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By Michael Wada |
| The 2011 Eyegore Awards were held Friday, September 23, at the Globe Theater inside Universal Studios Hollywood, and Theme Park Adventure was there! This event is held to honor the biggest names and upcoming actors and directors in the horror industry. The red carpet was full of press from all around the world. Some of the media around us came from England, Japan and Mexico. I couldn’t even begin to count how many websites and bloggers were there as well. |
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We got to meet and talk to so many
celebrities, it was amazing. Walking the red carpet were James Gunn,
writer/director of Slither, and writer of 2004’s Dawn of the
Dead; Josh Sussman, who plays Jacob Ben Israel on Glee; and
Christopher Knight, known for playing Peter Brady of The Brady Bunch.
As we were wrapping up talking to Christopher Knight,
another guy walked up put his arm around me said hello. At first, I
didn’t recognize who it was. Then it hit me... Jamie Kennedy! Jamie was
so personable and funny! I took a couple of photos of him, and then he
said, “Hey, let me see those; I think my hair looks funny!” As I showed
him the pictures, he said to do them all over, because his hair was
jacked-up! And so, we did it all over again! It was hilarious! |
| On stage, Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys) hosted the awards. Thomas Jane honored David Arquette, and James Gunn awarded Jamie Kennedy for his work in Scream. James Gunn told a little story about how he moved to California and lived with Jamie Kennedy for about six months; once his career took off, he moved out and left Jamie a video game as a parting gift! The crowd thought that was hilarious! |
| Rob Zombie presented an award to
Rainn Wilson for his work in House of 1000 Corpses. A story Rob
told about Rainn was that he had auditioned, and he wanted him in the
movie. The studio executives didn’t think Rainn could look scared
enough, so he had to re-audition in front of the executives and perform
his best "scared scream." Next up was Bailee Madison; a 12-year-old girl who was honored for her role in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. She was this cute little girl who played a character in a very scary movie, but delivered a very eloquent speech. Everyone seemed very impressed by her maturity! She will likely go on to be in a lot of movies if she impresses everyone the way she did on the 23rd. Last, but not least, Alice Cooper was honored for his many years of tough and hard work in the music industry. Due to Alice touring and promoting his new album, he was not able to attend the Eyegore Awards. Instead, his daughter, Calico Cooper, was there to accept the award on behalf of her dad. The last event to take place during the awards was the naming of the Hollywood Horror Nights short film contest winner. HHN Creative Director John Murdy and Mary Elisabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) announced... Monster in my Swimming Pool, directed Brent Bokovoy from El Cajon, California! He kept his comments brief on stage; he said thank you, and stepped aside and let one of the stars of the video, Lia Marie Johnson, take center stage and express her excitement and say her thanks. Brent will receive national broadcast exposure on Chiller and syfy.com and be awarded a $1,000.00 cash prize. After the 2011 Eyegore Awards, we went out into the park to explore and enjoy Halloween Horror Nights! We had a wonderful time at the awards and thank Universal Studios Hollywood for having us out and putting on such a great bash! |
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By Johanna Atilano |
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As I drove to Universal Studios Hollywood, it was nearly 80 degrees, the beginning of September, and the Jurassic Park attraction was in "soak summer mode". This doesn't sound like the Halloween season, right? Definitely not. But on the morning of September 9, 2011, I was en route to a sneak preview of Halloween Horror Night's newest maze addition, Hostel: Hunting Season. |
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Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood has always been a gore-driven adult-themed playground for guests in Southern California. The event has developed their niche in the haunt community - to create the most repulsive, gory mess you will ever experience. The event has welcomed horror franchises from A Nightmare on Elm Street to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and there is no question that Hostel will be a perfect addition to the gory tradition. A group of us strolled through the park, down the long escalators, and approached the Revenge of the Mummy attraction in the Lower Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood. Hostel is set up beside the Mummy building. For those who have attended Halloween Horror Nights in the past, both SAW and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre mazes were in that same location. As we approached the facade of the maze, we were greeted by a familiar face - the Creative Director of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, John Murdy, the host of our tour through his sinister creation - Hostel: Hunting Season. The maze is based on both films in the franchise - Hostel (2005) and Hostel: Part II (2007). Similar to most Halloween events, planning for the following year always begins early. In 2010, director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) was a guest at the Eyegore Awards on the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood. John Murdy recalled that he was approached by the excited director, and mentioned the idea of having Hostel as a maze for 2011. There it began... and here we are in 2011, with Eli Roth's films as a haunted attraction. |
| Murdy begun to describe something that has never been done before at the event - to incorporate an element from a maze/film into the queue. For Hostel, guests will line up in the old Backdraft attraction queue and approach a walkway between the Universal back lot and Revenge of the Mummy attraction building. In the area closer to the maze, there will be "scare actors" or let's say... sensual Slovakian women attempting to lure you to a party, accompanied by blaring, obnoxious rock music. I believe this is a nice touch to the new maze, and will set the guests up perfectly before entering. |
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Once guests approach the entrance of the maze, they will encounter a factory where the innocent and helpless get tortured, also known as the home of Elite Hunting. Guests then enter the factory, and are immediately engulfed in the madness of Hostel. Most of the rooms will be familiar to many folks, since they are taken directly from the films, but there will be various elements in the maze and completely new rooms that were created by Eli Roth for Halloween Horror Nights. It is awesome knowing that the team at Universal Studios Hollywood has created a collaborative effort with Roth for this maze. In most cases, other companies would pay a licensing fee and absolutely destroy a property such as Hostel. I admire and appreciate that Murdy and his team respect the director’s opinions and even accept creative input. Murdy continued to take us room to room and explain the particular scare tactics, lighting, scents, soundtrack, and special effects that will be used in each. The Halloween Horror Nights team is expert at detail – all the rooms are designed perfectly, covered with painted textured walls, and blood-splattered props. Even though it was in the early afternoon with no effects working, the maze looked absolutely beautiful. In the middle of our tour, we were visited by an unexpected guest, Chris Williams, the Art Director/Production Designer of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood. Williams is a veteran of the haunted attraction industry and has worked on mazes from the first Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood creations to Knott’s Halloween Haunt in Buena Park, California. Williams has thorough experience under his belt, and it is obvious that he has demonstrated his talent perfectly through the beautiful mazes at Halloween Horror Nights. Murdy and Williams are creative partners, who are constantly inventing ways to scare the living crap out of guests. I was extremely thrilled to be given a tour by the men behind the gore. |
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Williams and Murdy continued to take us through the gut-lined rooms of Hostel: Hunting Season. Guests will find themselves in the room from the films where the “customers” choose their torture devices, as well as many torture chambers. I have seen the Hostel films and oh boy, are they gory! You can only imagine how these films will translate into a maze! Some of the nastiest scenes will be recreated in blood-splattering detail for Halloween Horror Nights guests. For instance, in Hostel: Part II, a particular young lady gets her hair caught in a saw, and yep... this will be in the maze; let your imagination take over! Of course, we can’t forget the incorporated scents element that Universal is notorious for at Halloween Horror Nights. Does burning flesh sound appetizing to any of you? How about accompanied by blood squirting toward you? Universal Studios Hollywood loves to have guests be completely immersed in the maze; it’s disgusting, vile… and effective! |
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As our small group was taken into the finale scene, I watched as Murdy and Williams cracked smiles and began laughing. The room was hardly finished - bare walls, wooden planks, dust particles, and a lone bloody corpse lying on the floor. Just as we expected them to spill the beans and tell us about the final scene, Murdy and Williams opted not to; to leave it a surprise for us to experience on our own during Halloween Horror Nights 2011! Now I have to expect the absolute worst when it becomes my turn to experience Hostel! That brings an end to our tour of Hostel: Hunting Season. Sooner than later, you begin your own tour at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights... Just stay away from those Slovakian women. |
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By Rick West |
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It's hard to imagine that beneath the blazing summer sun here in Los Angeles, there is an arctic nightmare taking shape in the middle of Universal Studios Hollywood. But there is. Theme Park Adventure's Rick West dawned a heavy parka and went deep into an icy subterranean base where Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights Creative Director John Murdy was hard at work preparing the event for its 2011 season. As steam bellowed from their breath, John and Rick discussed one of the most anticipated mazes of the event, The Thing: Assimilation... Rick West: John, thank you for
