A Box Office Flop Made Good: The History of Tron (1982)

[@Mr_Welch]

Tron, ET, Blade runner, Poltergeist, Wrath of Khan, the Thing and more can we just appreciate how awesome 1982 was for science fiction movies?

[@rdwn1999]

What an amazing year

[@5roundsrapid263]

Best year ever for movies, with 1989 a close second.

[@MentalLiberation]

For my birth year, it was badass

[@atariboy9084]

Also that same year I been getting ton of awesome gaming system from Atari 5200, Colecovision, Vectrex, Commodore 64 and so on. And arcades games like BurgerTime, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong Junior, Joust, Moon Patrol, Pole Position, Zaxxon.

[@cheddarcheese7928]

Yes!.One of the best day of my life was seeing Rocky 3 and Wraith of Khan on the same day in 82 when I was 11.My Mom(who just passed)was nice enough to sit thru both that day for me..Thanks Mom

[@MrTBoneSF]

Funny thing about the Academy Awards snub: If they had discounted all the CG from Tron for consideration, it still would have had the most visual effects of any movie for a decade. There's only about 12 minutes of CG while there's over an hour of "traditional" effects. In fact, Tron held the record for the most live-action visual effects shots until Attack of the Clones.

[@5roundsrapid263]

The man who programmed most of the light cycle scene (by hand!) was finally awarded a technical Oscar fifteen years later, mainly because his algorithm had become standard in every CGI production…

[@superomegaprimemk2]

Well those award shows mean very little today because the studios pretty much "buy" the awards and it's not really about how good a film or part of a film is but the world was a very different place back in the 80s!

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@superomegaprimemk2 Yeah the most recent academy awards were basically like a sad wake for a dead friend / relative. A boring, self-satisfied circle jerk if ever I've seen one. I only got a small taste of it but I knew it was really dead after that.

[@jamegumb7298]

Not by choice. They bought up most of the computing power, not much more to be had. The Black Hole by Disney wanted cgi too but they had trouble getting the effects done because it was all crunching hard for Tron, and so they had to go with all camera effects.

[@MrTBoneSF]

​@@jamegumb7298 You're conflating multiple things. The makers of the Black Hole didn't consider using CGI for spaceships because that was YEARS off. The Black Hole was released before Tron even started production. For the Black Hole, Disney wanted to rent ILM's computer-controlled CAMERA setup (for shooting models) used on Star Wars. But it was in use (for Empire Strikes Back) so Disney Imagineers made their own computer-controlled camera system (A.C.E.S.). Again this was for shooting models and matte paintings. In terms of computer-generated IMAGERY, The Black Hole has a wireframe computer simulation of a black hole for its title sequence (and it was the longest CGI shot at the time). They used CGI for a computer simulation (like Star Wars did for the Rebel briefing scene). But in 1979, that was cutting edge because most times it was faster (and looked better) to have computer displays done with hand-drawn animation since (again) computers were so slow and pushing even simple line drawings around was slow and expensive.

[@darthphayde508]

After seeing Tron as a kid, every frisbee became an identity disk.

[@The6ftPeter]

100%!!!

[@trublgrl]

And "If you lose your Identity Disk, or if it is destroyed, you will suffer immediate De-Resolution!"

[@QS-si3cq]

Word

[@ToadstedCroaks]

Funny that, I swear frisbee makers started intentionally designing them to look like identity disks after Tron came out.

[@Dan-ku9mt]

FACTS!

[@michaelstopher1471]

Tron light cycle. One of the most durable toys ever produced in my lifetime. That thing FLEW down staircases that were too high and long to be able to explain why my Snake-eyes figure had not been destroyed.

[@22freedom33]

Honestly the tv show Tron Uprising is wayyy underrated, it deserve much more than only one season

[@archangel5627]

I completely agree with you. Tron Uprising is an amazing show and it’s definitely criminally underrated. It expands the Tron Mythos in a great way all by building off of the original film and the sequel Tron Legacy. It deserves more love.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@archangel5627 I'm sure it's buried on Disney+ somewhere.

[@MechaJoezilla]

If I were rich, I would pay for more seasons.

