StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
One thing I will always remember is the smell of Kong
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Kongfrontation
- Thread starter Silver Figment
- Start date
AswaySuller
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing it's too late for them to do anything about the plot but it is BAD.
Just cut the stupid coffee scene out at the end and remove the queue TV's and it'd have a much more fluid story line.
Isn't part of kong's track still in the building?
Skip
Well-Known Member
The plot has a (bizarre, plot device-centric) logic to it, but it's all but lost on all but the theme park fanatic. You can't even see the queue video 90% of the time because the spillover "studio" queue is so often closed, and you're only in the main building with the TVs for a minute or so at the most.
Singapore uses the majority of Florida's layout but alters its plot to remove the studio elements (their ride just takes place in Egypt). Instead of Reggie it's just some explorer/guardian being killed by Imhotep. The coffee scene is replaced by an actual conclusion - Imhotep is sealed inside a new sarcophagus, which shakes violently. You hear Imhotep declare that he will escape and rise again, death is only the beginning, etc. A much more chilling, appropriate ending (that results in the rare re-ride logic) than the moment we get now.
And yes, in order to actually remove the Kong track they would've had to have torn up the roof. You can still glimpse it at certain points of the ride apparently, though I haven't been able to make it out.
Millionaire2K
Active Member
This ride was not good at all. Age does not make a ride good and that was all this ride had going for it.
If you feel sad because you never rode it... Please don't. This ride was not worth a 10 min wait.
If you feel sad because you never rode it... Please don't. This ride was not worth a 10 min wait.
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
Totally disagree. It might have been a slower paced ride, but it had it's charm.
crazydaveh
Active Member
I rode Kong many times, I was even there on the day that it closed and Universal held a huge party for it to close giving AP'ers stuffed Kong dolls and bananas! The ride was fun. The theming and show scenes were top notch. It was a very neat concept for a ride.
Growing up in Atlanta and only had been to Six Flags Over Georgia, when I first rode Kong in 1994 on a family vacation, I thought it was simply awesome! Back then, it was mainly Kong, JAWS, Earthquake, Back to the Future, and Nick Studio Tour at the park, so it was all really cool to see.
I do enjoy the Mummy. Was I sad to see it go? Not really. I always have the idea that if they're getting rid of an older ride that is popular, they know they can't drop the ball with whatever will be it's replacement.
Growing up in Atlanta and only had been to Six Flags Over Georgia, when I first rode Kong in 1994 on a family vacation, I thought it was simply awesome! Back then, it was mainly Kong, JAWS, Earthquake, Back to the Future, and Nick Studio Tour at the park, so it was all really cool to see.
I do enjoy the Mummy. Was I sad to see it go? Not really. I always have the idea that if they're getting rid of an older ride that is popular, they know they can't drop the ball with whatever will be it's replacement.
surfsupdon
Well-Known Member
Kong was great. The queue was one of the absolute best ever. The ride had a ton of detail, but it was a slow paced ride. Nothing wrong with that...I really liked it.
It was my second favorite ride, after Back to the Future.
It was my second favorite ride, after Back to the Future.
maelstrom
Well-Known Member
Next to E.T., I think that Kongfrontation was the best ride at USO. The queue was amazingly themed, I loved that you got to ride on the Roosevelt Island tram, and those enormous Kong AA's were pretty intimidating. But then they went and killed it, and then USH's Kongfrontation (part of the backlot tour along with Jaws and Earthquake) burned down in that huge backlot fire a few years back.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Surprised at all the hate for Kong in here. Kong was boring? It was more exciting and immersive than many rides at WDW. No, they certainly don't build them like that anymore, and actually I kind of doubt there will ever be a new ride built that requires a live spieler on every vehicle.
Timekeeper
Well-Known Member
Minnie1976
Well-Known Member
I enjoyed the Kongfrontation and was sorry when it closed.
That is certainly one opinion, but remember it is an opinion. Please don't go spewing your ignorance as if it is fact because everybody thinks differently and appreciates different things.
The way some people word things as if their judgement is how it is for everybody is wrong. I respect your opinion but I for one think that the ride looked very cool and the theming and details looked amazing. Not saying it was everyones cup of tea, just that i think it looked good.
Timekeeper
Well-Known Member
...Not to mention that the ride technology was pretty unique and ahead of its time, especially considering that the recent Disney patents appear to suggest that the new Avatar attraction might create a ride experience that Kong engineering mimicked 20 years earlier. :sohappy:
It seems that everyone praises Disney's attention to detail, but the queue and facade detail alone in Kong surpassed that of anything at WDW.