taking time out from your crazy
Halloween Horror Nights schedule to chat
with us! We really appreciate it, because we know how busy you are at
the moment. John Murdy: I can say it in one word: multi-tasking! The HHN production team is actually quite small for a project this size. We all wear multiple hats and have expertise in many different creative disciplines. In a typical day, I’m constantly interacting with Chris Williams, my main creative partner on HHN. Chris is our Art Director/Production designer, but he’s got over 20 years of experience with haunted attractions. He’s done everything from being a scareactor, to creating whole events; so together, we oversee the entire production, from the initial concepts to training the talent. In a typical day, I might be writing scripts, working on audio design for the mazes, reviewing and approving make-up sculpts and costume samples, prepping video production, reviewing maze progress, and/or even performing for audio or video elements for HHN. I’m also very involved with the filmmakers we work with, and interact with them on a daily basis. I’m lucky to work with team members and vendors who are extremely talented and as passionate about HHN as I am. The pace is hectic, the hours are incredibly long, but we’re all doing something we love. |
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West: The first maze that was announced for Halloween Horror Nights, is based on the up-coming prequel, The Thing. Here in Los Angeles, the maze is going to be called The Thing: Assimilation. In Orlando, it looks to be simply The Thing. Is that right? Since both HHN productions are doing The Thing this season, is there any collaborative effort between your two teams, or as usual, are you pretty separate entities? Murdy: Both parks started working together very early on with our partners at Universal Pictures to bring The Thing to life at HHN. We love the opportunity to work directly with the filmmakers to bring their vision to life, and both teams have been very involved with the production from the initial script through post production. The first question I always ask filmmakers when I meet them is, “Have you been to HHN?” The producers of The Thing are genuine fans of HHN, have been to the parks several times and love the event. They’re thrilled to have The Thing featured at the event, and we’re both thrilled with the opportunity to bring it to life. The physical spaces these attractions are going in vary from park to park, so the design/layout is always a bit different, but at the end of the day we’re both replicating the creatures and environments from the film with the same meticulous attention to detail that HHN has become famous for. West: As a horror fan, I have
loved The Thing ever since it oozed across the pages of my
Fangoria magazines as a kid! The John Carpenter version of the film
came out in 1982, and I believe the video game version came out in 2002.
As an older fan, I love the idea of a maze based on the film, and at the
same time, I can’t help but wonder about your target audience – many of
whom weren’t even alive in the ‘80s, and were probably young kids in
2002 when the video game came out. It dawned on me that the new film,
which is a prequel, won’t come out until about three weeks into the HHN
run this season. This is very exciting for us at HHN, since “The Thing:
Assimilation” maze will offer fans a very first sneak peek of the movie. Murdy: I’m not concerned at all. When you look at the properties we’ve featured at the event in the past, many of them were released in the '70s and early '80s. I think horror fans are a passionate lot, and have great awareness for the classics of the genre despite the era they came out in. I experience this all the time when I see young fans at horror conventions; they know and love the full breadth of the genre. Maybe this would have been an issue when I was growing up in the pre-cable/Internet '70s, but kids today have access to everything and as a result, their exposure to films, music, etc. is far greater. We premiered a video clip from The Thing at HHN last year, and the response was great. Since we announced The Thing, the reactions I’m getting on Twitter are off the charts. I think the fans are particularly excited by the fact that it’s a prequel and not a remake. The 1982 version of The Thing created the perfect opportunity for a prequel, with lots of unanswered questions about the Norwegian site. West: And on the heels of that, one of the things that you personally are really known for is keeping very true to the films you’re portraying in your HHN mazes. If I haven’t said it ad nauseam, thank you again for the gorgeous Halloween maze in 2009; it remains one of my favorite haunted attraction mazes of all time, because you were so meticulous in your recreation of the environments and scenes from my favorite horror flick of all time (the Carpenter version). That said, my thoughts shifted to The Thing: Assimilation. The film itself opens about three weeks into your run. How on earth then, do you go about designing a maze around this flick without giving away spoilers from the new movie? Or are you going to use the general Thing idea and give it all your own twist? Or… will you be pulling from all versions of The Thing, which is what your plan of attack was for the Halloween maze in ’09? |
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Murdy: You’re welcome.
Halloween was a labor of love. My plan for Halloween was to do a linear
version of the 1978 John Carpenter film, but include a few other
franchise references for the fans along the way (i.e. Season of the
Witch), as long as it fit within the story we were telling. |
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West: You obviously have a huge amount of say as to what we get here in Southern California at Halloween Horror Nights. That means you too, must be a big fan of The Thing. Can you give us insight as to your personal feelings about the franchise and how you went about bringing it to HHN this year? Take us through that process. Murdy: Oh yeah…The Thing is very high in my pantheon of horror. I’ve been very lucky to be able to create haunted attractions based on many of my personal favorites; The Thing would definitely fall into that category. We’ve been keeping an eye on The Thing ever since it was first announced. I instantly loved the idea of a prequel; it made perfect sense. Like I said, we started with the script, and I was instantly hooked; read it all in one sitting. I could visualize the movie just from reading the script, and I instantly saw its potential as a great haunted attraction. What was particularly attractive was the setting/environment; this remote outpost in the middle of the Antarctic. My Art Director, Chris Williams and I instantly knew that had to be the façade. The idea of going through this claustrophobic, isolated facility sounded like the perfect setting for a haunted attraction. Then there is "the thing", a creature that changes forms; the make-up effects work done by Academy Award winners Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis from ADI is truly out of this world. ADI was kind enough to allow our special effects make-up team to move into their shop and utilize all the molds from the film, so the creatures you see in our attraction will perfectly match the film. Of course, there are major differences between creating something for the camera and creating something for a live haunted attraction that has to work every 10 seconds, thousands of times a night; but to be able to work with the actual pieces from the film was invaluable. It’s the ultimate creative collaboration, and we are extremely grateful to the filmmakers and Alex and Tom from ADI for the opportunity. |
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West: Can you tell us where The Thing: Assimilation will be located this year at Universal Studios Hollywood for the event? You guys are so landlocked; it’s always a big deal to the fans where you’re putting the mazes. Murdy: It will be located in the West venue, smack in the middle of the park. We chose that venue for several reasons. One of the main ones had to do with the backstage space. Physically affecting our guests and assaulting all their senses has become a signature element of HHN, so we’re taking huge HVAC units and using them in this attraction, so you feel the cold. West: Thank you so much for taking the time to share some great information about The Thing: Assimilation with your TPA fans! We really are excited to see how this maze turns out! And now, we'll let you get back to your evil work! |
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Story by Rick West |
| Like most Southern California
attractions, the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour is in a
constant state of evolution. Whether it's a new major attraction such as
King Kong 360, or flat panel HD monitors mounted in the trams
themselves, there is always something changing at the Studio
Tour. This summer, visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood may notice that there's a new Studio Tour celebrity host. Whoopi Goldberg's reign has ended as the Tour mascot, and Universal has deemed a new celebrity to be the face of the Studio Tour: Jimmy Fallon. Perhaps best known for his smart-ass news anchoring on Saturday Night Live, or as the talk show host of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, the young New Yorker has also worked in film and is a musician, to boot. That said, it cannot be ignored that Fallon is a bit of a "random" choice to host the iconic tram tour at Universal. Undoubtedly pushed by executives at NBC to - let's all say it together - synergize company assets and cross-promote its product. And so this is where we become torn. At face value, we hate the idea of studio executives forcing their idea of cross-promotion down our throats by way of the most sacred attraction at Universal - the Studio Tour. Hate it, hate it, hate it. On the other hand, Jimmy Fallon seems like a really nice guy and seems like a genuine attraction/theme park fan who is honestly very excited about being part of the Studio Tour. So in that regard, it was nice to see his excitement on display in person on the morning of June 2nd, 2011 outside of Universal Studios Hollywood, as the company launched the new Studio Tour featuring Fallon to a good-size press pool. |
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I really don't want to end the article
in a negative light, so I'll throw the flip-side of the coin in at this
point. While many, many people across the United States obviously love
Jimmy Fallon (265,599 at the moment, according to Facebook), I cannot
imagine people visiting from outside the U.S. and having the faintest
clue who he is. That's not a ding against Fallon - it's just a fact.