[@rinzlerthehunter539]

If I was rich, id make an animated movie to serve as a sequel for Uprising

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@rinzlerthehunter539 It's funny because I would have sworn Disney basically buried the Tron franchise after legacy deeply underperformed but apparently a third one's in the work so I mean anything's possible.

[@michaelinterbartolo3]

I saw Tron at tiny theater on a rainy day on Cape Cod while on vacation with my family. we were in the theater with only one other person about half way through the projector died and it took 20 minutes for them to fix it. I was so blown away by the movie I made the family stay so we could watch the rest of the movie. I still have a light cycle toy in my son's room, I got him hooked on the Legacy movie and we went to the IMAX 10 min screening and I played the ARG which was an awesome year plus long experience leading up to the movie.

[@SkyFireDrone2022]

What an awesome story 🤓 Years later, I became a Tron fan all over again when the “Tron 2.0” PC game came out. That brought a whole new experience to “meta” gaming, playing a computer game about being in a computer.. playing games and just surviving. The IT terminology was especially nerd-riffic 🤓

[@EricGranata]

I saw the midnight premiere of Legacy and made a papercraft “bit” that I rigged to float above my shoulder. We were the only people there.

[@horseshoe2blah201]

I saw it in the movie theater too. That movie was so far ahead of its time. You always hear how Star Trek inspired scientists and engineers. I wonder how many children Tron inspired? It blew me away.

[@Dorelaxen]

One of those "ya hadda be there" things. Tron was absolutely friggin' magical back then. I remember watching it on HBO at a neighbor's house, and I was just enthralled.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

It was way ahead of it's time. And it clearly got buried in a very good year of movies.

[@evlkenevl2721]

Yup, and HBO had that super-long intro they played before every movie. The style of it almost seemed like a tie-in to Tron.

[@rossclutterbuck1060]

magical back then? it's magical now!

[@LordRain1031]

While it was "magical" back then, it's a full-blown masterpiece now! The following Tron has!? It was soooo far ahead of it's time, it couldn't be appreciated for it's potential back then. IF they make a Tron 3?? I sincerely hope they don't f*ck it up!

[@HappyBirthdayRoboto]

First Gargoyles, then Prince Valiant and now Tron, Toy Galaxy does videos on all my favourite things.

[@RedWanderer1]

"and E.T." "OH SHIIIT" my favorite part.

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

I had to jump back ten seconds to hear it again.

[@mmille10]

The timing was hilarious, like, "And, Oh...by the way, E.T." :D E.T. was HUMUNGOUS!!

[@peppermintspacecapsule9898]

I'd still buy the CGI in TRON over a lot of the weightless, pastel coloured CGI in films today. PS. TRON - DEADLY DISCS for the win! 👍👍👍

[@rinzlerthehunter539]

still have that game and the itellivision, simple yet solid game

[@QS-si3cq]

I used to destroy that game! Ah, to be a kid in the 80s again.

[@gwgux]

I didn't see Tron until the mid to late 80s when I was hold enough to start picking movies to rent from the kids section at the rental store. Something about how different it was made me pick it up and I remember my mother rolled her eyes over it like "oh...it's THAT movie" and my father got all excited like "oooh it's THAT movie!". lol For what it's worth, it did help encourage my interest in computers and now I'm in IT so I'm glad the movie was made.

[@Sci-Fi-Mike]

That's awesome! I didn't see Tron in it's entirety until the late 90s when I was in college. I knew it was from 1982 and it was an amazing experience. I went out and bought the VHS tape as soon as I could find a copy. I now have the DVD and Blu-ray, as well. It's one of my favorite movies to watch on a rainy weekend afternoon.

[@gwgux]

@@Sci-Fi-Mike Same here! Got my copies on hand for just such an occasion! XD

[@LordRain1031]

Tron was....IS, a phenomenal masterpiece from my childhood. I was too you to watch it in 82, I mean, I was what? 3 years old, yeah, 3. I'm glad they made Tron Legacy instead of trying to remake Tron. They better leave that shit alone! You can't make a movie like Tron any better than it already is!

[@NaiveSteve]

Absolutely love Tron. Watching the behind the scenes videos on the Blu-ray is fascinating. The amount of work and Innovation put into this production is phenomenal especially given the time and budget

[@nathanmead9585]

Had to love the story about the hand-painted cells being returned from Korea (I think?) all fused solidly together because they hadn't been allowed to dry before packing. I can't even imagine the horror they must've felt opening those boxes...

