Kongfrontation FULL Vintage POV Ride 1996, Universal Studios Florida Theme Park, Orlando, King Kong
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- čas přidán 18. 07. 2016
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Well before Skull Island Reign of Kong at Universal Orlando, Kongfrontation was a popular attraction featuring the famous character. This was an original, opening day attraction at Universal Studios Florida and closed in 2002. It was replaced by Revenge of the Mummy. This is the original experience including the exterior, banners, queue and full POV ride (all video shot by myself in 1996).
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Video shot and edited by Jeff Lange.
OMG! That’s me! I’m the tram operator. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this! I can’t believe I found this.
How many performances of this a day did you do? Did you enjoy it? Any interesting or behind the scenes stories to share?
@@mattt21 We would do three shows in 15 minutes. Unless we were covering a lunch break, we’d do 6 in 30 minutes.
There was a day one of Kong’s fingers came into the tram. It rested across the laps of the second row and there was a LOT of screaming. 😂
You did an amazing job with the immersion
woah really?????????????
That's so cool!!!!!
*universal*: nah let's stop with the attention to detail like being right in the movies n just switch to 3d screens on every single ride instead...
Bob Frankenstein for many reasons than one, it's easier because the animatronics break down and that's why they got rid of Jaws. To my knowledge the only other rides in the park that have animatronics still active are Jurassic Park and Harry Potter has a mix of 3D and animatronics etc
yeah, that was the point where disney obviously got way better than universal. All universal does now is 3d screens.
I'm pretty sure Harry Potter is just all screens, I don't remember any animatronics
D Coatesie There are practical things in the ride but I don't recall if they moved.
Yeah, there are some physical sets but besides the sorting hat as you get on the ride, I don't think there are any others.
Kong, Jaws, ET, Twister, etc. The golden years of Universal when most rides were mechanical and amazing.
Exactly!!! As to Not forget or leave out The Back to the Future OMG! I feel like I am in a real flying car time machine ride!
We took my grandma on this ride and she thought for sure she was going to fall out and die!
The only universal ride that has come remotely close to the thrills of these rides are Harry Potter forbidden journey when it first came out
The Earthquake one too!
@@user-oy9zy4ds9m Hagrid? Hulk? Jurassic Park?
The rides were so more more interesting. Now it is all about giant TV screens...
You really felt like you were in 1920's New York riding a tram looking down to see the city in chaos. I was so upset when I went back and this ride was gone...
Unless u go on hulk and rip ride
💯
@@vibe_killerz8768 those are just coasters that lack immersive experiences
Nah
Can we give props to the cast member for her performance 😭 I feel like they don’t go that extra mile anymore. I hope she was paid well!
She deserves an Oscar for that performance
10.60 an hour plus in house day care
@@itzamia not in 1996 lmao
@@itzamia more like $6 an hr
@@mickwest9560 Those were the day's😂
People can’t possibly imagine the sense of scale they were able to incorporate into this ride. It really felt like you had left Orlando and entered NYC.
💯
It took a lot to do all that even though some don't think so. Great job!!!
I read somewhere they used a 1/6 scale for the city scape. Its incredible.
Guys who flew in from NYC : "Well that was a waste of a plane ticket"
Totally agree. My favorite line was this ride, it felt like going through the actual NY streets and trams.
Timeless attraction-I feel really lucky to have experienced it. One of my favorite things about these original Universal attractions were the smells. The smell of wharf and electrocuted shark on Jaws, stale banana breath of Kong, the pine forest of E.T-not to mention the fact they were/are incredible experiences.
Jason Thomas ET was my fav smell. So addictive!
I don't know about you, but ET doesn't smell like pine. It smells like burnt tires
Yes! The banana breath was brilliant! And hilarious. The original King Kong, Jaws, and ET are gone but, they kept that pathetic terminator 3d mess far longer than they should have. What the he!!? I guess in the end, cost always overcomes quality. But, will it, really? I don't think so.
Rocco Sophie dafuq? Terminator 3D was awesome. ET sucks HARD
Someone recreated the smells for candles and aroma's, I'm going to make my house smell like ET
that weird moment when as an adult you see yourself on this video as a child.
Bender Rodriguez My lord 😂😂
Bender Rodriguez so cool! blast from the past, am I right? :D
where? I could swear I see my grandfather on this ride if it weren't for not seeing me or his wife on it too. we went together
Which one are you
sivaones wow you're hideous
Living in central Florida, I rode all the old rides at universal, many times! But I got very lucky, I attended Halloween horror nights every year, and the year they closed down king kong...one of the haunted houses was held in the old Kong set! so I got to walk through the city streets of this set, and see everything up close one last time! it was awesome!!