If you put someone like Whoopi Goldberg next to Jimmy Fallon, your
international visitors are going to immediately recognize the movie
star, not the late night talk show guy. |
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You get the point. I think that fans
and visitors from far away lands would totally get off on seeing
that kind of star power throughout the Studio Tour. The Studio
Tour deserves that type of star treatment, considering it is an
industry icon not just for Universal pictures, but every other studio in
Hollywood and beyond that use the Universal facilities constantly for
everything from major motion pictures to commercials and music videos.
The Studio Tour deserves mega-star power; not cheesy jokes and
semi-known hosts. Perhaps one day, Universal executives will get that
and understand that the Tour is the one thing that no
other theme park or Universal property in the world can duplicate or
replicate; it's a one-of-a-kind gem that should absolutely be treated
with the utmost respect as one of the company's greatest assets; not a
dumping ground for marketing to shove horrible movies down our
throats (cough.. cough.. Hop.. cough..) or NBC's flavor of the
month talent; it ultimately serves little purpose and demeans the Studio
Tour's grand legacy. |
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Speaking of writing... a particular
song was written for this occasion, which has become the basis of
Universal Studios Hollywood's summer marketing push. It's called "Tramtastic
Day" and is a cute guitar-strumming jingle with a slight country flair.
Jimmy sings it and while it is the same kind of maddening tune that
perhaps "It's a Small World" is the master of, it actually works in a
corny, awkward Jimmy Fallon kind of way that is actually going over well
with crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood. Shortly after the launch
ceremony, we boarded a tram with regular park guests and everyone seemed
to laugh when they were supposed to and definitely appeared to enjoy
Fallon's video pieces throughout the tour. With that said, it looks like
Universal Studios Hollywood has a positive host for the Tour, and at the
end of the day, Fallon comes off easily as a very nice guy really loving
the fact that he's become part of the Universal Studios experience. |
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 Jimmy cuts the Tramtastic ribbon! |
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 Jimmy Fallon and Tour Guide Molly Orr |
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Discuss the New Studio Tour with Jimmy Fallon on the TPA Message Board |
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Maze Sneak Preview by Johanna Atilano |
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One, Two… Freddy’s coming for you… Ah, the familiar nursery rhyme. Three, Four… better lock your door… Freddy Krueger has struck again, and is slashing his way through Universal Studios Hollywood for his third time at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights. In 2007 and 2008, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise came to life for guests as a terrifying walk-through maze, along with other iconic horror characters, Leatherface and Jason. This Halloween, the razor-gloved, burnt boogeyman is back to haunt new victims, based on the 2010 remake, A Nightmare on Elm Street. On September 10, 2010, Theme Park Adventure was invited to an excusive behind-the-scenes look at the A Nightmare on Elm Street: Never Sleep Again maze at Universal Studios Hollywood. The creative director of the event, John Murdy, was our sinister host, and took us on a grand tour of Krueger’s nightmarish domain. He was asked the inevitable. WHY A Nightmare on Elm Street again? There’s been criticism from avid fans to the media, wondering why Horror Nights decided to “recycle” previous themes. Murdy explained, with a child-like grin… |
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Unlike the original Nightmare films, the 2010 version is much darker. Murdy reflects on the 2007 and 2008 Nightmare mazes – they played on the humorous side of Krueger, such as the “pizza gag" or exploding Greta Gibson. Freddy did have his dark moments, particularly the first film of the franchise, but overall, Krueger became a comedic horror icon. The 2010 film is darker, and so will the maze be. The way a maze is selected for Halloween Horror Nights, is based on three things: characters, fan base/popularity, and environments. John knew right away that the film would fit perfectly at Halloween Horror Nights. Murdy lead our small group to the entrance of the maze – this year it’ll be in the same location as the previous Nightmare mazes, in the Shrek queue. He began with a bold statement: “Unlike the original, there isn’t a house." And he’s correct. The movie revolves around the pre-school where Fred Krueger worked as a gardener, and where he eventually violates the innocent children. The pre-school is already in ruin, with the remains of Krueger’s gardening tools sprawled across the floor. Further into the maze, you experience numerous rooms including the burnt classroom, basement and of course, the boiler room. Murdy explained his favorite technique that he’s learned to embrace every year – the “distract and scare”. Almost every room hosts this scare tactic, all in a different way. It’s effective, and scares the crap out of people! He then excitedly stepped into a scareactor spot, and explained a “guitar pedal-looking” switch that triggers the synced audio and lighting effects. He loves this gag.
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Murdy was very determined to show the “micro-nap” aspect of the film – the hallucinations that begin after having no sleep for 70 hours. In the film, it’s merely an editing trick, but John wanted to show it somehow in the maze. It ended up being more simple than he thought – a scrim. A scrim is a light-weight, woven material, and one of the oldest “illusions” that started in early theater. It can be painted, matching the surroundings, but once it’s lit from behind, the surface will disappear and it is see-through. You can only imagine what Universal's done with this effect… Oh yes, there will be lots of Freddys. Freddy there, Freddy here, Freddy there… For those who have seen the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, you may not be familiar with a few rooms in the maze. That’s because they were not in the theatrical release; they were either cut, or will be released as deleted scenes on the DVD. This includes the finale, and oh boy, the finale is a good one… Murdy loves to change things up a bit – twisting your expectations. Of course, there is the final scare, then the final, final scare… and then the final, final, FINAL scare. As we were wrapping up toward the exit of the maze, we heard a pop and suddenly, SLASH, SCREAM, SCREECH, SLASH, SLASH, SCREAM. It startled most of us and Murdy began to laugh. "There goes the maze audio!" Like a proud boy, he grins again. It is amazing to see the construction process of the highly-detailed mazes that Halloween Horror Nights is best at. Though not fully-finished, it’s easy to say that the maze will give you one hell of a killer time; a... Nightmare-come-true.
