Tag Archives: temple

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P1030833Since it's my first visit back to the parks after the official announcement for Skull Island: Reign of Kong was made last week, I decided to get some video in addition to my usual construction photographs. All of the scaffolding has now shifted to the right, leaving a breathtaking view of the giant temple gate. They've also started work on the attraction entrance near the pathway. From the concept art we can see it will be an arch with Kong's head shaped into it. It's very exciting to see everything taking shape, and to have concept art to compare it to! See all the photos below and check out the video here as well!

Left: Recent construction of entry arch - Right: Concept Art of entry arch
Left: Recent construction of entry arch - Right: Concept Art of entry arch

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kong_titleUniversal Orlando has officially announced the new King Kong attraction. We've got a name, "Skull Island: Reign of Kong", along with some concept art, descriptions, and even a video! As expected the ride will feature a tour set in the 1930s of the great Skull Island temple. We find ourselves surrounded by prehistoric creatures and then we get an up-close experience with the eighth wonder of the world himself, Kong! This new multi-sensory attraction will be opening Summer 2016 at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Read more below for images, description, and interviews with the creators.

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P1030768Kongstruction is looking amazing today in Islands of Adventure! The creepy faces are coming along nicely, the brick color is looking beautiful, and the temple facade is growing across the right side of the structure. The construction walls have begun encroaching on the pathway, having moved out about to 10 to 20 feet in some places. The food stand is gone now, considering there isn't enough room to accommodate it on the path anymore. The walls have probably been moved out to make way for construction of the outdoor scene that will take place in front of the structure. Supposedly the ride vehicle will exit the structure after load and venture into an outdoor scene before re-entering the building through the enormous temple gate. See all the pictures from today below!

Ancient temple gate looming over the construction walls
Ancient temple gate looming over the construction walls
The construction walls have been moved in and the food stand is gone
The construction walls have been moved in and the food stand is gone

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P1030128Workers are making quick work of the rockwork at the new King Kong attraction and Skull Island area at Islands of Adventure. A few faces have started to take shape around the entrance to the temple ruins. The paint-work is looking very complete on the left-side of the building. Most of the exterior walls are complete throughout much of the structure and from what I can see the interior work is coming along nicely as well. Check out all of the pictures below.

There have been rumors flying around the web now that the Australian company Creature Technology will have some hand in the animatronics for the ride. They were responsible for the incredibly impressive King Kong puppet from the Kong musical. Watch this video for a sample of the giant Kong puppert-work. They were also the studio behind the beautiful Walking with Dinosaurs puppets and animatronics from its arena show, which I can tell you from seeing it in person, is just amazing. See a sample of that work here. If they apply their skill to create expressive puppets and impressive skins to the figures in the Kong ride I will be very pleased.

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P1020680The walkway out in front of project 340, (AKA the new King Kong attraction at Islands of Adventure), has received some shiny new skull-themed construction walls. They jut out pretty far, but the area does look a little cleaner with them. It seems clear now with these skull themed walls what attraction they are in fact building back there, in case there were still any doubts. As far as construction progress goes, it looks like they're putting a primer and/or sealant over the rockwork before painting, the top of the rockwork is looking more and more like the Skull Island temple, and the right side of the structure is finally getting all walled up. Check out the pictures below to see the construction progress as well as the new themed construction walls. And check out the previous update for some video!

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P1020525The mysterious green walls are down revealing a slightly widened pathway in front of the construction site at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure. I'm guessing spring break might have something to do with the large crowds in the park, and everyone is turning their heads to see the new imposing structure towering above. I decided to do something a little different this time and in addition to the photo update I took some video as well. It can help illustrate just how massive this building really is! Check out the images below as well.


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P1020413Workers are working at a furious pace at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure, wrapping the facade in beautiful rockwork. Meanwhile the inside of the structure is taking shape while the walls continue to enclose the main show building. There are always dozens of workers on site every day. The temple facade is growing to the right of the gate opening, with large supports being installed and readied for more rockwork continuing to the right on the structure. Check out all of the construction photos below.

Construction progress since ground breaking
Construction progress since ground breaking

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P1020252The rockwork has finally begun over at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure.  Things are shaping up to make for a gorgeous facade. In addition to the temple gate area a flat two-dimensional "rock-like" structure is being applied to block the show building from guests inside the park. It looks like that's what will be seen looming behind the Thunder Falls restaurant in Jurassic Park, which is good, as rocks look better than another big building ruining the skyline. Construction photos from today are below!

Also, today Comcast executives let the cat out of the bag during an earnings call, confirming that Kong is in fact returning to Orlando. "As we continue to invest in attractions, including Harry Potter and Fast and Furious in Hollywood and a King Kong attraction in Orlando, investments in our theme park are driving strong returns," said Michael Angelakis, CFO, during the fourth-quarter conference call. There has not yet been an official announcement from Universal Orlando, but at this point in the construction it's pretty hard to deny what's being built. This is clearly the temple gate from Skull Island we're seeing. ...continue reading →

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P1020123In checking in on the construction progress at the site of Project 340 in Islands of Adventure, it looks like rockwork for the facade is about to be applied. The steel skeleton has been wrapped in some sort of cloth and then a wire mesh that resembles a tough chicken-wire, to maintain its shape. In addition to the huge facade, a two-dimensional cutout of what looks like rough rocks has been added behind the gate to block the view of top of the show building. This flat piece is being wrapped in weather-proof materials in preparation for its forthcoming aesthetic covering. Check out today's Construction photo report below and be sure to subscribe for more updates! ...continue reading →

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P1020053The huge facade on the front-side of the building at the site of Project 340 in Islands of Adventure is starting to really resemble the temple gate from the King Kong films as construction continues. In addition to the facade work, walls have started to go up around the indoor queue section near the right side of the structure. See the construction photos from today below to catch up on the progress.

Here's a comparison of the current structure to a still from the 2005 King Kong film:

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