Credit: DisneyAfter over 40 years, the creator and director of the original TRON (1982), Steven Lisberger, has finally experienced a ride based on his iconic film. And his reaction was priceless.
The groundbreaking TRON has had an interesting journey over its 41-year history. It starred Jeff Bridges and utilized animation and other new innovative technology as no other film had.
TRON also did well critically and commercially, making $50 million at the box office and $70 million in merchandise sales. It even won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement.
Despite this, Disney viewed the film as a financial failure, and the company tried to write it off, moving it into the trash folder with other 80s films like The Black Cauldron (1985) and Return to Oz (1985).
‘TRON’s Legacy
However, that did not stop hardcore TRON fans from loving the film. It has created a strong cultural legacy and inspired countless people, including John Lasseter from Pixar and musical groups The Gorillaz and Daft Punk.
It also influenced numerous other properties, including the cartoons ReBoot (1994-2002), Code Lyoko (2003-2007), and Kingdom Hearts II (2005), where The Grid appeared as a featured section.
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The simmering fandom would cause a sequel to emerge 28 years later: TRON: Legacy (2010). Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring the returning Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Sheen, the film performed much better. It became most famous for its impressive score by the aforementioned Daft Punk.
This led to the animated show TRON: Uprising (2012) and numerous video games, including TRON: Evolution (2010).
Most recently, this has culminated in the announcement of more TRON films and the opening of the TRON Lightcycle/Run coaster at Walt Disney World Resort. Already, people love the ride, including creator Steven Lisberger.
“Only Disney Could Have Made a Ride This Beautiful.”
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In an interview with Comicbook.com, Steven Lisberger was ecstatic about the ride and what it meant for the franchise.
“It’s been a long journey, 43 years, and there’s been ups and downs, but this is certainly a high point that none of us could have imagined. It’s incredible. The ride is incredible. TRON: Legacy was incredible. Daft Punk is incredible.”
Lisberger continued, garnishing praises on the ride.
“The ride is very beautiful, and I think only Disney could have made a ride this beautiful. It’s also unbelievably thrilling. If you’re worried whether it’s going to be thrilling enough, you haven’t ridden it yet.”
But more than anything, Lisberger loved the queue leading up to the coaster.
“I love the queue where you really feel like you’re slowly entering The Grid. The visuals are incredible in the queue, so I couldn’t be more stoked about it all. I think one of the reasons it’s endured the way it has is because the underlying story came true.”
Steven Lisberger couldn’t be happier with how the ride turned out and the franchise’s future because even though the original film came out in the early 80s, it still feels as poignant as ever.
“Flynn’s story, his idealism and how he struggled to make that his dreams happen and how they went wrong is a good metaphor of how we’re still struggling to make the best of our digital invention and cyberspace. So I think it’s more relevant than it ever was. And that’s amazing to think that we did this movie in 1982, and now it’s more relevant than ever.”
Do you agree with Steven Lisbergers assessment? Are you excited to try TRON Lightcycle/Run for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.