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Discuss HHN's A Nightmare on Elm Street: Never Sleep Again on the TPA Message Board |
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Review by Rick West |
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| This story began the morning of June
1, 2008, as a
massive fire swept through the iconic Backlot portion of
Universal Studios Hollywood, destroying most of the facades and the
beloved
King Kong attraction. Honestly, as I watched the news unfold on television in horror, I felt certain that if in fact, King Kong had been lost, that would be it; the end of the mighty ape's reign at Universal Studios Hollywood. And in my head, it made perfect sense. Why spend millions on a new Kong attraction, when there are so many more Universal properties and partnerships that could be explored? On the other hand, if the Backlot was to be rebuilt, which it of course would be, why the need at all for a Kong attraction - or ANY attraction for that matter - when the space that the show building occupied could return much more investment over time to the studio as a useable shooting location? I was certain King Kong was gone in a plume of smoke. Flash-forward to last summer. As we rode the Studio Tour one day, a Tour Guide made an off-hand comment as part of his spiel that King Kong WOULD in fact, be returning to Universal Studios Hollywood in a brand-new attraction. Weeks passed and the guides began talking about this more and more, openly. Details remained sketchy at best, but the common thread was the date - summer of 2010. Naturally, I went to work trying to make sense of this and to see what solid information I could turn up. Almost immediately, one of the most popular theories/rumors was that the trams would enter Skull Island and find themselves trapped between two MASSIVE audio-animatronics figures - a towering T-rex and the mighty King Kong. Terrified Tour guests would be rocked and bounced between the two battling behemoths in a similar fashion as they are in the Earthquake attraction on the Studio Tour. The concept sounded very interesting. It also sounded REALLY expensive. In this day and age, having a large-scale audio-animatronics figure that is both very fluid AND reliable... we're talking enormous costs; well over the $100 million mark once all is said and done; closer to $200 million for two gargantuan AA figures done correctly in a realistic, practical environment. I couldn't see Universal going for that. In this day and age, I couldn't see any company going for that, honestly. Weeks turned into months, and as the months passed, more information surfaced in various forms. The practical experience was out, and word came that the entire Kong show would be 3-D. This is where I became very skeptical very quickly. I am the first person to say that I am really over the whole 3-D thing, whether it's in haunted attractions or simulators or whatever. Pretty much the only place I'm okay with it these days are in some films and eventually, I suppose I will have to accept it as part of regular television viewing. But that's different - we're talking major theme park attractions in this case. With that said, yeah, I am not impressed anymore by 3-D/4-D shows. I'm not saying that I automatically hate them - I just am not wowed anymore by 3-D films; give me good old-fashioned practical rides like the Haunted Mansion or Men in Black any day over one that relies on 3-D technology and gags to work. With some digging, I quickly confirmed that yes, the latest rumors were accurate; King Kong would be a 3-D attraction. I remained hopeful that Universal Studios Hollywood would continue to seriously engage this reboot with honest enthusiasm and devotion, but as a theme park enthusiast, I have to say that I was honestly disappointed and felt that Universal kind of took the cheap, easy way out. Fast-forward again to March 23, 2010. Theme Park Adventure and a few other selected media organizations were invited to a secret test facility near Los Angeles International Airport to witness a mock-up of what King Kong 360 was to be. It was a very unique and interesting day for us - which we documented and presented as a feature right here on TPA four months ago. While we were impressed by what we saw, and while we felt that this would be a very good addition to the Studio Tour, I have to admit that I couldn't help but wonder how amazing a practical experience would have been - and all of the awesome possibilities that would go along with that for a truly astounding show. As summer approached, we watched the show building for Kong go up very quickly at Universal Studios Hollywood. The show was obviously fast-tracked to get done in time for the summer season, which is critical to Universal, as their attendance during the off-season is really low. Universal executives looked to Peter Jackson and his team at Weta Digital to deliver this massive-scale attraction. So really, while the Phoenix Project was taking place, it included two separate agendas - to rebuild the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot to be better than ever and more functional for filmmakers, and also, to rebuild the King Kong attraction, updating it and using state-of-the-art digital technology as a vehicle to deliver the giant ape to Tour guests. Both projects moved forward in tandem toward the end of spring 2010, and from week to week, you could really see how fast the Kong show building was going up; the speed was actually very impressive and surprising, knowing how long attractions usually take to be constructed and installed at theme parks. Obviously, having the King Kong 360 attraction mocked-up elsewhere helped tremendously. Basically, all Universal Creative had to do was transplant the hardware from the test site to the new show building at Universal Studios, and they were pretty much good to go. As the install took place, Universal was very quiet about it, although the marketing machine was in high gear, cranking out news releases, hosting amateur filmmaker contests and really setting the stage for the huge return of King Kong to the Tour. The weekend of the 4th of July was set as the target hard open date, and Universal absolutely nailed it. Either the install went very smoothly, or any issues were completely kept under the tightest wraps possible, because we didn't hear a peep except for the fact that it was in and ready to go. An employee preview night of the attraction took place prior to the media event - and even then, information was scarce. It was very apparent that we'd have to wait for the media event to really see how it turned out. The following is a recount of the King Kong 360 media event/opening. If you're not interested in those details, click here to jump to the break-down of the pros and cons of King Kong 360. A few days prior to hard-open, Universal Studios Hollywood held a large-scale media event that was packed with representatives from websites, newspapers, television production companies, and everything else you can imagine. There were a few celebrities here and there, mostly B or C-list, but there were the occasional personalities walking the red carpet that were noteworthy to the throngs of reporters and journalists, including Wayne Brady, Kevin Smith (who wanted nothing to do with the media and practically ran past everyone on the carpet - maybe he was on his way to making his next horrible film), Mark Pellegrino, and a huge surprise, Christopher Lloyd. Betty White was supposed to be one of the main celebs present due to her dealings with wildlife and humane organizations, which were put in the spotlight along with the massive ape (it's an animal thing... just go with it). Unfortunately, and to everyone's great disappointment, there was a last-minute schedule conflict with the media event and her new television show and she had to bow out. We really wanted to meet her, simply because she's so friggin' awesome. Alas, that was not meant to be. "Doc" Brown showing up was absolutely a surprise however, and when he was totally chill and approachable, a handful of journalists patiently took their time waiting for the right moment and did just that - and he was completely wonderful and generous with his time and attention. It's a shame all celebrities can't be that way - but I suppose it makes the easy-going, nice celebrities that much more special. And that was definitely the case with Christopher Lloyd; he was a true gentleman and everyone felt it. Several animals were on hand at the event, including a huge snake, a stunning tiger and a monkey that was really a Mr. Cranky Pants, growling at people and thrashing a stuffed gorilla it was given to play with. When it comes to fierceness, our vote goes to the growling little monkey for most imposing creature at the Kong event! It was hilarious! The event was attended by several hundred guests and the red carpet was fairly long, between sound stages in the Front Lot area of the studio. To set the "tone", there were "natives" lurking and interacting with guests and media while we waited for everything to get underway. The really funny thing about the natives though, was they were so not native-looking individuals! In fact, I made the comment that the only island they'd ever visited was probably Fashion Island in Newport Beach! These folks were straight out of a modeling agency in Beverly Hills somewhere - we got a good laugh out of that as they lurked and spouted "native speak" at people; it was pretty funny, actually. Fortunately, a "real" tribal-appearing band arrived, and they absolutely looked the part of Skull Island locals - they played drums loudly, danced and gyrated and basically, set the mood and tone; I think the other "natives" disappeared to Starbucks at that point or went back to their day jobs at H&M! We moved inside the sound stage, where drinks and absolutely delicious hor d'oeuvres were