King Kong Takes on Dinosaurs in Hollywood

For the 2005 remake of King Kong, the special effects team at the Weta Workshop imagined what dinosaurs would be like if they survived into modern times. In fact, the artists created an entire menagerie that ended up filling the pages of The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island, including many creatures that did not make it into the film. Of those who did grace the silver screen, though, none was more imposing than the enormous imaginary descendant of Tyrannosaurus called "Vastatosaurus rex."

In one particularly memorable scene from the 2005 movie, a trio of Vastatosaurus take on King Kong, and now Universal Studios Hollywood wants to place visitors right in the middle of this titanic confrontation. According to the LA Times, the director of King Kong, Peter Jackson, is working with the theme park to create a new attraction in which guests are placed right in the middle of a battle between the giant gorilla and toothy dinosaurs. The ride will feature a wraparound screen, tram cars that react to what is on screen, and plenty of special effects like wind, fire, and dinosaur drool. It is set to open in 2010.

Riley Black | | READ MORE

Riley Black is the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs and many other books. She is a science correspondent for Smithsonian magazine covering fossils and natural history, and she writes about the prehistoric past for a variety of publications.