looking forward at Universal Studios Hollywood

[perlster]

from the L.A. Times:

Universal plans to replace the animatronic King Kong and New York street backdrops destroyed by the fire, although spokesman Eliot Sekuler could not say how soon. Park officials plan to re-route the popular tram ride around fire-damaged sets to those that were untouched by the flames, including Wisteria Lane, home to "Desperate Housewives."

[k_peek_2000]

Replace the Animatronic King Kong with something new or what?

[lazyboy97O]

Originally Posted by k_peek_2000

Replace the Animatronic King Kong with something new or what?

From the wording it sounds as if everything will be rebuilt as was. So that would mean King Kong is coming back.

[3rdshiftCM]

Originally Posted by perlster

from the L.A. Times:

Universal plans to replace the animatronic King Kong and New York street backdrops destroyed by the fire, although spokesman Eliot Sekuler could not say how soon. Park officials plan to re-route the popular tram ride around fire-damaged sets to those that were untouched by the flames, including Wisteria Lane, home to "Desperate Housewives."

I have no doubt all the facades will be rebuilt to as close to original as possible and as soon as possible, but about Kong I just don't see the point. It was what 22 years old, time for an updated attraction, they could throw in his banana breath as a tribute.

The re-route will be easy, the park has many planned routes that include skipping that area in case of filming, they'll just go right on by the area and up the hill bypassing the entire area. I just want to know what they'll write into the script for the guides to say about it?

[GhostHost2]

Hopefully King Kong will be back.

[TacAlert]

I think they should replace King Kong. There has got to be something better to put in there.

[perlster]

The ambiguous wording has been replaced - King Kong will be replaced with a new attraction according to this.

[Professortango]

Let them replace it with Skull Island. A little out of place, true, but I'd love to drive the tram through the misty jungles and see giant bugs, dinosaurs, and end with a giant rugged looking Kong bellowing at us.

[tamasurvivor]

Its so sad... I am going to miss King Kong a lot... I remember being a small child and getting totally freaked out when the tram on the bridge fell as if we were going to fall not to mention the banana breath... and the Santa Kong at Christmas time was always a holly Jolly sight... Oh King Kong will be missed a lot!

But since everything at Universal seems to always be replaced after years upon years... maybe this would be an opportunity for them to add some fresh life into that area of the tram tour and have something new... how many times has Universal Hollywood taken an old Building and given new life to it in case like that walkthrough maze they had themed to The Mummy, then Van Helsing, and now Horror Movies... or the Nickelodeon show which became Shrek 4-d, or Back to the Future which is now The Simpsons Ride or dare I say it... E.T. which was replaced by Revenge of the Mummy [maybe the new thing wasnt as good as the old for the above listed attractions but that park constantly evolves due to their limited space]

Maybe this time they could keep King Kong but now have the ability to remake him bigger, badder, and stronger introducing some new elements that are more modern and thrilling in the sense of being up close and personal with the big ape... though my vote is if they do replace it with something else, please keep to the theme King Kong had of giant sized animatronics and their involvement into film as they have on the display during the tram tour after leaving King Kong's portion of the soundstage.

If they cant do Kong, Maybe an encounter with the Spinosaurus from Jurassic park 3 or an re-enaction of that epic scene in Jurassic park 1 where you are right along the broken electric fence, the power shuts down, and out of the broken fence comes the T-Rex not to mention its raining just like in the movie and there is foliage and jurassic park jeeps everywhere [I mean it is a soundstage and I am sure they could use some of the movie sets too]... and think of this... the T-rex can get close to the tram just like Kong and you could hear it breathing through its nostrils just like in the movie when it got all close to the jeep

Or there is always some other big monster encounter like the Cloverfield monster [though they would probably have to buy rights to do that one], or they could do something original that fits into the big theme of using a large animatronic creature and finding ways to educate on the importance in film after the experience is over! But thats just my mind thinking of all the possibilities that could come.

Yes the fire was a tragedy and I am sad to see Kong go but whether he comes back or stays, lets hope for the best and lets hope Universal can do something to rebuild that area and make it for the better... though they will have to try hard to replace King Kong... that was one of the moneymakers to doing to tram tour... That and Jaws, Earthquake, the avalanche tunnel and that one bridge with the surprise!

[k_peek_2000]

Let the new show take place in New York, I mean c'mon. It's in the middle of the New York section. I say replace it with that rumored Spiderman attraction they had planned a few years ago.

[drb]

Originally Posted by tamasurvivor

But since everything at Universal seems to always be replaced after years upon years... maybe this would be an opportunity for them to add some fresh life into that area of the tram tour and have something new... how many times has Universal Hollywood taken an old Building and given new life to it in case like that walkthrough maze they had themed to The Mummy, then Van Helsing, and now Horror Movies...

And before The Mummy, it was the Grinch exhibit, Marvel Mania, and Victoria Station (including when it had the Funicular down to the flat parking lot, pre-Frankenstein parking structure).

or the Nickelodeon show which became Shrek 4-d,

The Flintstones before Nickelodeon, and Star Trek Adventure before that.

or Back to the Future which is now The Simpsons Ride

which they removed the Battle of Galactica and... I'm forgetting what else to build BTTF, and the Rock Avalanche that was there before Galactica.

I wish someone would do a Yesterversal Studios site. The A-Team stunt show, the Miami Vice show, The Riot Act/Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show, Fievel's American Tail show and play maze, Conan, Castle Dracula, Incredible Hulk, Runaway Train, Burning House, all the other things from the SFX stages over the years (Harry and the Hendersons, Bionic Testing Lab, 2010, etc.), the Prop Plaza stop on the tram, and a long, long list more that's no longer there. Somewhere I've got a USH map from the seventies, and virtually nothing's recognizable today except the backlot. And now King Kong has been added to the list of things that are gone.

It's a matter of personal taste whether one thinks that what was removed was better than what replaced it, or whether keeping attractions and shows too long makes things stale. For example, is Fear Factor better than the old Conan show that was there in the 1980s? Is it more popular? Arguably not, but it's probably much cheaper to stage. Did it bring more people to the park each time they changed the show in what was originally the Castle Dracula building to something new? Probably. Would the old shows still be pulling in the amount of people that they used to before they were replaced? Who knows. (But dammit, I miss that animatronic dragon and the neat water curtain from that old Conan show, and each thing that goes in its place seemed cheaper and cheaper, until we get to Fear Factor. Blah.)

But things always change eventually. If anything, it's amazing, given the history of the park, how many shows and attractions are still there that haven't changed for over ten or twenty years, especially the effects shows on the tram tour.