being served. Many of the treats were banana-based sweets that were incredible. One thing that Universal absolutely does right for its media events is food. We've had the privilege of attending numerous Universal events here in California as well as Florida over the years, and Uni's food/catering is always top-notch. Kudos to them; no one was disappointed and the eats went fast the moment they arrived on the soundstage floor! As the lights dimmed, the crowd of guests and media were welcomed by members of the Universal executive team and discussion regarding the fire that destroyed the Backlot and the rebuilding of King Kong. We were shown the new King Kong commercial, which was met with a loud round of applause. The moment that had everyone curious was at hand, and as we put on our 3-D glasses, a video of Peter Jackson appeared on a large screen in front of us. In a pre-recorded introduction, Peter Jackson hosted what is believed to be the first-ever 3-D media welcome and briefing. He explained how exciting it was for he and his team at Weta Digital to revisit Skull Island and create this massive 3-D experience for Universal Creative. The whole bit was a little on the hokey side, and a soundstage of folks wearing these glasses gawking at Peter Jackson on the screen must have been a sight to see... but it worked, as corny as it seemed. People applauded and cheered, despite the fact that Jackson was not live on the screen, nor could he interact with the crowd or hear their applause. Eventually, Jackson declared King Kong 360 open, and he fired a streamer/confetti popper at the camera; from the screen in the soundstage, confetti and streamers suddenly burst out at the audience. It was a cool gag and everyone loved it. Naturally, the huge hope was that Peter Jackson would be there along with some Weta folks to personally answer questions and open the attraction in person. Whatever the reason, that didn't happen, and the 3-D press briefing was created. I have to give props to Universal for at least thinking of a fun, interesting way to include Jackson in the day's events. We all left the soundstage to a makeshift boarding area as several trams pulled up. The "native" band was playing outside and there was a genuine sense of excitement in the air as we all climbed aboard our trams. With cameras, microphones, scripts and a multitude of social media devices in hand, the tram full of press representatives headed out into the Backlot. Before visiting Kong, the tram did take us through the newly-reopened Backlot, where the Tour Guide spoke extensively about the new facades and also the loss of the original King Kong attraction. Over the past several months, the Studio Tour trams have been slowly accessing more and more of the Backlot area as it reopens following completion of construction, granted there isn't any filming already taking place. On this day, we drove through a large chunk of the brand-spanking-new facade area; it looks great and everyone seemed very impressed. Props to Universal Studios Hollywood for just about completing Project Phoenix. Well done! As we cleared the last section of facades, the tram made its way toward the enormous Kong show building, as a video of Peter Jackson began playing on the video monitors of the vehicle. The excitement grew as the tram began to enter the show building after passing another tram vehicle that was smashed and smoking. Cameras rolled and tension rose as darkness swallowed the tram whole to the sound of heavy, foreboding tribal drums. Peter Jackson welcomed us via video to Skull Island on the tram's monitors, and then everything went black. The attraction began, and we watched the screens as well as the other folks around us experiencing everything for the first time. As the show finished, the enthusiastic cheering and applause was very loud and continuous. The majority of the media guests really liked King Kong 360. The trams returned us all to the loading area in the Front Lot that we left from, and those wanting more of an opportunity to ride again or take pictures near the attraction were invited to do so. We opted to ride through again, and the second time around, the cheering and enthusiasm were the same. Following our second ride, we hopped into a van and were driven up to the Kong show building for an up-close photo opportunity. In all, the King Kong event was a very smooth, very nicely-done opening for this attraction. The event was imaginative and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves for a few hours. Major kudos to the Universal Hollywood team for a successful and very fun opening of Kong; great job, everyone! An insider's thoughts on King Kong 360 There seem to be two extreme camps when it comes to Universal Studios Hollywood's newest attraction, King Kong 360: those who LOVE it, and those who really don't like it. We haven't heard too many luke-warm comments about the experience, but there is an abundance of love as well as hate for this new addition to the Studio Tour out there. First things first; King Kong 360 is not a stand-alone attraction or ride. People posting and saying, "I can't wait to go on this ride when we visit!" are in for a disappointment when they actually do head to Universal, because Kong, just as it's always been, is a part of the Studio Tour. It's an experience, not a stand-alone attraction. Just like King Kong was back in the day, and just like everything else along the Tour such as the Collapsing Bridge, Fast and the Furious, Flash Flood and War of the Worlds set, Kong 360 is merely a part of the Tour as a whole. Kong itself is a very short experience. Once the film begins, it feels like it's perhaps a minute in length or so; depending on which site you're reading, you will find the running time listed as anywhere from less than a minute to between four and five minutes, which it definitely is not. Without timing it myself (one of those things you just forget to do when snapping images, etc. for a story), I would say that Kong 360 is anywhere between 60 and 90 seconds. Longer than that, I would be amazed, because it does not feel longer. So guests prepared to experience something that would match the running time of a stand-alone attraction such as Shrek, Jurassic Park or The Simpsons - those folks will be sorely disappointed, and we have read so many comments speaking to that over the past three weeks. Those guests visiting Universal Studios Hollywood that do understand that King Kong 360 is merely an addition to the Studio Tour will get much more out of it. And honestly, the excitement and tremendous amount of cheering once the tram leaves the show building each time indicates that most people really do like Kong very much. And that is a good thing for Universal. King Kong 360 3-D is a massive undertaking that we have followed since the beginning, including our special behind-the-scenes feature that explains the technical aspects of the experience. It's apparent for the average theme park tourist, Universal Studios Hollywood has a winner on its hands. The crowds are huge at Universal Hollywood this summer; the largest crowds by far that we have ever seen on a standard operating day. The queue for the Studio Tour is akin to the crowds experienced during Halloween Horror Nights, if not heavier. Switchbacks are employed both at the entrance of the Tour as well as the extended queue downstairs at the main loading area, which is fully-used. Definitely, the best time to do the Tour is first thing in the morning when the park opens, or later in the afternoon before it closes for the day. If you hit the Tour during the middle of the day, be prepared to wait upward of 90 minutes to board a tram. 3-D glasses are in bins for guests to take just prior to boarding the trams. They are the plastic glasses that we have come to know at most major theme parks; we call them "EO style". The glasses for King Kong 360 are black, as depicted in the commercial for the attraction. Once aboard the tram, King Kong 360 happens fairly early on - after visiting the new Metropolitan sets, just prior to the Picture Car area. In the past, this would have been the Collapsing Bridge portion of the Tour; it is now Kong's spot. And before I go further about Kong, it is important to add that the Collapsing Bridge is still there, and sits dwarfed by the Kong show building. There is a route that trams theoretically can take if management wishes to employ both attractions in the Tour - but that is unlikely. Unless Kong is down for rehab, it is my guess that we've seen the last of the Collapsing Bridge in use for a long, long time; possibly forever now, if it is allowed to fall into disrepair and rot in the shadow of Kong. Only time will tell the fate of the Collapsing Bridge, but for now, it certainly has been put out to pasture. King Kong 360 3-D has its strengths and its weaknesses, both very apparent to the experienced theme park fan. Going into the attraction, the set-up is nicely done, with a video introduction by Peter Jackson in a long, dark, partially-themed tunnel that allows your eyes to grow somewhat accustomed to the darkness before taking you in to the main building. The entrance to Kong is great (although there really is no way to hide or theme the massive show building attached to it), but the further you go into the tunnel, the theming just stops, which I feel is bad show. Theming out the tunnel all the way into the darkness would not have cost Universal much more and it would have made the transition from themed entrance to pitch black interior 100% seamless. Unfortunately, having that cohesive theming abruptly stopped just prior to entering the show building leaves the lingering thought in your mind that you're not entering Skull Island at all, but rather, an industrial-looking soundstage-sized building; the theming is completely blown at that point, which is a shame. Like I said, most won't even pick up on