDO AND BACK TO THE FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The last time I was there was in 2006 and the studio tour was as creaky as ever. Kong looked fucking awful and his thumb was actually missing some of the rubber covering, so all of these fucking wires were sticking out everywhere. It was ridiculous.<br><br>That was my third visit to Universal Studios Hollywood and I swore it would be my last. The place is fun and all (the Waterworld and T2-3D shows are pretty great and Jurassic Park is a cool ride), but it just feels stale when compared to other parks. After three times there, I felt like I had exhausted the place entirely. Especially considering they took out ET and added in that fucking Mummy coaster bullshit.<br><br>Anyways, I said I wouldn't go back, but new and updated and potentially awesome Kong ride is calling me back. Surely I should resist his charms, but something tells me I'll be back one of these days.
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hey guys! fuck cannes! fuck everything! we deal in amusement park news now! i know i know. favorite movie and all. but still. fine. i was already leaving.
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May 21, 2009, 6:10 p.m. CST
Harry, get that Animation off of here, Very Unprofessional
by conspiracy
seriously..as someone above said...it is Fucking disturbing, and oddly distracting.
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Thought that wouldn't be hard. (And usually, I love me some PJ.)
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Enough of this gotta wear glasses, taking the cheap way out, 3-D film with a few water jets, some wind in your face and $10 million worth of marketing spin Bullshit.</p><p> Show some Fucking professionalism....bring back a better animatronic Ape!
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I live down the street from the park and will have to check, despite all of the bitching whiners.
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May 21, 2009, 6:32 p.m. CST
What Harry? Nothing about taking Meagan Fox?
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
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Rewrite the headline.
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-and I quothe, lo these many years later-WOWEE WOWEE WOWEE WOWEE WOW WOW WOWSWERS!!!!!! A BIG MONKEY!!!! <p> Jurrasic_Kong along for the ride. Woo hoo
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So you couldn't escape the molestation. That's one sick gorilla.
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I'm probably the most excited person in the world right now. Screw all you haters out there, PJ's King Kong kicks ass. I'm gonna be the first one in line for this thing, with the new 4D technology at their disposal, this is gonna be epic!!!
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In other words, there's no animatronics and it's all just projections and shit? Er... awesome.
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...that guy wrote a review of Wolverine but he didn't actually see it and then he suggested people not go see it and then people got mad and then he actually did go see it but it was too late because he had already alienated his readers? That was funny.
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it should be pretty kick ass. The old robotic Kong was just sad. This sounds pretty cool.
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i sure did like that scene even tho i was , like, 5 years old.
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If not it fails.
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was that the same guy who tried to save face by trying to prove he had paid for something for once, too?
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I'm a bit obsessed with that particular franchise...
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Sad day. Saaaaaaaaaad day.
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May 21, 2009, 6:59 p.m. CST
This is the coolest news on here in awhile.....
by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD
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Any info on whether there will be a similar attraction planned for Universal Studios in Orlando, FL? If not, whatever; we still have Islands Of Adventure. Screw you, Disney!
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a gorilla finger oddly disturbing
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Obrien Kong is Gone 4 ever, PJ Kong takes over. Guess one day when Jaws is remade they will remove Bruce from the tour somehow for the new and improved version. Be harder to set it on fire since it's in the water. Should let the tour people vote on what kong they want see and have them both in there and based on the winning vote they go and see that version of Kong.
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Fuck off and die.<P> 2005 KONG was absolute shit.
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It's as vulgar and malformed as my last post.<P> Fuck off and die again.
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ima disneyworld man all the way.
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One really long bullshit hour, then a lot of lame scenes between the Cook and some kid during the ride that tries your patience. You leave feeling really ripped off.
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The tour guide mentioned it was being replaced when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Also, the Backdraft exhibit is being stripped down and replaced with 'Transformers: The Ride', I believe. Weirdly, probably the best thing at Universal Hollywood is the Waterworld show. It still amuses me that it has long outlived the infamous movie and has more action and excitement in 20 minutes than the film had over its 2 hour running time. The Simpson's ride is pretty damn cool, too.
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Actually, I think its kinda funny Harry. Though, I really like being offended and grossed out for entertainment. Anyway, back to my sexual defecation websites.
