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Tron
Franchise logo
Created by	Steven Lisberger Bonnie MacBird
Original work	Tron (1982)
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Years	1982–present
Films and television
Film(s)	Tron (1982) Tron: Legacy (2010) Tron: Ares (2025)
Short film(s)	Tron: The Next Day (2011)
Animated series	Tron: Uprising (2012–2013)
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)	Tron (1982) Tron: Legacy (2010) Tron: Legacy Reconfigured (2011) Tron: Uprising (2013) Tron: Ares (2025)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)	ElecTRONica Tron Lightcycle Power Run

Tron is an Americanscience fictionmedia franchise created bySteven Lisberger andBonnie MacBird, first introduced with the 1982 filmTron. The series primarily takes place within "the Grid", a series of digitalvirtual realities wherecomputer programs exist as sentient entities. Many of these programs resemble their human creators, known asUsers, and are often forced to compete in lethal gladiatorial contests. The title refers to the central characterTron, a self-governingsecurity program designed to defend the Grid's system in the original film.

Produced and distributed byWalt Disney Pictures, the franchise currently comprises three feature films:Tron (1982),Tron: Legacy (2010), andTron: Ares (2025). The series has expanded into multiple forms of media, includingnovels,comic books,video games,soundtrack albums, and theme park attractions. It also inspired the animated television seriesTron: Uprising, which aired onDisney XD from 2012 to 2013.^[1]

TheTron films are frequently cited for their innovative achievements in visual effects, sound design, and electronic music.^[2] Despite mixed reviews from critics, theTron franchise attainedcult status, with the original film receiving particular recognition for its distinctive visual style and pioneering use of earlycomputer-generated imagery.^[3] The films have collectively grossed $600 million at the worldwide box office.

EachTron film introduces a distinct digital virtual reality, all of which are collectively known as "the Grid". In all of these systems, programs exist as sentient entities, many of which resemble their human creators, known as Users, and are frequently compelled to participate in deadly gladiatorial contests. Each program carries an identity disc, which functions as a record of its experiences within the Grid and can also be used as a weapon. The Grid features a variety of distinct elements, including vehicles, weapons, and ships, such aslight cycles and recognizers. Programs may be destroyed through "deresolution", which means the program is deleted by dissolving intopixels.^[4]

Depicted in the originalTron andTron: Ares, the ENCOM Grid was created as theoperating system of ENCOM International.

Depicted inTron: Legacy andTron: Uprising, the Flynn Grid was created by Kevin Flynn after his experience within the original 1982 ENCOM Grid. Flynn created the second system on a private server located beneath his arcade. Intended to be a virtualutopia with an intricate city design, the Flynn Grid is vastly more complex in existence and function. This Grid spontaneously gave rise to a unique class of self-generating programs called Isomorphic Algorithms, or ISOs. The Grid features a dark atmosphere and translucent shades of blue, green, teal, and white.

Depicted inTron: Ares, the Dillinger Grid was created by Dillinger Systems and is bathed in shades of red, black, and gray.

Kevin Flynn, a geniussoftware programmer andvideo game developer, seeks to expose Ed Dillinger, an executive at his former employer ENCOM, for stealing his game designs. While attempting to retrieve evidence of the theft from the company's computer system, Flynn is digitized and transported into the Grid, a virtual environment governed by the authoritarianMaster Control Program (MCP). Within this digital realm, he joins forces withTron—a security program created by Flynn's colleague Alan Bradley—to challenge the MCP's domination and restore freedom to the system. After destroying the MCP, Flynn returns to the real world with proof of Dillinger's plagiarism and is reinstated as ENCOM's new CEO.

Tron was written and directed bySteven Lisberger, with a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird, and features music composed byWendy Carlos. The film starsJeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn,Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley and Tron,Cindy Morgan,Dan Shor, andDavid Warner as all three main antagonists: the programSark, his User Ed Dillinger, and the voice of theMaster Control Program (MCP).

