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Today we'll be ranking the best King Kong animatronics.
There are MANY Kong animatronics around the world, but for this list, we're only going
to be talking about animatronics from Universal Studios and one from the Musical from Broadway.
This list is based on various factors such as the complexity of the animatronic, the
quality of the attraction, and of course, the size of the animatronic!
So without further ado, let's dive in and see which King Kong animatronic is the REAL
King Kong!
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Number 7 KONG ON FIRE!
When a much-anticipated film comes out, the producers pay a LOT of attention to its marketing.
Creating hype around the movie is a pivotal part of the whole marketing process.
It is what gets the message of the film across to the masses!
The same happened with the movie 'Kong: Skull Island.'
A GIANT and TOWERING King Kong structure was produced for the film's premiere in Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam.
A VERY intimidating and menacing view for everyone at the event.
But this is not all.
What followed is even more terrifying!
Just when the presenter was starting the whole ceremony, a huge fire suddenly broke out within
the King Kong structure.
Just when you thought the night couldn't get any crazier, this happened!
What followed was a mass evacuation, but the movie screening did go on as scheduled.
Thankfully, there were no casualties or serious injuries.
Things certainly did not happen as planned, but the night was definitely made memorable!
The image of Kong and the stage in flames will surely be remembered by fans and all
the people involved with the film.
A real-life indication of the sheer destruction and madness that occurs in the movie!
Number 6 KING KONG GIANT ANIMATRONIC
The next animatronic on the list is known as the 'King Kong Giant Animatronic' and was
used in 1976's 'King Kong.'
The production of this movie wasn't without its fair share of struggles, and bringing
Kong to life was undoubtedly one of the biggest struggles.
Producer Dino De Laurentiis had a grand vision for this particular film.
He wanted this to be a 'contemporary' and 'modern' take on King Kong and therefore straight
up REFUSED to use stop motion technology that was used in previous films.
Instead, he wanted to build a full-sized mechanical King Kong.
Despite many legal hurdles and financial challenges, he remained determined to this cause.
The King Kong animatronic cost a WHOPPING 1.7 million Dollars to produce.
Standing at a MASSIVE height of 40 feet, it surely was a sight to behold.
The team of artists and technicians responsible for bringing the mighty ape monster to life
was led by Carlo Rambaldi.
He would later go on to work on the special effects of other classic films too, such as
'Alien' and 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.'
However, this particular task was not easy by any means.
He had to somehow produce a MAMMOTH moving mechanical prop.
Its scale and scope were much grander than anything he had ever done before.
The overall King Kong structure consisted of various smaller components, including a
mechanical core body, mechanical hands with working fingers, and a human-sized ape suit
for long shots.
For the ape suit, Rambaldi collaborated with Rick Baker King Kong's producers were auditioning
actors who could play Kong in those ape-suit long-shots; ultimately, Baker himself wound
up taking on the role, because, he later said, "They couldn't find anyone else stupid enough
to wear the suit.
The construction of the 40 foot tall King Kong structure required TONS of latex, aluminum,
and hydraulics.
Bringing this whole thing to life was not without its fair share of challenges.
One of the biggest challenges was getting the hands to work properly.
A LOT of trial and error was involved in properly maneuvering
the movements.
This animatronic had a terrible malfunction when one of the many hydraulic pipes hidden
inside of it ruptured, leaving fluid sluicing down the beast's leg.
So, the animatronic scene only lasts less than 3 seconds, and for the rest of the movie,
the Rick Baker suit had to be used.
This animatronic is still considered one of the most disastrous in practical effects history,
but this would not be the end of it.
In 1987, Kong was taken on a tour to Argentina, where it was part of a show with clowns.
But due to various factors, it turned out to be unsuccessful.
The plan was for the tour to continue, but due to the show's failure, investors abandoned
the project and left the animatronic abandoned for a long time.
The weather began to deteriorate this Kong animatronic since it was left out in the open
and various rumors say that it was destroyed by rats and dismantled by locals.
Some people even say that they could see some of its remains in a garbage dump.
However, some documents claim that the animatronic did go to Brazil but then was sent back to
the U.S. Whatever the real story is, we can say that despite its disastrous past, this
animatronic deserves mention in this list
Number 5 GIANT KONG ANIMATRONIC HEAD
The next animatronic on the list is the 'GIANT KONG ANIMATRONIC HEAD.'
These are, in fact, 2 Life-Size King Kong Animatronic heads, that's right; HEADS, on
display at the Madame Tussauds Museum in New York and London.
Both the heads are a soaring 18 feet tall!
A LOT of firms were involved in the development of these animatronic heads, including Madame
Tussauds, Millennium FX, Merlin Magic Making, Legendary Pictures, and Warner Brothers.
Legendary provided the virtual model of Kong, which was then handed over to Engineered Arts,
who, in collaboration with Millennium F.X., designed and built the mechanical elements
based on the model.
These 'elements' involved both the inner machinery and the outer skins.
Great attention was paid to producing an accurate animatronic that worked as efficiently as
possible.
The Result?
This is not just your average animatronic.
It is an interactive and dynamic one, as opposed to a static one.
Making the use of state-of-the-art sensors and customized software, its eyes follow you
around the room, and its nostrils also blast air when someone comes close.
How's that for creepy?
These sensors utilize Lidar technology in their operations if we are to go into technicalities.
It is this same technology that enables the movements and reactions of the head to be
instant and seamless.
Overall, this animatronic truly utilizes the power of modern technology to produce something
very intimidating, graphic, and realistic.
King Kong in all its glory!
Number 4 KING KONG ANIMATRONIC / KING KONG BROADWAY
Now let's head to the iconic theatre district in New York.
That's right!
