King Kong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King Kong |
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| King Kong character | |
King Kong featured in a promotional image from the 1933 film
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| First appearance | King Kong (1933) |
| Created by | Edgar Wallace Merian C. Cooper |
| Binomial nomenclature | Megaprimatus kong |
| Information | |
| Species | Giant Gorilla |
| Family |
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King Kong is a giant movie monster, resembling an enormous ape, that has appeared in various media since 1933. The character first appeared in the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures, which received universal acclaim upon its initial release and re-releases. A sequel quickly followed that same year with The Son of Kong, featuring Little Kong.
In the 1960s, Toho produced King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), pitting a larger Kong against Toho's own Godzilla, and King Kong Escapes (1967), based on The King Kong Show (1966–1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a modern remake of the original film. A sequel, King Kong Lives, followed a decade later featuring a Lady Kong. Another remake of the original, this time set in 1933, was released in 2005.
The most recent film, Kong: Skull Island (2017), set in 1973, is part of Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse, which began with Legendary's reboot of Godzilla in 2014. A crossover sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, once again pitting the characters against one another, is currently planned for 2020.
The character King Kong has become one of the world's most famous movie icons, having inspired a number of sequels, remakes, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and a stage play. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from a rampaging monster to a tragic antihero.
In 1991, the movie was thought "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Original Cast
- Fay Wray as Ann Darrow
- Bruce Cabot as Jack Driscoll
- Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham
- Frank Reicher as Captain Englehorn
- James Flavin as Briggs
- Victor Wong as Charlie the Cook
- Sam Hardy as Charles Weston
The basic plot of the story is, it is the Great Depression. Ann Darrow is a poor young woman. She agrees to go to a far island to make a movie with director Carl Denham. On the island, Ann is kidnap by natives and is presented as an offering to a giant gorilla called Kong. He falls in love with her and takes her to his secret place in the jungle. She is rescued by Denham and the ship's crew. Kong is captured and taken to New York City to be put on display. He escapes. He captures Ann and carries her to the top of the Empire State Building. He is shot down by army planes.
Images for kids
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Merian C. Cooper glances up at his creation.
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The two depictions of Kong in the Toho films
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The DC Comics character Titano the Super-Ape (here seen climbing the Daily Planet building and confronting Superman) appears to be modeled on King Kong. From Superman #138, art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.
See also
In Spanish: King Kong para niños