Set 27 years after the events of the first film, the story follows Sam Flynn, the adult son of Kevin Flynn, who has become the largest shareholder of ENCOM following his father's mysterious disappearance in 1989. While investigating his father's abandoned arcade and office, Sam discovers a concealed computer terminal and is unexpectedly transported into the Grid. Within the Grid, Sam reunites with his long-lost father, who has been trapped there for over two decades after being betrayed by his digital counterpart, Clu. Together with warrior Quorra, an Isomorphic Algorithm and the last of her kind, they embark on a mission to prevent Clu from invading the real world. The film concludes with Kevin sacrificing himself to reintegrate with Clu, destroying them both and allowing Sam and Quorra to escape back to reality.

Tron: Legacy was directed byJoseph Kosinski in his feature filmdirectorial debut, produced by Lisberger, written byAdam Horowitz andEdward Kitsis, and features original music byDaft Punk.^[5][6][7] Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles as Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley, respectively, while also appearing indigitally de-aged forms as their program counterparts, Clu and Tron. The film also starsGarrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn,Olivia Wilde as Quorra,James Frain,Beau Garrett, andMichael Sheen.

Set fifteen years after the events of the second film, ENCOM and rival corporation Dillinger Systems—led by Julian Dillinger, grandson of Ed Dillinger—compete to bring digital constructs into the physical world. A sophisticated program named Ares is sent by Julian Dillinger from the digital realm into reality on a dangerous mission, marking humanity's first contact with artificial intelligences from the Grid. Ares, however, betrays Dillinger's command and aligns with Eve Kim, the new CEO of ENCOM who took over after Sam Flynn left the company for personal reasons, and together attempt to locate Kevin Flynn's Permanence Code, a key line ofcoding enabling digital beings to exist in the real world permanently.

Tron: Ares was directed byJoachim Rønning, written by Jesse Wigutow, and features original music byNine Inch Nails. The film starsJared Leto as Ares,Greta Lee as Eve Kim,Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger,Jodie Turner-Smith,Hasan Minhaj,Arturo Castro,Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn.

Theshort film titledTron: The Next Day, chronologically taking place one day after the events ofTron: Legacy, was included in all home media releases ofLegacy; distributed byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on April 5, 2011. The film, in addition to dealing with the immediate aftermath ofLegacy, explores events that occurred between the events of the original film and its sequel.

Boxleitner and Hedlund reprise their roles as Alan Bradley and Sam Flynn, as well asDan Shor returning as Roy Kleinberg from the first film.^[8][9]

In March 2010, Disney announced that an animated television series, entitledTron: Uprising, was in production. Set between the first and second films.Uprising explores Tron's attempts at mentoring new programs and forming a revolution against Clu. The premiere aired on June 7, 2012, on Disney XD.^[1] The series was cancelled after 19 episodes with the last episode airing on January 28, 2013.

In 2005, animation directorCiro Nieli was given the opportunity to develop an animated TV series based onTron. Nieli, who is best known for 2012'sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, had previously created the seriesSuper Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! for Disney. However, plans for theTron series ultimately fell through. According to Nieli, the pitch for theTron series was reworked from a previous original concept of his known as "Powercade", featuring two kids who inherit electrical powers, accompanied by a creature named "Glitch".^[10]

A live action television series was in development byJohn Ridley as aDisney+ exclusive, before the project was shelved.^[11]

Academy Awards

From 1982 to 1995,Tron was featured inDisneyland'sPeopleMover attraction, as part ofThe World of Tron, in which the light cycle sequence from the film was projected around park guests as their vehicle passed through a tunnel on the upper level of the Carousel Theater, placing the PeopleMover in the role of a light cycle. The attraction was known as PeopleMover Thru the World ofTron after this sequence was added. From 1977 to 1982, this segment was previously home to the "SuperSpeed Tunnel," in which race cars were projected around the vehicles.

