Concept art for Kong fighting off helicopters

Kong Skull Island: Art Department

'When we were asked to create a creature for Kong: Skull Island, the brief was wide open. The Director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, just wanted us to come up with something original. Everyone in the team worked hard to come up with ideas for the creature, which at the time was only a background character. Jordan was so pleased with the ideas we developed that it influenced the script and was given a much bigger part, christened the Skull Crawler.' - Martin Macrae, Head of Art Department.

Concept Design
Creature Design/Art Department
Visual Effects Supervisor
concept art of the skull crawler in a forest. it is a large reptilian creature with two long forelimbs and no hindlimbs as well as a long serpentine tail. it has a skull head full of razor sharp teeth

Skull Island was an exciting project, particularly because we were able to design the Skull Crawlers from scratch. We began with sketches and movement studies, which went down really well with the Director. Once we had the overall shape of the creature signed off, we were able to move the design forward in 3D and fully realised colour concepts.
Dan Baker
Concept Artist
concept art sketches of two skullcrawlers

early stages concept art of a skullcrawler. it looks like a serpentine sea otter

a skullcrawler in a forest

concept art of a skullcrawler

the silhoutte of king kong in front of a sunset as two helicopters approach it amongst mountainous terrain

concept art of three helicopters flying above a forest

concept art of king kong fighting off helicopters. there are explosions and fire in the background

king kong punching and destroying a helicopter as another one approaches it. there is a forest engulfed in smoke