It seems that everyone praises Disney's attention to detail, but the queue and facade detail alone in Kong surpassed that of anything at WDW.
c-one
Well-Known Member
To be fair, that new Disney patent looks a lot more advanced than the Kong trams.... those barely moved, they were like large boats suspended from above. No one would mistake that for flying. And again, trams can only go in straight lines, not turns! Yes, that still bothers me. 
I'll admit I'm being very hard on ol' Kong here. Every square inch of the queue and ride was immaculately detailed -- they really captured the mood of the old seedy New York to a T. Set design is in the top five of any ride ever I think. And those Kong AAs WERE really something -- maybe we can salvage their guts to fix the Yeti. It's just that the actual ride itself was short and kinda blah -- but despite my qualms with the ride, it still beats the hell out of King Kong 360.
I'll admit I'm being very hard on ol' Kong here. Every square inch of the queue and ride was immaculately detailed -- they really captured the mood of the old seedy New York to a T. Set design is in the top five of any ride ever I think. And those Kong AAs WERE really something -- maybe we can salvage their guts to fix the Yeti. It's just that the actual ride itself was short and kinda blah -- but despite my qualms with the ride, it still beats the hell out of King Kong 360.
Timekeeper
Well-Known Member
Well, being that we've advanced 20 years, I would hope that Avatar is more advanced.
But, Kong was more advanced than you may have realized. Yes, it "barely moved," and did not mimic "flying." But those elements were not part of the theme of the ride. The ride vehicles actually could be tilted from side to side, and raised and lowered (all the way down to the ground), which when combined with faster forward movement and sharper turns in the track, would have been more akin to "flying."
Think of it like flying in a commercial airplane. The plane (and the pilots) is capable of maneuvering in many more ways than passengers actually experience. So for most passengers, a plane flight is a boring ascent/mild tilting from side to side/then descent. Of course, you don't want to be in a situation in which the plane really has a chance to flex its muscles.
The full potential of the Kong ride system was not utilized simply because it didn't need to be. Mission Space could be a much more extreme experience if programmed to be such. Also, attractions are rarely "driven at full speed," as this not only creates maintenance nightmares, but can also create a very uncomfortable experience for the guests.
Walt Disney1955
Well-Known Member
As much as I hate to say it, its stuff like this that gives you that "what if" question with Universal. I mean, they need to have rides around there for over 20 years in order for it to have a certain mystique or history to it. What's left from the originals? E.T? Lucy? Off the top of my head that's all I can think of. I mean come on have a foot in the future and all but the best thing about Walt Disney was that he had a foot in the past AND future and blended it well. To this day Disney still does it pretty good and certainly better than Universal.
I agree that Mummy is better. However, like others have said, Kong had great theming and the ride was a thematic masterpiece even if it wasn't as thrilling as they made it out to be. Jaws is gone now too and what's left is poor old E.T. which I love but am afraid it has short shelf live.
I agree that Mummy is better. However, like others have said, Kong had great theming and the ride was a thematic masterpiece even if it wasn't as thrilling as they made it out to be. Jaws is gone now too and what's left is poor old E.T. which I love but am afraid it has short shelf live.
Timekeeper
Well-Known Member
I think that the E.T. Adventure could have a longer shelf life if it was given a makeover. The soundstage is already there, it's an appropriate attraction for "kidzone," it appeals to the nostalgia of adults (the film's success is up there with Star Wars), and the overhead track system is pretty darn unique for a theme park ride.
I don't think that Peter Pan (an even more antiquated attraction) is going anywhere anytime soon, so I would prefer that the people upstairs consider a refurb for E.T. before considering a complete replacement. If Peter Pan - with its miniature non-moving sets and UV responsive paint - is worth keeping around, then surely something as completely immersive as E.T. is worthy of an update.
jonnyc
Well-Known Member
I don't think that Peter Pan (an even more antiquated attraction) is going anywhere anytime soon, so I would prefer that the people upstairs consider a refurb for E.T. before considering a complete replacement. If Peter Pan - with its miniature non-moving sets and UV responsive paint - is worth keeping around, then surely something as completely immersive as E.T. is worthy of an update.
We would also lose one of our direct 'Uni does this better' comparisons if ET was scrapped :lookaroun