In 2010, theEpcot Monorail on theWalt Disney World Monorail System receivedwrap advertisements featuring blue and yellow light cycles on either side of the train to promoteTron: Legacy.

ElecTRONica was announced on the Disney Parks Blog forDisney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Disney's ElecTRONica is an interactive nighttime dance party in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. It is a similar experience to Glow Fest, but with a focus onTron: Legacy. ElecTRONica features lights, lasers, music, and projections to promote the film. On October 29, 2010, the nighttime showWorld of Color began soft-openings, which included aTron: Legacy-themed encore usingDaft Punk's original music fromthe soundtrack and new effects and projections on various Paradise Pier attractions. The segment was added on November 1, 2010, and ended on March 23, 2011. ElecTRONica ended on April 15, 2012, and was replaced byMad T Party.

In 2016, a roller coaster calledTron Lightcycle Power Run opened inShanghai Disneyland.^[28] Guests board single-seatmotorbike roller coasters modeled after light cycles and manufactured byVekoma. A cloned version of the ride opened atMagic Kingdom inWalt Disney World on April 3, 2023.^[29][30][31]

A novelization ofTron was released in 1982, written by American science fiction novelistBrian Daley. It included eight pages of color photographs from the movie.^[32] Also that year, Disney Senior Staff Publicist Michael Bonifer authored a book entitledThe Art of Tron which covered aspects of the pre-production and post-production aspects ofTron.^[33][34] To support the film's release in 1982, Disney also published several books targeting children, includingTron: A Pop-Up Book,Tron: The Storybook, andThe Story of Tron, a book and audio combination (with either 33 RPM 7 inch record or audio cassette).

A nonfiction book about the making of the original film, calledThe Making of Tron: How Tron Changed Visual Effects and Disney Forever was published in 2011 and written by William Kallay.

In 2010, to coincide with the release ofTron: Legacy, a range of new books have been released; including a range of junior novels –Tron: The Junior Novel by Alice Alfonsi,Tron: Legacy – Derezzed by James Gelsey,Tron: Legacy – Out of the Dark by Tennant Redbank,Tron: Legacy – It's Your Call: Initiate Sequence by Carla Jablonski. Additional books includeThe Art of Tron: Legacy by Justin Springer, Joseph Kosinski, and Darren Gilford, andTron Legacy: The Movie Storybook by James Ponti.

To support the release of the film in 1982, Disney briefly ran a Sunday comic strip adaptation of the film. It was part of the umbrella seriesWalt Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales and it was written by Jeannette Steiner with art by Richard Moore.

In 2003, 88 MPH solicited a miniseries titledTron 2.0: Derezzed. This comic was canceled before any issues were released.

In 2005,Slave Labor Graphics announced its six-issue miniseries,Tron: The Ghost in the Machine. The first issue was released in April 2006, the second issue in November of the same year. The comic book explores the concept of making a backup copy of a User within the computer system, and how that artificial intelligence might be materialized into the real world. The comic book was written by Landry Walker and Eric Jones, with art in the first two issues by Louie De Martinis. The artist on the last three issues was Mike Shoykhet.

The comic from Slave Labor Graphics opens with a detailed history of theTron universe, providing this previously unseen background on the events that allowed Ed Dillinger and the MCP to rise to power:

In the early 1970s, a small engineering company called ENCOM introduced a revolutionary type of software designed to direct and streamline the transfer of data between networked machines. Ed Dillinger, the lead programmer on this project, realized the enormous potential of his team's creation and secretly encoded a secondary function to be activated upon installation: to copy the sub-routines of other programs and absorb their functions. This alteration allowed Dillinger to appropriate research and claim it as his own, and he rose quickly through ENCOM’s corporate ranks. This was the beginning of the Master Control Program.

Marvel Comics released a two issue miniseries entitledTron: Betrayal in October 2010. The story takes place a year after the original film.^[35] In January 2011, to coincide with the release of the sequelTron: Legacy, Marvel also released a new comic book adaptation of the original 1982 film.Tron: Original Movie Adaptation was written byPeter David with art by Mirco Pierfederici.