that - but fans with a keen eye and strong sense of thematic impact will understand; the pass-off from light to darkness should have been seamless and complete. The soundtrack as you enter the attraction building is riveting and very nicely-done. Who doesn't love heavy, deep, driving percussion? It works, and as the tram heads into the building, you can hear the space become larger as the soundtrack becomes "bigger", echoing and booming inside the building; it's great! As the tram comes to rest, the film comes on and instantly, the multi-sensory effects such as scent and wind take over. In fact, King Kong 360 employs numerous sensory effects throughout the show - which is one of its weaknesses. The wind is fine, and the scents are okay (except it smells like the same ol' same ol' that is widely-used in all of their Halloween mazes during Horror Nights); they do add to the show. However, the way that they are executed is really bad if you're sitting next to one of the deployment spots. The soundtrack is not loud enough, and if you happen to be sitting next to one of the scent/sensory "machines", you can hear it in action... "PSHHHH... PSHHHHH... PSHHH..."; it's not good and very, very distracting. Without completely moving the delivery points, the only way Universal is going to be able to mask this sound is by cranking the Kong soundtrack up itself, which is probably a mess of ordinances and safety regulations regarding attractions and sustained decibel levels. My gut feeling is, this is as good as it's going to get as far as this sound situation goes. One of the main concerns I had when we saw the mock-up of Kong 360 months ago was that it is so large and there is so much happening, that guests wouldn't know where to focus their attention, and would ultimately, miss half the show. I expressed my thoughts to Kong Show Producer Valerie Johnson-Redrow during our tour of the mock-up, and was assured that in using sound cues, guests' attention would be directed at the right places at the right time. After experiencing King Kong 360 several times, I can say that I still have no idea how people are supposed to know where to look and when; there is so much going on and the screens are so long - there is just no way. There are no sound cues in place that demand guest attention, so once the show begins, it really is everyone for themselves as far as what they look at, and what their own experience is. That said, I will say that while frustrating on one hand, it plays tremendously positive on the other. Having been through Kong 360 several times since it opened, we have noticed different things each time by looking at different areas of the screens. It's no hype when I say you can experience King Kong 360 over and over and see something new each time. That is actually a strong selling point for this attraction, in my opinion. Even though its running time is short - it offers an overload of imagery to take in; too much for just one ride. Fans riding the Studio Tour over and over will be sucked in and will truly have a different experience every time, depending on where they sit and where they focus their attention. Where you sit on the tram plays a critical role in your King Kong 360 experience, as all seats are not created equal in this case. We have found that the best seats for Kong are in cars two or three (preferably three) and that if you sit in the middle of the row with people on either side of you, that is where you truly get the best show experience for Kong. Of course, that means that the rest of the Tour, you're stuck between people, which sucks. So, when boarding the Tour at the beginning, you need to make a decision - whether you want the edge and a slightly less immersive experience for Kong, or whether you want a cherry spot for King Kong and then suffer the rest of the 50-minute tour sandwiched between strangers. It's a tough call, honestly! Once the summer season is over and folks find they have entire rows to themselves, it won't be such an issue. However now, during the very busy summer, you have a decision to make, kids! Good luck with that! The reason the seating plays a critical role in the King Kong experience is mainly related to your field of vision. If you're in the middle of the row, you have obstructions such as other people and the roof of the tram to block the line of sight you have to the screens on either side. If you sit on the edge, you will have a lop-sided experience. You will see the top and bottom of the screen nearest you - and that may or may not severely hamper your suspension of disbelief in this attraction. Despite the name, King Kong 360 is not 360 degrees; it cannot be, since there is an entry and exit point that the trams must use when passing through the attraction. That means if you're in the front car of the tram (where they like to load the Annual Passholders) or in the fourth car, there is only blackness in front of you and/or behind you; this is particularly bad for those stuck in the first car. Our advice to Passholders is to bypass the first car and find seats further back, even if it means waiting for an extra tram to board. The concave design of the massive Kong screens on either side of the tram work pretty well, but there is some distortion of image - although not as horrible as Back to the Future or now, The Simpsons. Even with the most modern of digital projectors at work, the images aren't 100% clear, even though they are in high-definition; this is just the nature of 3-D, which is one of my pet peeves about this type of attraction. Again, I'm being extremely critical here - 95% of guests will not notice these things or care, for that matter. What 100% of the guests will notice is something we really dislike about Universal attractions - water. King Kong 360 manages to get a big amount of water squirted all over the guests in the trams. If you have a camera or camcorder, put it away or hide it - because it WILL get wet; much wetter than any other gag on the Tour. Personally, I really hate water gags - it can damage photo or video equipment and if you wear glasses, I don't need to tell you what a pain in the ass it is to suddenly have water running down your lenses in the middle of an attraction or having to clean them off on your shirt afterward; it sucks, but it's something that Universal totally gets off on. Apparently, most people are cool with it - because if hordes of people complained, you can bet the water squirting would cease. There is an over-abundance of it used in Kong 360; we learned that the hard way as we wiped our dripping cameras off frantically the first time we rode it. Not cool. Again, we are in the minority on this, as most tourists love the water gags at Universal. I just felt that it needed to be said - those of you who don't like being blasted by water at every stop along the Studio Tour now have the latest and wettest attraction of them all to contend with. I'll say it one more time - keep those cameras in a safe, hidden place during Kong, or they will get wet. You've been warned. Another element of Kong that is impossible to miss is its movement of the tram vehicles. Parked on four "platforms" within the show building, each car is moved individually and the programming of the motion is very focused and unique to each car. Despite the advanced technology used, visitors will likely notice a difference in the way they're tossed around in Kong vs. Earthquake, which uses older technology, but also tosses the trams around violently and well. I'm not sure what else Universal could have done to make the movement more "interesting" during Kong. I suppose when it boils down to it, bouncing around is bouncing around - regardless of the technology used. It all feels the same to me, honestly. On the other hand, if it was too intense or too strong, it would take away from the show itself and become a negative distraction, which it's not. In the end, the movement for Kong works well and does its job, much to the delighted, screaming guests. Once guests have experienced King Kong 360 3-D, they have to hang on to their glasses for the remainder of the Tour, which can be easily 30 more minutes or so. That's a long time, when you have semi-delicate plastic glasses in idle hands. Already, we have heard of many broken pieces, glasses tossed overboard along the Tour route and we've seen lots of people walking around the rest of the park with their 3-D glasses still on their heads like sunglasses. There's no easy fix to this - short of making everyone throw the glasses overboard as soon as the vehicles leave the Kong show building into a manned collection area, there is little choice; Universal has to rely on people to not destroy or steal the glasses. I'd imagine the expenditure on replacing these glasses will be fairly significant over the years. So, is King Kong 360 3-D all it's cracked up to be? Do we think that it's worth all of the hype Universal has put behind it? The answer is yes. We have some very tough criticism of the attraction, but to make it fair, we also have to look at it from Joe Average Tourist's point of view too; and the visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood are going ape for the new addition. Kong is now easily the most exciting, technologically-advanced portion of the Studio Tour, making already-weak components such as Fast and the Furious even weaker now in the chain of Tour attractions. Our technical nit-picking is absolutely overshadowed and drowned out by the screams and ultimate cheers and applause coming from tram after tram each day as they exit the Kong show building. In the war of summertime attractions, King Kong 360 3-D has absolutely dominated the Southern California market, in my opinion. It's not a stand-alone attraction, but it's unique enough to be technically on par with Disney's World of Color - and a hell of a lot more exciting. Universal's nearest competitor, Six Flags Magic Mountain has no new offering this summer, and in Buena Park, Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular targets the younger audience. Universal Studios Hollywood pretty much owns the SoCal summer with Kong, in our opinion. Kudos to everyone at Universal Creative, Weta Digital and Universal Studios Hollywood on getting this attraction done. We wish you many, many years of success with the big guy. Congratulations... King Kong has finally come home. |
