Kongfrontation

Kongfrontation
Universal Studios Florida
Area	New York City
Status	Closed
Opening date	June 7, 1990
Closing date	September 8, 2002
Replaced by	Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride
General statistics
Attraction type	Special Effects Ride
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Designer	Totally Fun Company
Theme	King Kong
Vehicle type	Aerial tramway
Duration	5 minutes
Height restriction	40 in (102 cm)
Ride Host	Roosevelt Island Tram Operator
Universal Express available

Kongfrontation was a ride at the Universal Studios Florida theme park, in Orlando, Florida, the main attraction in the park's New York section. It opened as one of the original attractions at the park on June 7, 1990 and was closed on September 8, 2002. Revenge of the Mummy opened in its place on May 21, 2004. It was based on the 1976 film and King Kong Encounter, a previous attraction on the long running Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Guests entered the attraction through a facade recreating Pennsylvania Station as it appeared in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. Within the six-story walls of the massive show building, guests would find themselves in an elaborate production set simulating a New York subway station, Manhattan's Roosevelt Island tram station and a surrounding city block (intricately detailed from garbage cans and graffiti covering the walls, to fully stocked storefronts). Overhead television monitors displayed a special WWOR-TV news report entitled "Kong on the Loose". Real-life news anchor Rolland Smith reported that the giant ape King Kong had escaped its confines and was wreaking havoc on the streets of New York. Kong had already destroyed two elevated trains and was rapidly approaching the East River with authorities seemingly powerless to stop him. Clips from the 1976 film version of King Kong, portraying the beast's rampage, played during these newscasts, as did alerts from the Emergency Broadcast System. The queue made its way up a long ramp and ended at the elevated Manhattan station of the Roosevelt Island Tramway.

Upon arriving at the station, guests boarded a large, open-air aerial tram vehicle. There, a live guide aboard the tram informed them that they were being evacuated off of Manhattan Island and over to Roosevelt Island during Kong's attack. The tram's radio was tuned to the police emergency frequency so that guests could be informed of Kong's location in the city. The tram traveled above the streets of downtown New York City where guests could view Kong's path of destruction. There was a water geyser from a broken fire hydrant, broken steam pipes, crashed and overturned cars, and a subway train partly derailed from its elevated track. A police chopper described the scene around the tram over the radio, alerting that Kong was approaching the tramway and that he was grabbing a power pole. Kong's silhouette could briefly be seen as a spotlight shone on a building ahead of the tram. As the tram passed the power pole, it tipped over and its electrical transformer exploded, unleashing a shower of sparks and fire, which ignited the derailed elevated subway train.