A manga version ofTron: Legacy was released byEarth Star Entertainment in Japan on June 30, 2011.

As video games are a key element in the films, various games based onTron have been produced over the years.Atari initially had plans to develop aSpace Paranoids adaptation, but this was canceled due to thevideo game crash of 1983. A complete list of the released video games, follows.

• TomyTronic Tron (1981):Takara Tomy released a tabletopVFD video game^[36] comprising three mini-games based on sequences in the movie, including: light cycles, disc combat (with elements of the movie's "Ring Game"/"Hyperball"), and attacking the MCP. The game predates the release of the movie by about a year.Grandstand distributed this game in the UK.^{[37][38][39][40]}
• Tron (1982): Developed byMidway Games as anarcade game, gameplay consisted of four mini-games based on sequences in the film. This game earned more than the film's initial box office release.^[41]
• Tron: Deadly Discs /Tron: Maze-a-Tron /Tron: Solar Sailer (1982): Three distinct games, developed byMattel Electronics for theMattel Intellivision game console.^{[42][43][44][45]} andTron: Solar Sailer.^[46][47]Deadly Discs was later ported to theAtari 2600.Tron: Maze-a-Tron was later released on the Mattel Intellivision and the Atari 2600, with a new title ofAdventures of Tron.^[48] A version was also released for the short-livedMattel Aquarius home computer. An official joystick resembling theTron arcade game joystick was also created as a free giveaway in a special pack that included both Atari 2600Tron video games.^{[citation needed]}
• TomyTutor Tron (1983): Developed by Tomy, for theTomy Tutor home computer. However, the release only had theTron moniker in Japan. The game was released stateside with the title,Hyperspace.^[49]
• Discs of Tron (1983): Developed by Midway Games as a sequel to their initial release, the gameplay focuses on the disc-combat from the film.^[50]
• Tron 2.0 (2003): APC game sequel released forWindows andMacintosh. In thisfirst-person shooter game, the player takes the part of Alan Bradley's son Jet, who is pulled into the computer world to fight a computer virus. A version of this game was later ported to theXbox and re-titled,Tron 2.0 Killer App. It features additional multiplayer modes. An almost completely different game of the same name is also available for theGame Boy Advance, where Tron and a Light Cycle program named Mercury (first seen inTron 2.0 for the PC) fight their way through the ENCOM computer to stop a virus called The Corruptor. This game includes light cycle, battle tank, and recognizer battle modes, several security-related minigames, and the arcade gamesTron andDiscs of Tron. While the Game Boy Advance game is only minimally connected to the PC game, one of the 100 unlockable chips shows a picture of Jet Bradley.
• Virtual Magic Kingdom (2005): Developed byWalt Disney Parks and Resorts andSulake Corporation Ltd., and distributed The Walt Disney Company as anonline massive multiplayer game, for Microsoft Windows andApple MacOs X PCs. The game includes a room based onTron and featuring Recognizers and the Master Control Program (MCP). Multiple furniture items were inspired by elements of the films, with Light Cycle Chairs, Tank Chairs, aTron Arcade Game Cabinet, Sark's Red suit, and Tron's Blue suit.VMK is closed as of May 21, 2008. Popular among fans, players attempted protesting the eventual shutdown of the game.Virtual Magic Kingdom was officially closed and discontinued on April 7, 2008.^[51]
• Kingdom Hearts II (2005): Developed bySquare Enix Product Development Division 1 and distributed bySquare Enix, the game features anaction role-playing genre for the SonyPlayStation 2. Tron appears in the "Space Paranoids" level of the game, featuring elements from the fictional video game from the movie, alongside otherTron characters including Commander Sark and the Master Control Program (MCP).^[52] The game was laterremastered andexpanded with later editions released on Sony:PlayStation 3, andPlayStation 4; and Microsoft: Xbox One game consoles. The game, alongside the various otherKingdom Hearts games, received critical acclaim.^[53]
• Space Paranoids (2009): Developed by 42 Entertainment, a limited number of eight real-life arcade machines based on the games from the original movie, during the 2009San Diego Comic-Con. The machines were placed in a recreated Flynn's Arcade near the center of the convention. The gameplay includes a goal of defeating levels, while achieving as many points as possible by destroying Recognizers. The maximum number of points a person can achieve is 999 000 pts. This is reference to the score Flynn reached in the film, and is a record currently held by the gamer with the initials FLN. The controls consist of a pilot-like joystick and a ball, which moves the turret and tank.
• Tron: Evolution (2010): Developed byPropaganda Games and released as a tie-in video game and based onTron: Legacy, available onMicrosoft Windows for a PC,PlayStation 3,PlayStation Portable, andXbox 360 game consoles. The gameplay is anaction adventure genre game, that features athird person camera perspective, and heavily references the film. The game developers touted that a player of the game would understand the movie on a deeper degree.^[54][55]
