Universal Orlando Has a Major Controversy on Its Hands

Universal Orlando Resort has a legitimate controversy on its hands, and it’s one that has confused many fans.

There’s no doubt when speaking about the current landscape of the theme park industry that Universal Orlando Resort is near the top. The company is in its final year of construction for Epic Universe, an all-new theme park that will open in the summer of 2025, and there are many insiders who believe Universal Studios Orlando will be legitimate competition with Walt Disney World Resort– perhaps even surpassing Disney– for many years to come.

That being said, Universal Orlando is facing a legitimate controversy right now that has many fans scratching their heads. Though Universal has made a lot of good decisions in the past few years, one decision is continuing to be ill-received: Changing Skull Island: Reign of Kong to a 2-D ride.

The popular attraction, located at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, has been maimed over the years. Though it once had an outside portion that guests would ride through before beginning their adventure, that has since been taken out with no plans in the near future of it being brought back. In addition, Universal made the decision a few weeks ago to change the ride from 3-D to 2-D.

However, many fans have noted that the technology– which was originally set in 3-D– just doesn’t look right in 2-D. Most recently, Alicia Stella– who is well-respected in the theme park industry– gave a list of everything that’s wrong with the attraction currently, sharing that she “probably won’t be riding Reign of Kong anymore.”

Probably won’t be riding Reign of Kong anymore, unless they bring 3D back.

Ceilings/edges of all screens visible
First screen is absolutely the worst
20-foot tall Kate
Odd blurring of Rexes during 360
Action falls flat, literally

I’m really disappointed. pic.twitter.com/Dvo145V2B1

— Alicia Stella Nova Resort (@AliciaStella) March 18, 2024

Amid the problems with the 2-D version of the ride, Stella shares that there is a “20-foot-tall Kate” and “odd blurring” of the dinosaurs during the 360 versions. As a result, the “action falls flat, literally,” she points out.

Of course, she’s not alone. There have been hundreds of users on social media expressing their displeasure with Universal taking away the effect. Universal’s official social media account replied on the thread, sharing that it would be documented.

“We’re saddened to hear of your recent experience at Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and we appreciate you sharing this detailed feedback. Rest assured that we’ll get this documented and ensure that it’s shared with the proper leadership teams.”

At its current theme parks, Universal Orlando has continued to add to its offerings. Universal Studios Florida opened Minion Land last year and DreamWorks Land is just a matter of a few months away from its big opening, though no official date has been announced as of yet.

Universal’s newest coasters at Islands of Adventure– Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure— are two of the best coasters in the world. When you combine all of this together, it’s easy to see why many families have begun vacationing at Universal Orlando Resort exclusively, taking away some of the market share held by Disney.

At this time, no other information has been given on the attraction’s status.