ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney World has tweaked its Tron Lightcycle/Run ride at Magic Kingdom theme park. The changes are notable, but neither drastic nor permanent, for the futuristic indoor/outdoor roller coaster.
We made a couple of rounds on the first day of the revamping. Here are things to know before trekking to Tomorrowland for the “Tron: Ares” overlay.
Light entertainment
Obvious even to non-riders will be the amped up lighting package built into the sloped canopy of the ride. Thanks to adaptable LED technology, there are new hues and effects to absorb as the ride vehicles zoom past, as well as in between the streams of screams.
The colors have subtle changes. What may appear blue can fade into a purple or a teal. The roof can go all red — though those moments seem spread out for maximum effect — or it can present a mashup from its palette.
Along with the ride’s usual streaking-polygram effects, the canopy light show now includes swirling motions, waves of color changes and pulsating intensity.
But it changes quickly. One moment, Tron is very blue, and by the next iPhone click, it’s very red.
Sound advice
The overlay and the upcoming “Tron: Ares” film (in theaters Oct. 10) are now accompanied by music by Nine Inch Nails. The movie soundtrack includes “As Alive As You Need Me to Be.”
“I wanted (this) to be a grittier version of ‘Tron,’ highlighting the contrast between the artificial world and the real world. I wanted it to have an industrial feeling to it,” said “Ares” director Joachim Ronning in a Billboard interview. “I think it’s already one of the more grown-up franchises at Disney, and it was important for me to take it to the next level.”
Side note: Ronning also directed “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”
The ride’s original music, courtesy of Daft Punk (who contributed to “Tron: Legacy” in 2010), can still be heard along the attraction plaza during the “Ares” overlay.
Derez of the story
Lighting effects continue inside the attraction, but it’s mostly a swapping out of the original blue motif for a bright reddish-orange one.
In the tweaked story for the ride, your lightcycle gets hacked by Master Control with the goal of spreading his code in the grid. “Do so, or be Derezzed,” MC warns just before launch.
The coaster hasn’t had physical changes to the rail, so the experience is similar to the past. But we might get a new WDW catchphrase out of it with the voiced-over “Excellent work, the grid is now mine.”
Why now?
We don’t know when the “Ares” overlay is going away, but Disney has said it’s for a limited time. (It’s also been added temporarily to the original Tron ride at Shanghai Disneyland.)
We do know that “Tron: Ares” comes to theaters on Oct. 10. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson and Jared Leto as Ares. Disney released a video on its social media platforms of Leto on the ride. (Rock star hair becomes roller coaster hair quickly for Leto.) “I feel like I’m home,” the actor exudes, walking up the Tron ride ramp.
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