• Tron Evolution: Battle Grids (2010): Developed byn-Space Inc. and distributed byDisney Interactive Studios, as aNintendo exclusive for theirWii andDS game consoles. The plot, which takes place beforeLegacy, includes a device where the user creates their own 'program' character, who meets and interacts with Quorra and Tron.
• Epic Mickey (2010): Developed byJunction Point Studios and distributed by Disney Interactive Studios, the title features aplatform gameplay style. Inspired by and based on The Walt Disney Company history, the game features variousTron elements in itsTomorrow City level. Spatter enemies wear the red suits of Sark's minions, while one of the robotic Beetleworx of the area has a light cycle-inspired torso. The boss of the level is Petetronic, a version ofPete in the style of Sark. To beat Petetronic, the player must deflect his disc attacks and change his circuitry colors to blue, which shuts down his villainous coding. The character becomes a Master Control Program, in the alternate ending of the game. The game earned average to good critical reviews.^[56]
• Disney Universe (2011): Developed byEurocom and distributed by Disney Interactive Studios for the Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 game consoles, as well as Microsoft Windows for PCs. The title genre, is aco-operativeaction-adventureplatform gameplay. Abstract versions ofTron: Legacy characters appear during the plot.Disney Universe was met with mixed critical reception.^[57][58] The game was later remastered for the PlayStation 3, and is available via thePlayStation Store.
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (2012): Developed bySquare Enix 1st Production Department and distributed by Square Enix, the title is an action role-playing video game released on theNintendo 3DS game console. Elements from the films included in the plot, include a level named The Grid, inspired by and featuring elements fromTron: Legacy; and features the characters Kevin Flynn, Sam Flynn, Quorra, CLU, Rinzler, and the Black Guards.^[59][60][61] The game was met with positive critical reception.^[62] The game was ported and included in theKingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue re-release, as well as theKingdom Hearts: The Story So Far and theKingdom Hearts: All-in-One-Packagecollection bundles for the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One game consoles.^[63][62]
• Disney Infinity (2013–2016): Developed byAvalanche Software and distributed by Disney Interactive Studios for the Microsoft: Xbox 360 and Xbox One; Nintendo: 3DS, Wii, andWii U; Sony: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, andPlayStation Vita; as well as Microsoft Windows for PCs,Apple iOS foriPhones,Android, andApple TV for Apple products. The title features anaction-adventuretoys-to-life-sandbox genre, with elements and characters unlocked through purchasing the various physicalfigurines andaction figures to interact with the game. The plot includes severalTron-based items: the Identity Disc (weapon pack), Light Runner (ground vehicle), Recognizer (aerial vehicle), and three Power Discs (including: User Control for increased experience, the Grid skydome, and TRON terrain). In theDisney Infinity 3.0 expansion, Sam Flynn and Quorra were added as purchasable/playable characters, with the Light Cycle.^[64] The game was met with positive critical reception.^[65][66] Despite the game's popularity, Avalanche Software was closed and the franchise ultimately retired on May 11, 2016.^[67]
• Tron: RUN/r (2016): Developed bySanzaru Games and distributed by Disney Interactive Studios, available on theSony PlayStation 4 andMicrosoft Xbox One game consoles, as well as onMicrosoft Windows for a PC. The gameplay genre is anaction-arcadeendless runner game, and was met with mixed critical reception.^[68][69]
• Fortnite Battle Royale (2017): Developed and published byEpic Games forPC,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S,Nintendo Switch,Nintendo Switch 2, andAndroid. The game is part of theBattle Royale genre. In Chapter 2 – Season 5, multipleTron themed cosmetic items were introduced to the game's Item Shop. These included 10 different characters wearing the outfit worn by Grid Warriors inTron: Legacy, an Identity Disc Back Bling and Pickaxe, and a Light Cycle glider. The cosmetic items were introduced on February 11, 2021, and could be purchased with V-Bucks, the in-game currency. The characters were brought into theFortnite universe by Agent John Jones via the Zero Point, and were recruited to prevent anyone from escaping "The Loop".
• Tron: Identity (2023): Developed by Bithell Games. Described as avisual novel adventure, the title follows Query, a detective program that must solve an unprecedented crime in The Grid. The game was released in April 2023 on PC^[70] and Switch.^[71]
• Tron: Catalyst (2025): Developed again by Bithell Games and published byBig Fan Games (Devolver Digital). An isometric action-adventure game that is a sequel toTron: Identity.^[72]