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Here's my day at Universal studios Orlando in 1998. - Oh wow the King Kong ride! I sit down. That long bar comes down and mind you, i have a big belly and the bar is starting to crush me in my seat and it keeps going and going, because you see, the people along side me, weight 50 pounds and are rail thin, so the bar must reach their stomach too, which doesn't match my big old belly. So its crushing me, crushing me, until it clamps down and locks in place. At this point i'm in excruciating pain and I can't breathe. I start or rather try start to try and explain to carny? ride helper? whatever the job title is for those people, that I seriously can't breathe and that... *smile* *Enjoy the ride!* wait stop the ride! I mean it! Ahh! shit! at this point everyone is looking at me and as the ride goes on. I'm not looking at anything. Just spouting curses and having pidssed off moms look at me, as I'm trying to figure a way to push this bar off me!, but it won't budge! Needless to say, i was so elated when it was over. Even better, later that day I got vertigo on the back to the future ride and threw up. So as you can see, I had a magical time at Universal, Yay fun times!
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Too bad we won't see it there.
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...it'll be outstanding. Spiderman is worth the entrance price to Islands of Adventure by itself.
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Yeah, it's excellent, a great mix of projection, motion, 3D, etc. I don't think it is though - I think it's more like the Shrek/BttF (now Simpsons) type gimmick. <p> Studios/Islands is a lot of fun: Hulk, Spiderman, get some drinks, go over to the studios, hit up The Mummy, the Irish pub across the street for eats/drinks, Men in Black, Jaws (silly but fun), back to Island for Dragons and the Enchanted Elm (ask for Tim, he'll hook you up :) )
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It horrifying and I can't look away.
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it's part of the tour. it'll last as long as the old Kong did (just about a minute), then it's over and it's back to the tour. so you'll have to endure a 45 min. to 1 hour tour just for a minute glimpse at the new Kong. that's not counting the hour or so wait if you visit in the summer.
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And no ice skating or forty minutes on the Venture. So awesome!
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What an insult to a classic film. Even the Jeff Bridges version would be a better choice...
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I turned it off once they got to NYC. Serkis getting devoured by that slug was fucking awesome. They should covert the Kong soundstage to a giant screen and just play that clip on a loop. Damn you Jack Black!
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...and I haven't heard anything about this coming to us. Same for Transformers, I think those are going to be Hollywood only. We are getting Harry Potter though! And we'll have a new roller coaster some time this summer.
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...and not the Jackson version. Was terribly disappointed by the new Kong. Maybe someday we'll see him return,...the right way.
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blah blah blah..the same old shit from the same tired voices......
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I loved that ride and they need to bring that back next!
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just compare rides, and you will see, CapnJakes Amity Boat tours, makes the little 4ft plastic shark on the Hollywood studio tour look like a joke,Jurrasic Park is a much better experience as well at universal orlando. Earthquake is much better as well and dont get me started on how much suckier Halloween Horror nights is at Universal Hollywood than it is at Universal Orlando. More rides, Better shows, cooler citywalk. Universal Orlando blows Universal Hollywood out of the water.
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Unfortunately it was one of the most expensive rides to operate at unviersal orlando, so when attendance began to drop, they had to make the hard choice to shut down kong, CapnJakes Amity Boat tours(jaws) almost sufferd the same fate but luckily so many people complained that it ws going to be closed that the bosses reconsidered and ultimately kept it operating. :)
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Seriously! this fucker has burned down twice in the last 20 years. Oh, and the E.T. ride blew chunks.
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fuck that, the Florida Universal Studios is better anyway, well maybe it'll get some Kong love one day (sort of like what Harry is about to get apparently)
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There's a considerable difference.
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is so fresh and original, they should NEVER update that.
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i shuddered. seriously, distance this attraction as far away from that crappy movie as possible. they might as well start trying to attract people to the tram by offering up a new take on the bates motel after the much remembered and revered 1998 gus van sant version. shudder shudder shudder.
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remember how the girl actually fell into a quasi-love with king kong? remember that horrific scene of him being a goofball on the ice? jesus christ. as "lovers of film" you guys shouldn't even post this shit. where's the big man japan reviews??? show some god damn class.
