King Kong (character)

''This article is about the character. For the film franchise of the same name, see King Kong (franchise).''

King Kong, or simply Kong, is the title character from the film franchise of the same name. At Universal Orlando Resort, he originally appeared in Kongfrontation, a dark ride at Universal Studios Florida in which guests are attempting to evacuate New York City during his rampage, but are found and attacked by him. This ride was later closed in 2002 and replaced by Revenge of the Mummy in 2003. Kong later returned to the resort nearly fifteen years later at sister park Islands of Adventure in Skull Island: Reign of Kong, which opened in 2016.

Background
''The background of this character differs between the many films he is featured in. This bio focuses on the 2005 film incarnation of the character, due to being the current version featured at Universal Orlando Resort. In addition, the canon of the character in the Skull Island: Reign of Kong ride has been altered from the film to a timeline where he never left the island.''

King Kong is the name given to a giant gorilla that lives on the previously unknown Skull Island. The island is home to several bizarre creatures, such as dinosaurs and giant bats, bugs, and leeches. The island is also home to a group of natives, who worship Kong, and provide sacrifices for him. During the Great Depression, a group of filmmakers led by director Carl Denham arrive, and happen to be the most recent victims of these natives. Actress Ann Darrow is taken by the large ape. However, Kong begins to view Ann as a friend, rather than food, and tries to protect her from the harsh environment, including the other survivors.

Eventually, Kong is subdued, but Ann is not happy with the other survivors' treatment of Kong. He is then shipped back to New York, for Carl to make money on him as the Eighth Wonder of the World, and a prop for a Broadway play based on the encounter. Unfortunately, the restraints are not strong enough to contain the ape, and he escapes, hoping to reunite with Ann once more. But with attackers from all over, Kong is forced to climb up the Empire State Building, while still holding Ann. Several planes begin to attack, and they eventually succeed in killing Kong, who falls to his death. When asked about the event during its aftermath, Carl remarks that the airplanes were not the cause of his death, and that "it was Beauty killed the Beast."

Park Appearances
King Kong currently appears in the Islands of Adventure attraction Skull Island: Reign of Kong. This ride is an expanded version of King Kong 360 3D at Universal Studios Hollywood's Studio Tour. Like the Hollywood ride, it is based on the 2005 remake directed by Peter Jackson, but set in an alternate timeline where Kong was not taken from Skull Island, and the island instead became a tourist destination. Here, he comes to the rescue of the riders and tour guides under attack by the various creatures of his home. It is not made clear if he doing this out of care for the riders, or to establish his dominance over the other creatures on the island. Nevertheless, he succeeds in saving the guests and crew, and towards the end of the ride, a large animatronic of the ape can be seen.

Kong also formerly appeared at Universal Studios Florida in Kongfrontation. This ride was located in the New York section where Revenge of the Mummy is currently operating. This ride was similar to the current aforementioned ride featuring the character in which riders encounter Kong, but it was instead set in New York City, with riders attempting to evacuate the city during Kong's rampage in the final act of the film. In addition, this attraction was based on the 1977 film, the first remake. The aforementioned replacement attraction features a golden gorilla statue as an homage to the former attraction that was hosted there.

Trivia
For additional and more detailed information about the character of King Kong from the film franchise of the same name, please refer to the King Kong Wiki Article.
 * Andy Serkis, who previously worked with director Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings films as the motion capture actor for Gollum, provided the motion capture effects for Kong in the 2005 film.
 * It is not known if he returned to perform the motion capture for the character in Skull Island: Reign of Kong.
 * Although the character is owned by Universal, the company has licensed the character to Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment to be used in the Monster-Verse, a shared universe of monster films, mainly those based on Japanese production company Toho. This franchise began with the 2014 American remake of Godzilla. The film that introduced this version of Kong was titled Kong: Skull Island, and was released in 2017.
 * This version of Kong is set to return in 2020 for Godzilla VS Kong, marking the second time since 1962 that the characters have faced off against each other.
 * This is not the first time King Kong has met Godzilla. In a previous crossover film, the character was given lightning powers in an attempt to allow fair competition with his rival.
 * Currently, there are no plans to adapt this specific version of King Kong for Universal's parks, but a Godzilla attraction was briefly featured at Universal Studios Japan.