The Roosevelt Island Tram Was A Great Amusement Park Attraction At Universal Studios Florida - Watch Video Of Kongfrontation Thrill Ride And Jerry Seinfeld Jokes About The Tram In 1977 TV Appearance

According to Chris On Rides:

If there was ever a ride that was so ambitiously frightening, that it could scare the most avid theme park goers, that ride was Kongfrontation. This attraction featured the world’s largest theme park animatronic, and it was glorious. But much like the other Universal rides, it suffered lots of technical issues in later years. Let’s take a look at what became of this iconic King Kong ride, and what Universal did to keep King Kong alive.

At Universal Studios Florida, there is a New York City section of the park. Here there was a building that housed Kongfrontation, the 8th wonder of the ride world. Now the queue inside looked just like a New York City subway station. There was graffitti on the walls and model shops. They did not have to go through the trouble of theming the queue this much, but they did. And that’s the kind of commitment I miss in a lot of attractions today.

The guests board a suspended ride vehicle that looks like the Roosevelt Island Tram. As the ride starts we see the remnants of a broken New York City at night. Just look at the detail in these model buildings. They even added a busted fire hydrant that was leaking water.

There is a derailed train that is bursting with flames. Sparks are flying off the power lines and we approach an impressive model of the George Washington bridge. We hear the roars of the beast and we come to the first scene with King Kong. His screams are loud and he is waving is huge arms. His mouth is wide with anger as he shouts at the riders.

We narrowly escape and we think we are in the clear. A searchlight from a helicopter shines at our tram and we can hear more explosions. Then we see Kong again, this time on the other side. He grabs the vehicle up close to his face and screams as he shakes his head back and forth. We see more fire and hear gunshots. Then he drops the tram and it falls abruptly. The guests scream and the ride comes to an end. Sadly, the attraction closed forever in 2002.

Kongfrontation was so scary that I had a total meltdown on it back in 1994. I was three years old and sat on the right side of the tram. My parents didn’t know how scary the ride would be and I think they instantly regretted taking me when they saw the Kong animatronic. I remember it vividly seeing the beast scream in my face. I started crying in terror and I thought we were all gonna die. Luckily we didn’t but it took me two hours to calm down and I could not stop shaking....

Take a virtual ride on the Kongrontation Thrill Ride.

All Ears adds: 

 Kongfrontation is one of the most important attractions in Universal Orlando’s history. Not only was it the biggest — and arguably most dependable — headliner in the park’s opening months, but its star animatronic is a big part of why Universal’s Florida park exists in the first place.

However, even with all that, the attraction closed in 2002. So, why did such a historically important attraction shutter just over a decade into its lifespan, and how does Kongfrontation’s closure — and tangential return — still impact Universal Orlando to this day? Let’s find out.... 

Click here to learn more from All Ears about the Kongfrontation Universal Studios Florida theme park ride. 

The Roosevelt Island Tram as an amusement park attraction was the subject of Jerry Seinfeld's first national TV appearance in 1977.