The animatronic ape may have been destroyed in a backlot fire, but now two years later, King Kong is finally returning to Los Angeles.
The Eighth Wonder of the World is back at Universal Studios as part of "King Kong 360 3-D."
Tour tram riders, armed with 3-D glasses, are transported deep into a tangled jungle thanks to a darkened soundstage, 16 HD projectors, and two 40 foot by 187 foot curved screens. Motion simulators combined with bursts of air and water add plenty of realism to the encounter between the titular ape and a V-Rex.
Yes, we said V-Rex -- the larger cousins of the T-Rex (duh).
The experience, helmed by Peter Jackson, seems like it could be a flagship attraction for the theme park.
"In press materials, it's billed as 'the largest most intense 3-D experience on the planet,' which smacks of classic Hollywood hype," said USA Today's Jayne Clark. "But having been-there, done-that, I can say it's no exaggeration."
"King Kong 360 3-D" is open to the public Thursday.
Universal Studios Hollywood is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal.
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