[@j.t.schroff131]

Even though I’m only 23 Tron shaped my childhood, my dad loved the film and I grew up with the arcade machine in my dad’s shop, I probably watched the movie 100’s of times, lest to say when Tron Legacy came out it was a family event, I freaking cried during that first viewing, awesome series, so influential and ahead of it’s time

[@Scotty-Z70]

now, the GAME was fun! the movie...meh...

[@jesipohl6717]

Did you realise that all the music was composed by a proud trans woman!

[@LordRain1031]

Tron couldn't have and wasn't appreciated at its time. It was quite literally too far ahead of its time for people to really appreciate it, but look the following its gained since its initial release. That's not even including how much it changed CGI for EVERY movie that came after. 30+ years later Tron is still a masterpiece and Legacy was an amazing "passing of the torch." 🤩😍🥰

[@betteroffdead]

I was at school when this film released. Horribly bullied. This literally saved my sanity.

[@kizunadragon9]

"My name is Tron, I fight for the users"

[@jackielinde7568]

With the likes of EA, Activision-Blizzard, Ubisoft, and CDPR, we need Tron more than ever these days.

[@Loremastrful]

They say the User lives outside of Encom. And inputs movies for pleasure. No one knows for sure, but I intend to find out.

[@emerje0]

Users are losers, stay away from drugs, kids.

[@vee-bee-a]

@@Loremastrful "Resist!"

[@JavaJunky]

"Oh my User..."

[@jordanhoughton1948]

"What's it look like in there, Homer?" "Uh...well...did any of you see Tron?" "No." "Nope" "Uh-uhn." Chief Wiggum: "Yes!" (then shamefully) "-uh, I mean no, no I didn't..."

[@dariusq8894]

"You shouldn't have come back Dan. I'm going to have to put you on the gaming grid." =D

[@michaelinterbartolo3]

I even went as a Red guard for halloween that year. I made it with my dad out of cardboard boxes with red reflective tape on it.

[@mrdaniel911]

The world of TRON was not so much like "plastic" as it was like "glass."

[@bee-beargaming]

As someone who's a computer nerd I love the Tron series.

[@b.thomas8926]

Dude! I LOVED animal Olympics! The downhill segment was so trippy. But now that I quickly go and re-watch a few segments on youtube, you can see it. Cool!

[@darkhierophant4914]

I actually have the OG toyline displayed in a acrylic case that i purchased from Syd Mead's estate sale. RIP Mr. Mead.

[@swanofnutella4734]

That's awesome. I saw a gallery showing of his work in Pasadena about 10 years ago. I think at that time he had just recently passed away. Up close and personal, his work is all that more vivid.

[@darkhierophant4914]

@@swanofnutella4734 he actually passed away in 2019(terrible year). I got the Tron set last year from his estate.

[@charless1145]

I rewatched the original when legacy came out and was blown away by how much of a holy war the original was!

[@nicholasromig5506]

Pausing briefly to say, Wendy's score is still one of my all-time favourites. I own it on two formats. The record is as old as I am.

[@jesipohl6717]

There's some real great BBC footage of her early mixing for a Bach-inspired electronic album with her modular set. It's a bit weird to see her masking with fake masci side-burns, but it's really amazing to watch her work live. I highly recommend looking for it on youtube.

[@nicholasromig5506]

@@jesipohl6717 is it Switched On Bach?

[@cjsvoiceworks6008]

I remember asking Wendy on her website back in 2008 if she had been contacted about doing the music for Legacy. She told me they didn't even contact her. Wish they had incorporated her.

[@mokwella]

I was sitting in a cafe in Culver City a few years back and suddenly realized I was in the location where they filmed Flynn's arcade back in the day. No arcade games, sadly. Espresso was good.

[@AdamBladeTaylor]

I fell in love with Tron when I first saw it. Watched the movie I don't know how many times. lol Tron 2.0 on PC is an AMAZING game. The story was wonderfully done, and really brought the world to life. I love it.

[@achimdemus-holzhaeuser1233]

Yes, I loved that game as well.