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yes, you have ONE big man japan review. and i can understand how you guys don't have the time to put up a second review. yeah, it's only playing all over the west coast right now. why help promote a GOOD movie? of course not. that'd be crazy. just throw another star trek talkback in our faces.
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last time I went to the Florida Universal in 2007 I stayed at one of the hotels so I got to use the special lines and I rode the Jaws ride over and over several times, I also got to ride the Back To The Future Ride right before it closed
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May 22, 2009, 4:22 a.m. CST
I do remember being allot scarier when I was a kid though...
by The Amazing G
still, I wouldn't want to be in the water with that thing!
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http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh65/coasterforum/kingkong1.jpg
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"The movie's too long" "So when does the gorilla show up?" "This is a really long boat ride" "So when does the gorilla show up?" "What's with the bugs?" <p>You people make me fucking sick.
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Is fucking odd
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Peter Jackson's KING KONG sucked. He didn't understand the source material. It's kind of difficult to make a great remake if you are clueless about the original. The original is a masterpiece. What Jackson didn't seem to get is that Kong is the ANTAGONIST of the story. Basic filmmaking 101. Anne is scared shitless and wants to get away from Kong every minute he has her. You're supposed to be cheering for them to save Anne. The only moment you're supposed to feel sympathy for him is at the moment he falls. Thanks to Willis O'Brien and Max Steiner, Kong becomes a sympathetic character only at the moment of his death. Brilliant filmmaking. <p> Both remakes are only ham-fisted attempts.
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Kong in Orlando was not replaced with a 4-D attraction. It was replaced with Revenge of the Mummy. And while I have no love for the Mummy franchise, that is easily one of the best rides in the fucking world.
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The Back to the Future ride was a great simulator ride housed inside a brilliantly-designed attraction. I'd suffer through a BTTF film remake if it would give Universal the incentive to bring back that ride.
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I hope they set up the start like you are on the ship to Skull Island, etc. I don't know why they let the older rides get so moldy and are so slow to add really cool new attractions. They could be doing so many more incredible things these days but they mostly coast on stuff that was made decades ago...and let it fall into near disrepair at that.
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One of the last people to see the original BTTF town square. They don't make sets that complex anymore... all friggin' CGI now.
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Seriously, the detail that went into that ride and the queue were simply stunning. The New York steets, the illusion that there were actually people living inside those apartments that you'd pass on the elevated tram car. Hell, even the storefronts were filled with shit and decorated as they actually would be in New York. I'll never forget the incredible amount of old, black, dry tar spots and old gum on the 'sidewalks'. <p>And then there was the ride itself... holy shit. First off, you have a police car that's slammed into a fire hydrant, water gushing thirty feet up. Then a fucking helicopter comes flying down into view and smashes into a bridge and a transformer and bursts into flames as it dangles there. THEN you turn a corner and all you can see is a heavy mist and through that mist you can barely make out Kong DANGLING FROM A FUCKING BRIDGE. It really gave you the illusion that there was real space out there. Ok... so then, KONG SMASHES THE FRONT OF THE TRAM CAR. Then two military copters come down and begin shooting at him so you can make it to safety on the other side. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE... now you're drifting past those aforementioned apartment windows, looking abandoned... I remember one had a television set on with a rocking chair in front of it. It was eerie, right down to the wallpaper. Great art direction... Ok, so then, Kong cuts you off but you don't see him right away, because you're blinded by a helicopter search light. This Kong then proceeds to PICK UP THE TRAM CAR and he moans so fucking loud as he does it that you swear the building is going to fall down. Then he drops the car after getting shot again, and as you drop closer to the floor of the building, you turn around and look up in amazement at the fact that they had the balls to build such an attraction. <p>Top that, you piece of fucking shit Mummy roller coaster. Actually, I think that's a great ride, but to tear down Kong in Orlando and put that up is a travesty. That ride should have stood there forever... I guess the ADD addled guests just didn't appreciate the attention to detail and the fact that it was something that was ACTUALLY THERE in front of you. I'm SICK AND TIRED of parks taking the easy way out and doing these goddamned 3-D movies with spray guns and wind blowing on you. <p>Lastly, that Jurassic Park ride kind of sucks. Those animatronic dinosaurs are weak compared to Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. I think the big mistake they made was putting it outside AND in the water, where the animatronics and the skins would have to contend with the elements. I think it wound up making the dinos severely limited. However, at least they are real and not projected on a screen. Have some balls and do the long rumored indoor dark attraction of the T-Rex attack in the first JP and do it with animatronics, not screens and glasses. The reason spiderman works is that technology is perfect for the subject matter, but don't forget, you're also moving through a real space and there are amazingly timed reactions of the physical world that you're moving through with the 3-D world on the screen. <p>Only other thing on this incredibly long rant nobody will ever read is why the hell can't they re-do Star Tours? It's just a fucking movie... how hard would it be for ILM to take their digital assets, make a new film, and then put a new movie in there? Hell, you could probably do it on an goddamned imac at this point. Or come up with a new Star Wars ride... unfortunately, it'll probably feature prequel characters and settings.