I'm so jealous! I would have loved to walk around there. Fortunately I was there for the final day of Kong and they invited pass holders to ride it one last time. There was a banana salute, but unfortunately I missed that. However, I did get a free Kong back scratcher!
Were there special effects still going when you went through? Or was it just a dark creepy atmosphere?
OMG I REMMEBER THE BACK SCRATCHERS!! I had one for so long as a kid
That is incredible
I feel like people like this were ahead of their time with the POV videos of rides and such. I love it.
Wow I miss the 90s.
BANANA FART - HOT AIR RISES
The scale of this ride was just unbelievable man
In what point did Universal decided to stop making these kinds of attractions and switched over to 3D screens? Is it too much maintenance?
Great question. And why - despite being local - I'll never grab an annual pass. Sick of the simulators.
anyone prefer new kong ride?
This is why my siblings and I personally liked the Harry Potter and Spiderman rides the most. They had 3D screens, but they also had live-action, immersive elements, too.
Yeah, pretty much. Animatronics and practical FX may look more authentic and convincing, but they are a NIGHTMARE to keep in good condition.
Have you been on the cat in the hat ride or the ET adventure ride recently? Both need some serious updates on the animatronics... too bad it's expensive to update. All the simulators give me bad headaches.
i remember riding this when i was like 4 or 5. I miss old Universal Studios.
same here. i actually thought it was the real king kong. like it was a near death experience for kid me lol
Stephen Vassell I rode this back in 1994. Scared the ever living hell out me!
Omg same! This scared the everloving heck out of me!!!! Such good memories of that place ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Remember when the King Kong ride was actually a ride, and not just a screen room with 3D? Yeah... those were the good days.
I was still not born
This attraction was beyond brilliant & great performance by the tram operator.
Watery eyes from nostalgia. Yes I was a kid, still, one of best immersion rides ever, me and my siblings we’re freaked! And then taking that picture w Kong hand after. Thank you parents, thanks Universal, thanks for the video !
They need to remaster it and bring it back
Δ Ω yes
Σ Ω Cost alot of money but that will be so cool
To expensive
Revenge of the mummy is there (which is 10 times better)
They did bring it back it’s called “skull island reign of Kong” and is now located in IOA
NOW THIS IS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!
I would have to agree with you, also going to Universal Studios in Orlando is on my bucket List, Right Next To Disney World, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, That Is when the Pandemic Is Over and Everything Is Safe.
Yeah but this ride is loooong gone.
After riding the new Kong Skull Island Ride a week ago...I think this was a much better ride! Not that the Skull Island Ride is bad, it's pretty darn cool...this ride seemed to be more cohesive and immersive since it was all real props.
I've never been on the original myself so Reign of Kong is a great substitute and a well done ride. I do say from the videos I've seen the original that the newer animatronic is much better but I would like to see it in action more like the original ride had with it's
animatronics. Plus I do like physical sets over the projections.
anyone prefer new kong ride?
Unfortunately I don't think Reign of Kong is worth it. It's basically the same thing as the studio tour in Hollywood but with a really cool Kong animatronic gone to waste and those scare actors in the line nearly gave me a heart attack. I hate jumpscares.
ApeLikeCreature The Kong Skull island at Universal Orlando sucks. It seems like they spent more on the props you're waiting in line with then the stuff in the ride.
I just can't get into the 3D screens. In my mind, I know I'm just watching a screen and nothing is real. At least with animatronics and real sets there's a real type of immersion.
I'm happy to say that I was able to ride this during my first trip to Universal. Classic. RIP Kongfrontation
That Universal Team Member taking this tram through is amazing! I remember, once upon a time, when the ones manning the Great Movie Ride showed that much energy.
I remember, once upon a time, when we could go on the Great Movie Ride.
Now that's immersive storytelling! So much better than the new ride...which is just violent in my opinion.
kathleenmary1000 and that its a 3d ride (i have nothing against the new one especially its my favorite ride at universal)
Ok?😐
Filthy Frank has spoken!
what do you mean by violent?
I think you mean screens, screens, and more screens.
Ha! I never got to ride Kongfrontation. This looked awesome :D
I rode it plenty of times. The queue was so detailed, except for the coins people would toss onto the building facades. The pile must've been ankle-deep in pennies by the time that ride closed.
Yess it was so much fun it brings back childhood memories for me, sadly they don't have that contraction there anymore. but they do have the Kong Skull Island contraction in 3D though
I wish I been to that ride back on our childhood days
Michael Warbux it was a pretty awesome ride. The details while you were waiting in line were so great
They really were, to me that was half of what made it so cool. I went around this same time, I was in my teens and we lived on Long Island so having Rolland Smith from Channel 9 do the video clips was such a great touch!