King Kong has found its way to Broadway too.
A MASSIVE 20 foot tall and 2000 pound heavy Kong animatronic was used in the play: 'King
Kong – Alive On Broadway,' which opened back in November 2018.
Sony Tilders and Creature Technology Co were the ones behind the creation of this COLOSSAL
animatronic.
The construction took place in Australia and took several months.
In the end, it was SO well designed and built that the creators actually won a special Tony
Award for it in 2019.
Now bringing this monster to life was not an easy task at all, ESPECIALLY in the context
of a live play.
For maneuvering its movements, there were ten actors who operated its limbs alongside
an automatic system that operated more complex robotic movements.
Needless to say, this whole thing was a very crazy yet ambitious idea!
King Kong turned out to be an integral part of the play.
It wasn't just considered a 'separate' prop.
It was very much a part of the play, just like all the other actors.
A magnificent beast standing tall in all its glory.
A creature that employs the use of TONS of state of the art features, such as a skeleton
of steel, sculpted muscles, onboard hydraulics, and even the SAME Servo Motors that NASA's
Mars Rover used.
How cool is that?
Another noteworthy technical aspect was the sound design.
Sound designer Peter Hylenski ensured that Kong would have a very vast vocal range.
This was definitely one of the key factors that made Kong stand out in the play.
Producing the sounds involved the use of a real-time sound puppeteer who would act out
the sounds, which would go through a series of digital enhancements before being loudly
beamed throughout the auditorium—all of this leaving the crowds in awe and also a
bit intimidated.
All in all, this particular animatronic showed us all that animatronics can very well find
themselves in the midst of live-action plays!
A very unique and interesting mix.
Number 3 KING KONG ENCOUNTER
Next on the list is 'KING KONG ENCOUNTER.'
It is an attraction that used to be part of the Studio Tour at the Universal Studios Hollywood
in California.
The inspiration for the ride was the 1976 King Kong movie.
In fact, the ride is meant to recreate several scenes from the movie and give an immersive
experience.
It takes riders through a set of New York City, where Kong has caused utmost destruction.
Broken street lights, flipped over cars, derailed trains, and some fires.
A very daunting and eerie atmosphere indeed.
One of the core aspects of this whole ride was the MAMMOTH 30 foot tall and 7 ton heavy
King Kong animatronic.
At the time, this was the LARGEST and MOST complex animatronic ever made.
Certainly one for the record books!
The figure was designed by the very renowned Disney Imagineer, Bob Gurr.
The main focus for this animatronic was making it as detailed as possible!
This is reflected by the fact that Kong even had banana-scented breath!
Needless to say, it turned out to be quite revolutionary and paved the way for more complex
attractions that would come up in the future.
This whole grand vision came at a cost.
A MASSIVE 7 million Dollars, to be precise!
And the project took over a year to be completed.
A LOT of effort to produce the spectacular display of King Kong, in all his glory.
And all this hard work did bear its fruit, as the ride attracted MILLIONS of people in
total.
Certainly made its name.
But unfortunately, 'King Kong Encounter' was not meant to last forever.
The animatronic and the ride were destroyed in the 2008 Universal Studios Fire, bringing
an end to 20 years of an iconic ride.
Number 2 Kong Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Universal planned to build a Studio Tour in Florida, but Disney beat them by opening their
own studio-themed park.
So Universal smartly split the components of the Hollywood Studio Tour into separate,
standalone rides.
So Kong was super-sized into its own attraction with the wild, raging ape terrorizing Manhattan
with guests caught in the crossfires.
But after barely a decade in action, Kongfrontation folded to Universal's rapid growth, and Revenge
of the Mummy took its spot.
And after a fourteen-year absence, the King returned to Universal's Islands of Adventure!
Skull Island: Reign of Kong takes us to the prehistoric, sinister jungles of an uncharted
island.
At the end of the ride, we get to see Kong again.
This animatronic is nearly 30 feet tall and 18 feet wide; it also looks so real.
In fact, the head of King Kong is larger than the size of an automobile and boasts terrifying
scars.
There's a reason why Universal Orlando described this animatronic as "the most visceral encounter
with King Kong ever"!
It's equally impressive and scary!
Number 1 KONGFRONTATION
This was one of the most amazing rides at the Universal Studios Florida Theme Park.
The ride was opened back in 1990 and is a very detailed and elaborate ride, from start
to finish.
Most of the ride's settings are meant to re-create the destruction of New York City caused by
King Kong in the 1976 Kong movie.
This was done in many ways, including projections, figures, and sound and visual effects.
However, one of the most noteworthy aspects was the use of ANIMATRONICS.
Kongfrontation features not one but two King Kong animatronics.
They were designed by MCA Planning and Development and Totally Fun Company.
Both of them are MASSIVE, with a height of 39 feet and a width of 54 feet!
Both are used at separate parts of the ride.
The one used in the 'street scene' weighs a whopping 13000 pounds, and the one used
in the 'bridge scene' weighs 8000 pounds.
Both animatronics are the product of very sophisticated engineering.
They have been made out to be both digital and analog and have the ability to perform
62 distinct functions!
How's that for complexity and detail?
One interesting detail is that the animatronics have been given 'banana breath' when Kong
roars.
So the animatronics are definitely stunning in both looks AND feel!
Unfortunately, 'Kongfrontation' and all its spectacular showpieces did eventually come
to an end in 2002 due to maintenance troubles.
Nevertheless, the ride and its distinguished animatronics were memorable while they lasted!
So as you can see, 'King King' has been brought to life many times with the power of ANIMATRONICS.
What's your favorite one on our list, and why?
Which one do you think was the scariest?
Do you want to see other similar animatronics lists?
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