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Discuss King Kong 360 3-D With Other Fans on the Theme Park Adventure Message Board |
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Story by Rick West |
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If you've followed Theme Park Adventure either online here on the site for the past six months or have become a follower of our Twitter feed, you likely know that the new King Kong attraction at Universal - King Kong 360 3-D - is rapidly approaching the completion of its whirlwind construction. While the show building has gone up on the Universal Backlot area (next to the Collapsing Bridge location), an undisclosed test site was erected in a massive hangar not too far from LAX so that the film could be created and completed simultaneously. Once the show building and film are done, they will merge together at Universal Studios Hollywood this July and King Kong will once again, reign supreme over the Studio Tour. It's a very large-scale (literally) operation, and one that Universal Creative is very excited about. So excited in fact, that they made a highly-irregular move and invited a handful of people from the media to the Kong film test site to witness the work in progress on March 23, 2010. This is so rare in fact, that in Theme Park Adventure's 15 years, we have never before been asked "officially" to come witness a full-blown mock-up of an attraction at a test facility; it just doesn't happen. I began speculating immediately as to why this was happening. Being somewhat jaded when it comes to attractions (it's become quite the challenge to elicit an "Ooooh!" or "Ahhhh!" out of me over the years), my main curiosity was not the film itself - but rather why we'd been invited to come see it in such a setting. My own guess is that Universal is caught in a media attention tug of war at the moment that is dominated by two more 800-pound gorillas - World of Color at Disney's California Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. What a better way to add your own gorilla into the mix than inviting members of the media to your own attraction's test site months ahead of its debut? If that was one of the intentions of our secret gathering, I applaud Universal - because intended or not, I think it was a smart move. In tweeting live updates to our followers from the facility and in writing this full story here on Theme Park Adventure, it's absolutely been met with great interest and excitement from our own readers - Kong 360 is now definitely on the fan radar as more than a small blip mentioned in passing as they ride the Studio Tour at Universal Hollywood. The very small group of us was invited in to the hangar by Valerie Johnson-Redrow, Kong 360's Show Producer, including online sites Shock Till You Drop and Theme Park Insider, which have also published Kong 360 stories. Once inside, it was immediately apparent that the scope of Kong is enormous, with two huge screens running the length of the hangar's interior. In the center of the hangar sits a full-size mock-up of a tram from the Universal Studios Tour. The version that we experienced Kong in is a static "tram" - other types of testing have already been done at the facility as well, including sound and movement, which I'll get to in a moment. After a teasing glimpse of the Kong mock-up, we were escorted into a smaller room serving as the site's show control area. There, we signed legal waivers (you know, in case any unruly dinosaurs got us or King Kong accidentally tossed a T-Rex on top of our tram...) and were given a brief but detailed run-down of the technical aspects of King Kong 360 3-D by Valerie. King Kong 360 3-D is the largest 3-D experience in the world, dropping Tour riders right into the middle of all the action you would expect to find on Skull Island. That's no line, folks... this show building and the scale of this attraction is massive; absolutely impressive from the technical end of the stick. Under the watchful eyes and very involved hands of Peter Jackson, King Kong 360 3-D will take guests from the Universal Studios Backlot and immerse them into the jungle environment of Skull Island, the mythical home of King Kong - and other movie-sized monsters. Unlike its predecessor, the original King Kong attraction, Kong 360 will bring Universal guests up-close and personal with dinosaurs and the King himself with the use of stunning 3-D technology and in-theater effects such as water, wind and scents. Long-time fans of the original Kong have asked us if this new version will feature the "banana breath" that the beloved Bob Gurr ape was famous for. "We didn't want to go back and do something that had been done before," explained Johnson-Redrow. "In this new attraction, we've actually taken that original gag and have updated it - this time around, we're giving you dino breath that will smell just as bad as it sounds!" Not only will guests be blasted with a whiff of Jurassic halitosis, they'll also be pelted by T-Rex slobber as part of the attraction's effects. "This is a completely immersive experience," continued Johnson-Redrow. "Multiple scents including the jungle itself and the dinosaur breath will really help transport you to another place." Valerie understands the fan appreciation and curiosity of whether or not Kong will have his banana breath again, but assures us that the new and improved sensory experience will be so over-the-top that guests young and old alike will be thrilled by the new scent effects going in to Kong 360. Continuing the explanation of the technical side of Kong, our group made its way into the film's server room. Universal Creative and Electrosonic have come together to deliver the most impressive show film experience ever created for a theme park. The servers that are in place at the Kong test site will be transported and set up permanently at the Kong show building at Universal Studios Hollywood as soon as the film itself is complete and final on-site installation takes place. The Kong 360 film itself is being produced by Weta Digital, and features two screens that will show high-definition projections simultaneously on either side of the tram, giving Universal visitors the sensation of being completely surrounded by the action. Here's the truth of the matter - King Kong 360 isn't actually 360 degrees; the show building has to have an entrance and exit, so the screen is not completely circular. However, the sheer size of the thing completely encompasses riders' field of vision - side-to-side and up and down. The Only way to not see the screens will be to turn around in your seat in the rear car of the tram and look at the entrance where you just came in to the show building, or from the front car of the tram, if you happen to stare past the driver and Tour Guide through the windshield of the vehicle toward the show building's exit. And we're sure fans will, because that's the nature of the beast; we look at every aspect of an attraction after the initial "wow" phase is over and we start picking it apart in our minds. The "average" guest however, will absolutely feel as though Kong 360 is completely surrounding the tram. After leaving the server room, we climbed aboard the tram mock-up in the center of the hangar, which is very close to how the actual trams will be situated inside the show building at Universal Studios Hollywood. I can attest that guests will absolutely not notice that they are not actually surrounded by 360 degrees of film; it's a non-issue. The screens themselves are massive - completely ground-breaking and unique. 16 high-definition projectors will display the film at 6,000 x 2048 resolution at 60 frames per second, giving guests an extremely clear, very real experience. The show in total is approximately 90,000 frames for those keeping tech count and makes up about a terabyte of information on the servers. Since the show is completely digital, Weta can produce bits and pieces and they can be incorporated into the show at the test site easily. The film literally changes from day-to-day as progress is made on the project. What our group saw was a very rough version of the film, not complete and definitely not anywhere near its final version. As we put on our black plastic 3-D glasses, the footage we saw was silent, and running at 30 frames per second - half of what the final version will be projected at. Even at the reduced speed rate, the clarity of the film is stunning - and the multiple projector integration of the film is perfectly seamless. The dinosaurs and Kong himself were nothing much more than rough animatics at this time; even so, we were instructed not to film or shoot any images of the screens while the film was being shown to us. As a fan, you can bet that my hands were squeezing my camera tightly and my fingers were itching to shoot images for all of you so that you could see what we did! The attraction will open soon enough at Universal Studios Hollywood and you're all going to be able to experience it for yourselves soon enough! Editor's Note: The Los Angeles Times featured an image of guests in the same mock-up tram in their own story where King Kong is on the screen in the foreground. This is not at all the film that we were shown, nor did that outlet receive a different presentation than any of the online fan sites. The Times opted to use a previously-used photo rather than any image(s) from the actual preview event. All of