I miss that ride. Spent hours and hours riding it.
My and my husband did as well. Great memories of a great ride!
The chopper alone shows how well detailed this ride was
Nothing can beat universal or Disney in the 90’s!
man i was born to damn late, wish i could of rode this
goldencash4 Same
Same
Same
same
It was awesome!
Probably the best ride through I've seen for this ride. It's amazing!
It's a bummer they don't make these types of rides anymore but they are a nightmare to maintain and they are incredibly expensive. I bet it costs them at least a couple grand for just one tram to go through the ride, probably more since this ride has a good deal of pyrotechnics.
Bryan Jones they charge enough for tickets!
Rainbow Moon Readings it’s only 155 for a year pass
This looksway better than the new one.
It is. The original was fun and exciting. This new ride is nauseating at best.
@@roccosophie6498 and annoying to those that already wear glasses to have to wear 3D glasses to fully enjoy the ride.
So glad I got to ride this a dozen times. I understand why it's difficult to keep something this massive updated and running, but it was such fun.
This tour guide was awesome, I don’t remember them being so theatrical! This is the best video I’ve ever seen of this ride. So much nostalgia! 😊
This is the year I went
Wow this brings back so many memories.
I went on this ride about a million times when I was a kid. It was the best ride at Universal (before Islands of Adventure).
Their attention to detail was amazing.
Yeah the new one sucks. #bringbackkongfrontation
Kongfrontation was my favourite ride at Universal Orlando. The NY city blocks they created were amazing.
Way better than the cheap movie tie in rides they have now.
King Kong is timeless.
I live in Orlando all my life and I remember this in the 90s. I was born in 87 and many of my memories of growing u9 was going to Universal as a kid with the Inner City All star games. It was such fun and so thrilling to have the actors get you into it even more. Terminator,Jaws and king kong were just amazing. I miss these rides and they always take me back yo better times.
I think that if universal started to mix the 3D and real props into their rides it would really improve.
Wait it's Tuesday God yes like on Harry pottef
Wait it's Tuesday God Like Harry Potter and Spider-Man?
Wait it's Tuesday God so it’s like a cgi and live action movie
I really hate 3-D and digital screens at theme parks. I don't travel 9 hours on a plane for the type of entertainment I can get at any movie theatre.
This ride needs to come back and replace the terrible Reign Of Kong!
We should all start a petition and bring back Kongfrontation!
Nick Intro put it in the new park if not replace skull island
I know this is really late, but you gotta understand, this thing was an absolute nightmare to maintain and operate. It would constantly break down and they had to shut the ride down every time, and just became too much.
I rode this ride many times. I loved it. I wish they had an updated version.
I was 4 years old when I first went on this ride. My Indian parents gave me no context and my older brothers must've wanted to torment me. I was scared shitless and clutched onto my dad the whole time cuz all the flames and I was on the corner seat. To this day it's in my top 3 earliest memories cuz of how much it traumatized me. Its a damn shame they closed it. But thank you so much to the poster for letting me relive this experience 23 years later. It felt so real in that moment and watching it now still seems so real. Props to the ride conductors on their acting skills, true performers.
Great video. I like this old one better than the new ride.
disneyphilip dude, chill. The new one is okay by today's standards, but this one, for it's time and how it stands up now, is incredible. Chill.
disneyphilip it's his opinion
They're both boring.
Who else remembers Kong's Stanky breath? 😂 I'll never forget that smell.
Steve Smith that it smelled like 🍌?
Both times I rode the Kong ride, I don't remember a banana smell
Steve Smith my family kept telling me I was crazy because I was 4 or 5 and i was yelling about his hot ass breath and the banana reek 😂
Rode it many times. Was no smell. Universal had their hands full enough keeping the ride working to worry about that. People just spreading nonsense.
whoopdiddydo it’s true. The smell was like stale banana. In fact, there’s a video on here somewhere about how they created the smell of Kong as well as the other effects. The distinctive smells were a big part of those classic Universal attractions (pine forest in E.T., smell of burnt shark in JAWS).
This is soooo much more impressive then the new 3D screen one D:
this ride was awesome
I loved the part where Kong would shake the tram!
I was born on June 1st, 2000 and I’ve never been to Universal Orlando ever in my life but I would love to this year. It’s sad how I never got to experience these past attractions. I wish Universal would maybe someday build a retro park that would bring back most if not all the past attractions. That would be dope. I hope everyone would agree with me on this.
10X better than skull island!!