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It was for Tokyo Disney, and coaster esque. William Stout described it to me over decade ago and it has never left my memory. This thing sounds lame. I have a buddy working on a similar TRANSFORMERS ride that is also projection based for Universal Japan. (it should be a robot hand that you ride in fuckers!)
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How is this news?
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1) I didn't see Orlando mentioned - is this ride eventually going to be an attraction there as well (I hope to visit again in '10) 2) Are they retiring any current attractions to make way for this ? 3) Did the guy who took the decision to retire the Kongfrontation ride get the ass kicking he richly deserved ?
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I did read your rant, and it was awesome. You GET IT. I only got to ride Kong once when I was a child as it had been replaced by the time I came back in 03. Rides like Kong truly are the best. As for STAR TOURS, great timing. A few weeks ago Anthony Daniels was spotted in full C3PO gear, and someone was able to confirm it was Star Tours 2.0. I heard it second hand so I don't have a link, but I'm sure its out there as my source was perfectly reliable.
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You are right on target. I've visited Universal Orlando twice, practically spending two whole vacations there, you're exactly right.
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in the upper left is reason enough not to check this out. i anticipate a damning review of the ride from the aforementioned when he is turned away due to size restrictions...
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One of these days I'll have to bop on down to Universal. Seeing as Disney has pretty much shat its wad, having dropped Narnia and all. (That Potter attraction is going to KILL Disney World, never you mind Kong). I still have hope for Disney's parks, but they better start getting their act together and produce a truly spectacular ubercool ride like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. That thing is a freaking masterpiece. Never miss it when I visit the Mouse's playground.
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Andy Serkis plays all the parts?
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They got rid of Kong, BTTF and now they are adding some roller coaster with the most god awful name. Now they are building Harry Potter to IOA. Please kill me.
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Bet it's not as cool as 5-D. <p> I hear we get 6-D next year. And James Cameron and George Lucas have already begun development on 7.5-D.
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Yeah, Universal Orlando has gone to shit... that roller coaster you mentioned is like some kind of Hollywood Rock n' Roll coaster... hmmm, just like Aerosmith at MGM (It'll always be MGM to me)? Since when does Universal take cues from Disney? But losing Alfred Hitchcock for Shrek (sort of understood, since your average theme park guest hardly gives a shit about real movie history anymore), and then BTTF for Simpsons put the last nail in the coffin. I know Simpsons is probably the bigger cultural icon, but whereas pretty much everyone loves BTTF, I think Simpsons has people that love it and then people that can't get through a full episode. But if you go back like 15 years, Universal had Ghostbusters, Kong, Jaws(when it worked), Earthquake, Hitchcock. Who knows, though, maybe they'll put up a new Ghostbusters attraction now that there might be a new movie. The Harry Potter stuff at IOA might not live up to the hype. I just have a feeling that it won't be jaw-dropping the way IOA itself was when it opened. I mean the fact that they opened with that many A-level attractions and the detail in that park is just crazy. You could sit there and stare at some of the architecture and it's just as good as a ride, especially outside Mythos or near Dueling Dragons. And remember, Disney DID build Everest, probably one of the craziest fucking things they've ever built at a time when I really thought they no longer had the cajones. I feel like Disney always, somehow, gets back on track... I mean they took down the 'wand' off Spaceship Earth, and now they're talking about removing the hat at MGM, so there are at least people there that get it and are sometimes heard.
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