[@kharilester]

When I was a kid, I was overjoyed to find the yellow light cycle at a garage sale. For once, my Mom dragging me out in the morning was worth it.

[@rvfiasco]

Crazy! That's how I got mine as well! Flea Markets rocked back then. I ended up getting Final Fantasy from a flea market. I remember there was stand that sold Rambo knives and Ninja Stars. Great times!

[@kharilester]

@@rvfiasco Niiiiice!

[@ZephrusPrime]

I traded my gold light cycle for a whizzer like an idiot! 😫😥

[@kharilester]

@@ZephrusPrime I could never get my whizzer to do the cool stuff they did on the commercials.

[@ZephrusPrime]

@@kharilester 😂ikr!

[@jakestyles002]

You have made the phrase, "Is it Cannon?" iconic. Great episode. Thank you.

[@cjsvoiceworks6008]

*Canon

[@clxmasisland6724]

I remember playing “Discs of Tron” in an arcade well into 1990. You had to lean back in the cabinet, and it was a great game. Amazing it was released years after the movie, proving the franchise was still viable to many fans.

[@rvfiasco]

That arcade game cabinet was neat as hell at the time. Damn. I suddenly figured out I got some age on me.

[@jackielinde7568]

You mean you're not a parent by now? Kids LOVE to remind their folks exactly how old and decrepit they are. I know, mine just started college this fall. (Also I remember playing the Arcade game in the late 80s...)

[@rvfiasco]

@@jackielinde7568 Naw, surprisingly after all my adventures I didn't become a father. Most days I'm good with it but on occasion I sort of lament that fact. Although in today's world maybe it's best I didn't...

[@jackielinde7568]

@@rvfiasco Fair enough. Mine was by accident, but I love her for all she's worth. (And she's a college kid now.)

[@williamcrowe2576]

Funny, there was no mention of the other Tron arcade game in the video.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Arguably the first time a video game adaptation was better than its source.

[@dedblank_again]

Two all time arcade favs Discs of TRON and TRON. Fun fact about the movie, They did all the CG just by math. It would take to long to render so they had to math-magically calculate everything in the scene and hope they got the math correct.

[@ackthbbft]

You're thinking of Discs of Tron (kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4uqiGuHq96mmrc) in the arcade, Deadly Discs was the Intellivision game. ;)

[@dedblank_again]

@@ackthbbft correction made. I think I got deadly discs stuck in my head as he mentioned it in the video and not discs of tron.

[@BugsyFoga]

I’ll always love the fact that tron legacy is just a big budget feature length daft punk music video.

[@joshtor29]

Nope not really.. make no mistake daft punk did so well on that soundtrack, and the name slapped onto cds and trailers definitely boosted the film, but let's not forget Joe Trapanese probably did half of what you hear. All the strings, the winds, the brass, were composed by him. Honestly, the only 3 heavy synthesized songs were End of Line, Derezzed, and the End Credits, if you reeeeally wanna stretch it. But the main theme that you hear, that's Trapanese. I too didnt realize just how much Trapanese was involved in making all the music in Legacy until i watched Tron: Uprising. You'll see that Daft Punk is not credited in the show's score, only Trapanese. But a LOT of the tracks sounded very similar to legacy. You can't use that music without crediting the owner, unless, essentially, for a large part of what you hear, the composer was credited, which is Joe Trapanese. Yea, daft punk gave a whooole lot to the soundtrack too, but a lot of what you hear is Joe Trapanese, and it's sad to see this music video catchphrase repeated for years without giving Joe his due

[@marvinjones4415]

@@joshtor29 I had to do a double-take and make sure I didn't write this^^ I've been telling people for years this exactly. You gonna tell me Daft Punk is going to go from Human After All to a fully orchestrated score? It's also interesting that Trapanese was the only one interviewed for NPR about the soundtrack. Once I put 2+2 together, I got really turned off on Daft Punk. There last album was horrible and its an insult that it won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Daft Punk are nothing when they're not working with tons of samples.

[@gustavohernandeza.890]

20:47 Note to Editor: You were correct. Excellent episode!

