Skull Island: Reign Of Kong Review - 7 Ways It’s Awesome
3. The Animatronics Are Amazing
Walt Disney World has always been seen as the home of animatronics, whilst Universal is the home of screens. With Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Universal are proving that they can match Disney at quality animatronics.
The first one that you encounter is the witch in the temple. She is an incredibly fluid animatronic with immense realism. Just before you exit the room you get incredibly close to her so you can see how much detail has gone into her creation.
The use of this animatronic, beating music and flickering lights helps build the tension. Despite the only word that you will understand her say is "Kong", this animatronic does a great job of building the fear for what is to come.
A creepy caged Carnictis can be found just before you enter the ride vehicles. This animatronic is so realistic and gross it may make your stomach turn. As you enter the huge gates of Skull Island, Universal does a good job of mixing the screens with smaller animatronics. There are bats hanging down from the ceiling, a sneak peek of what is to come. The one complaint would be that there could do with being a few more.
Arguably one of the biggest and most impressive animatronics waits for you at the end of the ride, Kong himself. When Universal released their first image of Kong, there were discussions in the WhatCulture office as to whether this was CGI or animatronic. Despite Universal saying it was the main man himself, something that realistic just seemed completely impossible. But he was indeed real.
Kong is a beast of an animatronic. His facial movements are so lifelike and it's hard not to be impressed by him. A few people on fan sites have commented that they would have liked the animatronic to have been done a bit more like the old Kongfrontation ride. This new animatronic does just enough. Animatronics are temperamental at best. Who can remember the last time the Yeti at Expedition Everest actually moved? A more complicated animatronic might cause ride closures.
Personally I would rather have a incredibly impressive head and shoulders of Kong and be able to ride the attraction, than a more sophisticated body which meant the ride was always acting up.