We went back in 1998, and to think this is no longer there so sad, absolutely amazing.
Whoever recorded this footage is a legend.
I'm so glad these videos exist. If it weren't for this, this ride would exist only as a memory
What a truly fantastic ride, with great attention to detail; those New York sets were truly amazing!
And I can still smell Kong’s banana-scented breath!
im surprised that there is no godzilla ride yet..... in america at least
Japan did had Godzilla rides
For Godzilla, I'd like to see a cross between this ride, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong.
This is what thrilled us as 90s kids. Not a smartphone in sight.
I remember being taken on this ride when I was 3 or 4 before I could really understand it was a simulation and I was HORRIFIED
hmm Maybe you were one of the 3 girls in my cart screaming in terror in the back cart I was in. I was only about 15 when I went on this ride and found it to be scary I could only imagine what a 3 or 4 year old would be thinking while on it.
I wasnt that young i was probably 6 or 7 but it TERRIFIED me too! So scary lol
SAME!
I was born early 90’s and we lived in Orlando so we had annual pass and I got to ride these originals many times as a tiny kid and I remember being absolutely terrified and thrilled at the same time. Mostly terrified though lol
I was six, and terrified
Thanks for posting this! Just watched the 1976 Kong movie and it brought me here. I miss this ride! It was the first time I became fascinated with NYC as a kid. Good times!
Just on a side note, had they kept this one, we would possibly never have gotten the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster. Mummy is in the space where Kong used to be and just happens to be one of my faves at Universal.
Ya but this ride is WAY better
@@brennanambrose8151 na you crazy i been on them both and the mummy is too awesome
@@brennanambrose8151 Way better than mummy? Lmao Foh! This ride looks amazing but cmon its too slow to compare the speed & adrenaline of the mummy coaster
We still would have gotten Mummy. It was decided to go in the building of this ride or E.T.'s but they chose to keep E.T.
Honestly the tour guide has to be one of the best performers I’ve ever seen. She actually puts so much effort in, and it sounds like she enjoys the job too! God I wish I got to be on this ride.
Was the best time of my life going here every year,a lot of great memories
I went there in the early 90s and joined the que carrying a thick black marker pen, I climbed up on the railings (among many other places) and threw up my tag (KANDY) I came back in the early 2000's and found it still there almost un blemished, I found it in a couple of places and couldn't believe it when you think of the amount of people coming though that ride per year. For a half assed graffiti vandal like me, that was an achievement !
Haha everytime I watch these videos, I can SMELL the rides. 😂
This is so awesome. Real props and special effects, i love it. This is how they used to make movies.
I do think the mummy roller coaster in Florida is AWESOME, but I really do miss this ride. It was a truly fun ride.
Universal Studios: Come see what you've been missing!
Me: I FREAKING MISS THIS RIDE 😭
I remember this ride and how it blew my mind. You really felt the Hollywood magic.
Thank you for putting this video up
Man. This brings back the times my folks would take my siblings and I to Disney and Universal every year. Every time we'd go to Universal, we'd go on this ride. This ride worked on me as a kid; I thought the times the air car would shake and drop, we'd actually drop to our doom! LOL. Being older now, I realize and appreciate the time and effort put into the making of this ride. Attractions in the 90s were ahead of their time. Thank you for this generous helping of Universal nostalgia.
The kong ride at orlando now looks absolutely pathetic compared to this! Pretty tragic
you got to at least admit the Kong animation at the end looks amazing, but yeah... they need to stop with the stupid screen effect 3D rides and give us REAL rides with REAL visuals.
Katie Clark this is Orlando you mean Hollywood
They won’t because it’s infinitely cheaper to change a lightbulb in a projector screen than to fix a giant robot
remembering this ride and how frightened I was as a kid vs seeing it now...... just wow its bringing me back!! happy to say I rode this.... I remember being very hot though... that fire was no joke lol
When I was a kid I saw King Kong 1976 in 1994 and then went to this ride after - absolutely terrifying and how close you get was so intense - I will never forget my first time on this ride ❤️
The ride was terrific but what I always remember a lot is that the queue line was awesome. The amount of detail in that tram station, down to maps and graffiti, was incredible.
Even though I was only 4 when I rode this ride, I loved it and wish we could use that suspended ride system again for another dark ride at Universal Studios! IT was a marvelous attraction even though Revenge of the Mummy was a fantastic replacement
This was an awesome ride. It's sad that it's gone. I think the themeing and technology of the ride system were awesome!!!
This ride was just wonderful. Absolutely amazing how they made this
THANK YOU! I loved that ride as a teen. Even the waiting line was awesome.