[@TheOnlyCathyCat]

I remember watching Tron as a kid and sitting there with my mind blown. The sight of those light cycles slicing across the screen was beyond anything I had ever seen...and Wendy Carlos's soundtrack to it was so right for what was being shown to us, her work for electronic music should see her talked about in the same breath as "the great composers". Put the soundtrack to Tron on your headphones and go out into the night....wonderful.

[@jesipohl6717]

Goodluck in this anti-trans worst timeline nightmare, she'd be arrested in many states in the US for "dragging in public". I'm sure she couldn't be taught in Florida schools without misgendering her. The UK and some European states aren't far behind with lots of old colonial nations reinstating colonial laws on the topic. In any case, I love her work, I can highly recommend Colin Benders if you like modular synth and harder, yet not minimalist, techno.

[@BronzeAgeBryon]

A sequel to this amazing entry is needed for Tron:Legacy IMO. I have a friend named Tron (for reals) and for my 50th birthday my wife bought me a cocktail table video game with Tron among the options. Look for the hidden Mickey in the original during the Solar Sailor escape scene on the ground. Pumped for the Tron coaster to open here in Florida soon.

[@kaptaink1897]

Spent many, many hours playing Tron: Deadly Discs on the Intellivision.

[@texasscifi3431]

Loved snafu. The deadly disc rip off with lines that moved like a bishop on a chess board. That game also sucked the hours out of me. Especially tagging the tail of the trail of color on your opponent. Intellivion or Radio Shack Randy Vision was awesome. Even those stick on joy sticks. The memories I had in 83

[@kaptaink1897]

@@texasscifi3431 Yeah, I would pretend SNAFU was the light bikes.

[@brooklynboiprod]

Me too. Great game and I had the other 2 Tron games for that system

[@kaptaink1897]

@@brooklynboiprod I also had Maze-A-Tron, but didn't have the instructions. Couldn't figure out what the objective was or how to play it.

[@JuanHernandez-ze3si]

Yes, Tron: Deadly Discs and Nightstalker were my fav games on intellivision.

[@youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwan8419]

I love this movie so much. Might see if I can track down the light cycles again, used to have all 4 but begrudgingly sold them

[@bradwalker3989]

Always enjoyed the Movie. I miss the speed tunnel and the Peoplemover at Disneyland. I still have the Tomy hand-held game and play it every so often!

[@JeffJackowski]

I worked at a place that had a Tron: Deadly Discs arcade in the break room. Almost everyone wanted to play Street Fighter, so I had plenty of time to work on my high score. :-) Tron is the best thing Disney has ever published. Also seems like Disney is Tron's real enemy.

[@truthseek3017]

What do you mean Disney is Trons enemy?

[@JeffJackowski]

@@truthseek3017 They don't seem to support it much. I think it could be a bigger franchise, but Disney isn't interested.

[@truthseek3017]

@@JeffJackowski Ohh i see.

[@jackielinde7568]

I remember playing the arcade game based on the movie a lot at Pistol Pete's Pizza in the late 80's. My high school marching band had a tradition of going there for pizza after a game, based on the tradition the director had from when he attended ASU and was in their marching band. (I know this, because I would go on to attend ASU in the early 90's and enjoyed the same traditions as he did.)

[@jamesgalimo1007]

For my 8th birthday party, in 1983, I remember having a sleepover with a few of my friends, my mother rented a VCR, this movie, and A New Hope (which back then we just called Star Wars.) Disks of Tron is still one of my favorite arcade games.

[@aldusxenon]

Loved this so much! Was a huge fan of Tron as a kid. The opening was hilarious and so was the Jonathan Frakes montage. Thanks for making me smile, Dan & Producer Greg!

[@emerje0]

Anyone else disappointed that Dan wasn't wearing a Tron suit when the ad ended?

[@echotransformer]

Dan, you Producer Greg and your team are a gift to the internet. Amazing writing and energy, this made my day.

[@pong86r]

i love Tron so much, but every time i've shared it with people, i'm reminded of how far it is from being a high-action, sci-fi movie.

[@fireguyCO]

I remember seeing TRON at a 99 cent theatre. My family dropped me off and there were probably two or three other people in the theatre. I was really happy to had seen this because I never saw anything like it. When TRON: Legacy came out I went and saw it the day it came out. I felt a big part of my childhood came back when I saw it and enjoyed it too. I really hope we get a third installment soon.

