From his debut in 1933 to the big budget show in 2017, we’ll review Kong’s height in each of his films in preparation for Godzilla vs. Kong.
The official trailer for the next film Godzilla vs. Kong features the tallest version of the monkey to date. Although Kong’s exact height has not been confirmed, he appears to be face to face with the King of Monsters, who places him at about 390 feet. Godzilla has always risen above his enemies, but this is a new extreme for Kong, who has remained well under 30 meters in most of his films.
So from his debut in 1933 to the big budget show in 2017, we’ll review Kong’s height in each of his live action films in preparation for Godzilla vs. Kongthe “battle of all ages”.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
King Kong (1933): 24 feet
King Kong’s height is somewhat open to interpretation in the original 1933 film. Although the director, Merian C. Cooper, envisioned a massive monkey 12 to 15 meters tall, the models reached 18 feet on Skull Island and 24 feet in New York. Cooper believed in “changing Kong’s height to fit the scenarios and illusions”, which made the gorilla a different height in almost every shot. After the release, however, Kong was promoted as having 50 feet to add to the drama. Despite the confusion, the 1933 film was a huge success, generating dozens of remakes and spin-offs.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962): 147 feet
In 1962, the Japanese studio Toho Company pitted Godzilla against King Kong for the first time in a battle of epic proportions. To ensure a fair fight, Kong was reinforced to match the King of the Monsters, who has always remained above 30 meters regardless of adaptation. This decision put Kong at an impressive 147 feet, his tallest appearance to date, at least until 2021 Godzilla vs. Kong launches later this year.
King Kong (1976): 55 feet
The 1976 remake of Italian director Dino De Laurentiis was a box office success and starred Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange in their debut role. In addition to looking more human than his 1933 predecessor, Kong more than doubled in size for this tour. On Skull Island, Kong was about 42 feet, while in New York, he was an impressive 55 feet.
King Kong Lives (1986): 60 feet
A decade later, De Laurentiis followed his 1976 film with King Kong Lives in 1986. Kong subsequently survives his tragic fall and his weakened heart is replaced by an artificial one. With Kong in need of a blood transfusion, the adventurers return to the island and capture “Lady Kong” and bring her to New York City. The two monkeys finally escape and give birth to a son. even though Frankenstein brideThe inspired story was a box office failure, Kong grew another meter and a half in relation to the 1976 film by De Laurentiis, placing it at 18 meters.
King Kong (2005): 25 feet
King Kong was significantly updated in the 2005 three-hour Peter Jackson remake that was praised for its special effects. Jackson talks about the character, confirming that he belonged to the fictional species Megaprimatus, which was said to have evolved from a real genus of monkeys known as Gigantopithecus. This tradition placed the gorilla at a reasonable 25 feet, making Jackson’s Kong the smallest since the 1933 original.
Kong: Skull Island (2017): 104 feet
Set in 1973, Kong: Skull Island follows the meeting of a team of scientists and soldiers from the Vietnam War with the giant monkey and the last of its kind. Kong is 40 meters, which is a considerable increase over Jackson’s film. Despite his enormous size, Kong is classified as a teenager and therefore not fully grown. This explains its huge leap in size to just under 120 meters in the wake of 2021, Godzilla vs. Kong.
Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry. The film hits theaters on March 26 and on HBO Max.
About the author