the participating fan sites online collectively upheld their agreement with Universal Creative not to display any images of Kong on the screen for this story, with the Times ultimately deciding to do their own thing in this case. We support and join the other fans sites that have expressed unhappiness with the Times' actions and sincerely hope that Universal is able to see that the online communities truly deserving of such a unique preview played by the rules and respected their agreement, and that this will not jeopardize future opportunities like this from taking place for our fans and readers. The presentation we saw was silent, as I've stated before. Valerie did tell us that audio tests have also taken place inside the hangar, and that the surround-sound will be amazing and critical in helping focus visitors' attention to various sides of the tram or locations on the screens at each part of the film. One of the issues with the original King Kong attraction was that it actually was housed in a show building on the Backlot at Universal Studios. This apparently presented an issue for companies filming nearby and it also dictated that Kong be a bit on the "quiet side" when he'd roar and confront the trams. With Kong 360, the new location above the actual Backlot area on a hillside will allow King Kong to really let loose and roar to life at much higher volume levels than ever before. Another key factor to bringing King Kong 360 to life is the movement of the trams themselves during the show. Universal isn't new when it comes to bouncing people around on the trams - we're rocked in Earthquake and dropped on the Collapsing Bridge. This time around however, Universal Creative really wanted to make the trams feel as though they were really in the middle of everything as opposed to on a large hydraulic platform or lift. In breathing new life into an old gag, Universal Creative came up with a new system that they are calling "platens". Rather than roll in to the show building and stop on a long motion base, each individual car of the tram will have its own platen underneath, which will allow Universal to move each car individually and uniquely to support what's happening to them as the film plays out. Each platen is a huge "air spring" platform that controls the tram movement very accurately by manipulating all four corners of each car individually, with up to 8 inches of play up and down, which will be used for tilting, jolting and bouncing during the show. These massive platens will be powered by approximately 6,000 pounds of air per show cycle, promising movement unlike Universal guests have ever felt before. If a T-Rex head butts the side of the tram or King Kong jumps onto the roof of one of the cars, guests are really going to feel it. Again, the presentation we got did not include movement - but Universal has tested the platen system inside the mock-up hangar as well, and Valerie assures us, it is going to blow you all away! Given Universal's know-how and history of bouncing guests around on the Tour, we feel absolutely confident that the movement of the trains inside Kong 360 is going to be nothing short of impressive. As the show film cycled over and over for us, we were all encouraged to move around and check out each vantage point - because no tram car has the same view; each vehicle offers a whole new perspective of the show, much like some of the existing attractions on the Tour already like the Flash Flood, Earthquake and War of the Worlds set. Theme Park Adventure found the best seats to be the third or fourth cars of the tram. Being in the fourth car allows you to see the entire scope of the film without having to look behind you to see some of the action. The flip side of this, is that guests in the first car of the tram are going to have to turn around to catch most of the action taking place; there's just no way around this logistically. Annual Passholders, typically loaded into the first car of each tram, will quickly find that moving toward the rear of the tram is actually more beneficial if it's Kong they've come specifically to see. Also, guests with disabilities that are also situated in the first car of the tram depending on their mobility may not be able to view the majority of the show if they are unable to turn in their seats or wheelchairs. There is just so much that can be done in a case like this to accommodate everyone equally in a show such as this. The good news is, there is enough action that does take place on either side of the tram's first car that guests sitting there will not be left out or feel slighted at all. Universal Creative has gone to great lengths to ensure that every car experiences effects, action and an up-close Kong...frontation (sorry, couldn't help it). The irony of the "best seat" subject is that unlike the rest of the Tour, those guests sitting in the middle of the rows will actually have a better field of vision as to what's taking place all around them, since the film surrounds the tram. Guests sitting on the ends of each row will have an unobstructed view of their side of the show - but will have to look through and around everyone else in the car to see what's happening on the opposite side of the tram. Decisions, decisions! I guess the only good answer is that every seat will be decent and will definitely offer a different perspective of Kong 360 each time you ride the Tour. Universal Creative thought about this as well - and the mock-up tram is filled with "dummies" - wooden cutouts representing guests' upper bodies, with balloons attached as heads for line-of-sight testing; there are even tram driver and Tour Guide dummies in place on the mock-up, showing that Universal's left no detail unchecked as they proceed in creating this attraction. So, now that we've gone ape with statistics and you've been bombarded with facts and tips on how to best experience King Kong 360 3-D, two questions remain: The first is, what is in the film? Going into this story, we knew that while we would be shown Kong 360 in detail, it would be unfair to Universal and ultimately, to you as fans to disclose what exactly takes place during the film. Other sites are more liberal with this information - but we think that ultimately, spoilers should be kept intact an that fans should find out for themselves when they visit the new attraction. It would do no one any good to simply rattle off what happens in the film from A to Z; that wasn't the intent of our preview and we get that. We will say what's already fairly common knowledge - there are dinosaurs and King Kong does battle with several T-Rexes, not just one, right alongside the tram. The action takes place on either side of the tram, but the majority of the film happens on the left-hand side of the vehicle. Audio cues will be used to properly direct your attention to either side of the tram when necessary - but for the most part, the left side is where you'll want to be looking most of the time. There is an element to the film that took me by surprise as we watched - at one point in the show, one of the T-Rexes attacks the tram, and the guests inside. The attack is incredibly realistic and will surely be a shocker for Universal guests to witness. This is absolutely a strong departure from the "politically sensitive" move of removing the bodies that were initially scattered in the BART train that splits open during Earthquake: The Big One, so that no one would be offended or upset by the "realism" of the disaster. Does King Kong rush in and save the ill-fated guests? You're going to have to check out the attraction for yourself to find out! "This is one of the things that Peter Jackson brought up and discussed with us during the creative process in making the film," explained Valerie. "King Kong isn't in the business of saving people - we just happen to be in his environment while all of this is going down. His indifference to the fate of Tour guests doesn't mean he's a good or bad guy; we're just kind of... there. It's not his concern, really." The last question is, did we like what we saw? Both Johanna and I attended the preview and she walked away really excited and really impressed by what we saw. I too was impressed - but for me, it is more about the technical side of Kong 360; that is where the big "wow" factor is. Personally, and I have written this before many times, I am not a huge fan of 3-D attractions; it's just not something that I've ever been a huge fan of. I prefer large-scale, practical shows; if 3-D technology is employed along the way such as in Spiderman, then so be it. But when it comes to my own personal preferences, I just am a "real" ride kind of guy. It's nothing negative toward Kong - I think it is technically really stunning and will blow people away. Kong 360 will absolutely be the highlight attraction on the Studio Tour - and will subsequently start the upgrade-or-replace clock ticking on the existing Tour attractions, as it will raise the bar greatly. Universal Studios Hollywood has a winner of an attraction on its hands - and while Kong may have been under the fan radar in the shadow of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and other big-ticket items such as World of Color, the buzz has certainly been set in motion now as fan sites have been given this very special opportunity to preview the show and report back to our readers. In the big scheme of things, Universal Studios Hollywood and King Kong 360 3-D is hands-down going to own the Southern California summer when it comes to thrills and excitement. There are no other large-scale experiences like this opening and the King Kong fan base is already established with long-time Universal fans. Universal Studios calls itself the "Entertainment Capital of LA"; we're calling Uni the West Coast Epicenter of Excitement this year - and that's no monkey business! |
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