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

That was great info on Tron! I love Tron & didn't expect to learn anything new. The origin story was news to me. Thanks!

[@PapaGord_csc]

Loved it Dan! Tron still holds a very special place in my heart. Trying to track down a Shreddies mini frisbee to add to the collection.

[@KenoshiAkai]

I love TRON. Saw it in the theater when I was a kid and fell in love with its look and feel. And I especially loved the music. I got the soundtrack on cassette tape and played it to death. It was such a thrill when it finally came out on CD.

[@FutureAlien]

Thanks for including Tron 2.0 - regardless of its decanonization, I still believe it was a better Tron story than the second film, while also being a great game with some neat innovations.

[@LanceCorporal_Waffles]

Daft Punk was robbed at the Oscar’s for their Tron Legacy soundtrack. They deserved it to win.

[@chindleymuffin]

Joe Trapanese did 90% of the music for Tron Legacy, Daft Punk barely did any music for it in general. The intro music for the movie was done by Joe Trapanese, he doesn't get nearly enough credit. Any orchestral pieces you hear were done by Joe, the rest was "enhanced" by Daft Punk.

[@mikhalgren3391]

Tron Legacy soundtrack is Daft Punk's Magnum Opus. Amazing 👏

[@billkeithchannel]

The soundtrack was the only redeeming thing about that abomination known as TRON: Legacy.

[@IRONMAN245]

I’m continually kicking myself for not buying those light disks years ago in Toys R Us. They’re on eBay for like $300. Not that I would ever sell it but who knew the value? 🤦🏾‍♂️😢

[@Kansas462]

TRON: Uprising is criminally unappreciated. Every frame is a piece of art.

[@ZephrusPrime]

It was really! I liked the art style and it had some story.

[@theaaroncarruthers]

A staple of my childhood Christmas tv viewing growing up.

[@robbiewabisabi]

My absolute favorite film in my childhood. I just went to a screening last week and met Cindy "Yori" Morgan, who signed the Widescreen Laserdisc and was just a lovely person. When I was younger, I thought the entire film was made inside a computer, only to learn later about the multilayer animation techniques, which actually seem far more difficult. Great vid and GREETINGS PROGRAMS!

[@jasonblalock4429]

Holy shit that box office list from 1982. That is an absolutely INSANE lineup of movies to be going up against. Although it is pretty sad that even The Sword & The Sorcerer out-performed it. Also the look on the kid's face at 10:03 is absolutely priceless. Like something from an Omega Mart ad.

[@mightyfilm]

Remember for years the biggest reference to Tron was that Simpsons episode where Homer compared it to the weird CGI dimension he was trapped in, and all the characters said they never saw it? It has a much bigger influence on pop culture going forward. That's the power of cult cinema.

[@MakotoKamui]

Saw Tron as a kid, and it helped make me become a computer programmer. And oddly enough, I got Matrix on DVD when I started my first job as a video game developer!

[@FlynnsArcade1]

Greetings programs... Welcome to the Grid!

[@BaronVonHardcharger]

I love Tron, but this video made me realize I had only seen it in 4:3 bad tv edits. I went back and watched it on Disney + in widescreen and it was wonderful! Thanks for the reminders about such things, lads! :D

[@calliope1868]

TRON is my favorite movie ever. I am only 14, but it sticks with me. The first movie I ever saw in theaters was tron:legacy. This year I gave my dad a tron:legacy vinyl. Last year I was CEO of a robotics team, and had my friends in the club watch both the original and legacy, because, you know, its kind of relevant, the teacher who helped us, our mentor, was prompted to learn how to code because of TRON. It's overall very important to me.

[@ibarzabal]

I loved Tron when I was a kid, and I think it still holds up pretty well...

[@choo_choo_]

Man, Tron is one of my favorite movies of all time. I pretty much quote it and Legacy multiple times a week. Hell, I'll even throw out a "Greetings, programs!" from time to time when greeting friends or family. It's one of a handful of films that inspired me to pursue a career in 3d graphics and animation, and I'm happy to say that those dreams came to fruition. I was lucky enough to see a bunch of Syd Mead's art and meet the guy a few years before he passed when he and his art were exhibited at my school. It was amazing to see the art for some of my favorite movies so close and in person.