That is so classic. Sad it's gone.
I got in a king Kong ride in the 90's & he shook the ride ! It was so awesome people were screaming & I was laughing
The amount of detail that went into this ride and into making along was phenomenal! I can still remember as a kid the queue line looking like a NY subway. It even smelled like it. Great memories.. 😢❤
This was such a great ride. 37 years in Orlando and I’m never leaving! lol wow such nostalgia. In 96 I was 9 years old and my mom had annual passes for us to universal. This is such a memorable ride for me. True nostalgia watching this. And then you had HHN in the late 90s early 2000s… modern day universal just can’t compare when we were truly able to ride the movies that will go down in history. Don’t get me wrong the mummy is a great ride. I just miss the old stuff. Thanks for the upload
WOW, THIS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES!
I can tell you this ride felt extremely real. Along with the NYC scenery. You actually felt like you were really there.
When Kong hit the tram at the end the entire tram shook and dropped along with a simultaneous fireball so hot it made you think “what if this is some kind of malfunction and is actually happening”
What a bummer that they got rid of it.
It was so fun during the 90s 😭great nostalgic memories
Thank you so much for uploading this, it brought back so many memories. This was my favorite ride at Universal when I was a kid.
I might be completely alone on this, but I always remember this ride having a distinct smell to it!
yes it smelled like a city, and when you got close to kong his breath stunk of bananas lol
@@fastair8546 The strange thing is I never remember the banana breath. I was probably too awestruck by the mighty Kong to notice!
AAAH MEMORIES... I REMEMBER READING SIGNS THAT WOULDN'T ALLOW YOU TO VIDEO TAPE BUT I DID IT ANWAY... I ONLY WISH I DID IT ON THE BACK TO THE FUTURE RIDE.
This footage is gold 👑
The amount of detail and impressive set, and special effects design that went into this ride is absolitly breathtaking.
I miss this!!!! 😍😍😍
King Kongs roar sounded like a mother giving birth
This was the best king Kong ever made
Now this was the best King Kong ride ever! I miss this ride so much & need to bring it back! The good old days were great
I miss you banana breathe! ;_;
I never got to go on this version of the ride, but I have seen the California version many times and still miss old Banana Breathe. So sad that a fire took the attraction out.... though by the looks of things Universal probably would have just gotten ride of it later on like they did with this version of Banana Breathe ;_;
So much better than the new pile of crap
I was fortunate to ride this as a kid in 1994, amazing ride and very sad that it's not there anymore, I think about it and Earthquake every time I'm in that section of the park.
I miss this ride so darned much! It was awesome and I remember riding it so many times when the lines were slow at Universal. Fond memories of The King!
Why didn't they keep this it looked so cool
E D G Y K I D wrong one. The one in Hollywood burned down. This one, the one in Florida, was replaced by The Mummy
if I ever find the know-how and money and Technical ability to build a time machine I'm going back in time and smothering Brendan Fraser in the crib so there's never any mummy movies so we can have our original Kong back
Man I loved this ride as a kid! Blast from the past!
I rode this ride for the first time around ‘91. What I’ll never forget were the smells of garbage as you walked through the queue. Just another layer of realism that Universal added to make the ride more special. And of course, the animatronics were simply amazing and ahead of their time. I miss Kongfrontation😢
Oh man. Going on this is one of my best memories from when I was 10, it was amazing! It's such a shame it closed. I guess it's cheaper and easier to have CGI instead of animatronics and live actors, but I feel like this was way more immersive and fun. Does the new ride still have that big ol King Kong whose fist you can stand in for photos?
Splicer Parade sadly no
All people care about is saving money. They don't care about our amusement
That was the best part!!! Sadly my family lost the photo but I did the Kevin Home Alone face for my picture 😂
I never got to ride it because I was too little at the time, but my parents said that this ride was always down or Kong didn't always work.
CelestialDarkness same i never rode it either but it was still there when i was just a baby
I was dragged onto this ride when I was 9... I love it now, but it terrified me back then. I only got to ride it once and then it was killed off. :( I regret closing my eyes!
Lol indeed...I rode this once and I remember there was an extremely long wait because it kept malfunctioning or something. So by the time we finally got on the ride, we were underwhelmed. Something was off about Kong's mouth, too...like his mouth wouldn't open but only his lips would. Hindsight it looks a lot cooler than I remember it being haha. Or maybe I just took the magic for granted as a kid
Thank you for this!!! I rode this when I was a child and always remembered it and it’s neat to see my memories match the video. Even after 20 years.
I just remember all the heat you felt from the fire on this ride. It popped in my head and sure enough CZcams has a video of it.