Light cycles were originally fictional vehicles designed bySyd Mead for the simulated world of theTron universe. Five real-life replica light cycles were created by Parker Brothers Concepts in Florida, one of which was sold by Sotheby's for a reported $77,000.^[73][74][a]

These futuristic two-wheeled vehicles resemble motorcycles and create walls of colored light. The vehicles were primarily used in a competition between humanoid computer programs, similar to the 1976 arcade gameBlockade, which was the first of a genre calledsnake. Players are in constant motion on a playfield, creating a wall of light behind them as they move. If players hit a wall, their light cycle explodes, placing them out of the game; the last player in the game wins. Since the original display inTron, there have been numerous adaptations, as well as references in popular culture.

A light cycle toy, in red and yellow versions, was produced by Tomy as part of the merchandising for theTron film, along with action figures scaled to fit inside the toy cycles.Bootleg versions of Tomy's design were produced by other toy manufacturers that came in a wide variety of colors, including blue and silver, but were noticeably smaller than the Tomy-produced toy, too small in fact to accommodate one of the Tomy action figures.^[75]

Light cycles make a return inTron: Legacy,^[76][77] with new designs byDaniel Simon.^[78] According to the press conference at Comic-Con 2009, a new vehicle appears called a "Light Runner," a two-seat version of the light cycle. It is said to be very fast, and has the unique ability to go off the grid on its own power. We also get a glimpse at Kevin Flynn's own cycle, a "Second Generation Light Cycle" designed in 1989 by Flynn and "rumor has it it's still the fastest thing on the grid." It incorporates some of the look of both films.^[79]

The video gameTron: Evolution, which is set between the events ofTron andTron: Legacy, features light cycles in sections of the single-player mode and in certain game maps for the multiplayer mode. Light cycle use in multiplayer gives players the option to shift back and forth between cycle and foot travel at will, and provides multiple attack and defensive options beyond the classic "boxing in" of an opponent. In addition, the light cycles ofEvolution can pass through their own light trails (and the trails of allied players) unharmed.

A more classic interpretation of the light cycle game is shown in the video gameTron: Evolution – Battle Grids, which is primarily based on offline multi- or single-player matches. These light cycle battles do not allow the player to pass through their own trail, but do allow passage through teammates' trails. There is also no option to travel on foot.

ATron: Legacy themedLego Ideas set with two Lightcycles was released in 2018.

• Golden age of arcade video games

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