[@sansfangirl4life439]

As a fan of Kingdom Hearts, it was my first introduction to Tron, yet the idea of it piqued my interest. I searched long and hard at our library until i borrowed a copy and instantly fell in love with it. just a few short years later, me and my sister were sitting in a movie theater, waiting for a movie to begin when a trailer started. The trailer wasn't to impressive......then the Disney logo appeared, flashing lights and all...then....the Recognizer showed up, looming over a person. Me and my sister lost our collective shit when we saw that. Tron Legacy is still a favorite of ours, and Daft Punk can do no wrong when it comers to that soundtrack

[@AutisticPhantomOtaku]

I don't know if you'll see this, but there are three bits of information that you forgot to mention: 1. Characters from Tron and Tron uprising appeared in the crossover RPG mobile game, Disney Heroes: Battle Mode. 2. There was a world based off Tron uprising in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, which was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, and later packaged with Kingdom Hearts 2.8 for the PlayStation 4. 3. There's talk about a cabinet for Tron from Arcade1up, but nothing is confirmed yet.

[@5stardave]

Tron was one of only 2 movies I saw 5 days in a row in the theater. The other was The Empire Strikes Back (it was considered episode II not V back then).

[@LakeLyfe315]

Tron Uprising is an extremely underrated animated series. It deserved a lot more episodes especially with the endless possibilities of story lines available in the Tron universe.

[@wstine79]

I remember seeing clips of the electric bike race and the racquetball scene on a Disney VHS compilation tape in the mid-80s. Definitely one of my favorites as well as the sequel

[@5roundsrapid263]

I remember watching Tron on Disney’s syndicated weekend movie slot one Saturday. It blew my young mind!

[@kjemradio]

When they released the 20th anniversary DVD, they included so many wonderful things on how TRON was made (including an extensive documentary). There were three major companies involved with the CGI. MAGI (created the tech called Synthavision), Robert Able and Associates and Triple I. Also the cels were hand painted and air brushed by some of the best ink and painters (many went on to films like Monster's Inc.) of the time. Fun fact. Harrison Elenshaw's dad was a very famous matte painter, and Harrison himself is just as talented.

[@dale3852]

Troon is like a good wine getting more mature and vintage.and rightly so. I was born in 68 and this was for my age group.way ahead of its time.the work on this is amazing etc Dan and team....well done/good production again 🇬🇧👍

[@fen4554]

I played Tron 2.0 when I was maybe 16 or 17... And I was obsessed with the original film, so I had an amazing time. The level design, weapons, music and even story were top notch.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Tron was also the first film to use the Internet during production. Disney had a data line installed from a supercomputer in New York to their Burbank studios to download the CGI every day. Otherwise, it would have to be mailed on a film reel!

[@stratoplayer1988]

Also, Tron got a roller coaster ride at Shanghai Disneyland, and will coming to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 2022!

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

I would love to see a modern suite of games based on the Tron universe, with competitive, co-operative, and single-player options. I feel like there's got to be something that can be done in VR, too. Also, thanks for making me aware of Cosmic Cartoon. ;D

[@adamcahn82]

Without a doubt one of the most underrated movies of the 80’s and the effects still hold up today.

[@lordsauron3979]

It would be amazing and appreciated if the Academy finally awarded the movie 'Tron' with a special Oscar for visual effects pioneering.

[@Summertimeblues28]

I remember being disappointed with the original movie when I first saw it as a little kid. Now I can appreciate it.

[@gnohman8580]

I didn't know I needed a retrospective history on Tron but I enjoyed every moment of it. Tron was the first movie I can remember seeing. It was at a Kraft foods employee party and they had a reel of it projecting onto a wall in a hallway with some chairs set up for people to watch it. I was maybe 2 or 3 at the time

[@fullmetalpancake9722]

A kid I knew had a Tron videogame where you fought Recognizers. You held it like it was a set of binoculars, and it was kind of in 3D. It was pretty cool.

[@kazuhasgloves]

Man, I absolutely love Tron and yes, it's because of Daft Punk.

[@mrdorf2784]

Watched Tron as a kid. I didn’t understand what was going on but was wowed by the visuals. Just amazing!

[@OzzieAstaroth]

I loved Tron as a kid. I watched the VHS so many times that it wore out. The movie inspired me to enter a career in computer technology. I remember listening to the read-along cassette tape and looking at all the images in the book. I had an Intellivison and played most of the Tron related games. I always felt like there should have been more since it lends itself to video games quite a bit. We wouldn't get more games until 2.0 and Legacy but they were good and fun. I just wish it had all kept going. It lost momentum and seems to have not been able to pick it back up again.

[@Duraltia]

Man... *TRON* sure was a childhood defining movie for me :° Also loved the *TRON 2.0* game... Sad to hear it not being considered canon 😪

[@xonox_868]

not even sure how many times ive watched this, im positive as a kid i ruined a tape from the video store because i rented it so often.

[@NeioGeo]

Tron has been the single defining style of my life. The neon-lit colors on a black background, the videogame aesthetic, and that soundtrack that could only be produced in their respective times, have always resonated with me in a way I can't even describe. It just defines me. I remember watching the original on the original Disney Channel (when the Disney Channel had their own "trailer voice guy", remember him?) when I was 8, and just being so blown away by it, that I made my own Tron costume that Halloween. When Legacy came out, I was floored by the presentation, which I believe, to this day, has not been matched in IMAX 3D. I just wished the story and the events were more fleshed out and unrestrained, since you can tell they wanted to go hardcore epic, but decided not to. Tron will always have that "what if" factor attached to it, and will no doubt pop up every time a new generational leap has been made in film...so here's to waiting on the next one.

[@WrenPhoenix]

Great episode you guys, thanks for dropping this kind of great content onto youtube.

[@Kyvid]

How does this channel still only have 286k subscribers!?! Amazing content!! Crazy to think how much goes into animation especially back then and even today.

[@oddcreatureX]

Had the yellow light cycle as a kid and it was amazing!

[@VisualOrchestra]

I'll always remember the very first VHS tape my family bought as a kid; Tron in one of the original top-loader VCR's that my parents probably spent a fortune on. Great time to be alive.

[@floworcrash]

I forced my parents to rent Tron over and over when I was a kid. It's a huge reason I got into Sci-fi and gaming. I adore it.

[@alen7480]

6:06 Love the Xanadu reference.

[@Mateo_Esteban]

I love tron, just rewatched it over the weekend, is it dated yes, but still a great watch

[@martinfisher3625]

I LOVE this movie. 40 years a fan and it still has the same magic every time I watch it. I’m also lucky enough to call some of film crew friends and I own some production used prices too 😊

[@tipulsar85]

While I would first see Tron Roughly a decade after theatrical release on a Commercial Free Disney Channel, it would take another Decade for me to not only see it a second time but also to own it on any format in the 20th anniversary edition. I would come to treasure it along side a film made only 2 years later with similar Arcade roots, The Last Starfighter.

[@gaz9556]

As a kid me and my friend had the option to watch tron or ET at the cinema, we saw tron and I have no regrets

[@BlueLionNotOfPercy]

Xanadu was the first movie I ever rented on VHS. Damn, I'm old.

[@Trenchbroom]

Xanadu is more of a time warp then Tron! Greek muse and an LP cover artist team up with Gene Kelly to make a roller disco? Love it.

[@HappyBirthdayRoboto]

The director of this movie said in an interview for the twentieth anniversary that making it was like driving a car with an unknown quantity of gas, in an undefined direction, searching for something they didn't know where to find! When they started this project they had no idea how to do the effects or if the money would last. The car metaphor is also one about life, nothing in life is guaranteed and we have no idea how things will turn out, sometimes you just got to keep going.

[@StorytimewithMayLynn]

Animalympics seemingly played every weekend on HBO when I was a kid in the 80s

[@JohnKelly2]

I saw Tron in the theater in 1982 when I was 7. The next year, I saw WarGames. Today I'm a software testing consultant and I owe that to both of those movies.

[@lsgreger2645]

If Tron only had Gene Kelly leading a musical finale on roller-skates, it would definitely done better at the box office!

[@jerry7663]

Thanks for this video. I was nine when Tron came out. Saw it in the theater. Owned the toys. I watch Tron at least twice a year. Have two Tron t shirts I wear as a middle ager. It's one of my all time favorite movies and franchises.