This blog post has taken a year to write. I wish I had the excuse that I was trapped in a computer world mistaken as a program as to why I didn't ever get to post this, but I don't. It was a little less than a year ago that I started writing this after coming back from Comic con and being blown away by the announcement and footage of Tron 2.
Yes, Tron 2. You know, the sequel to Tron, the 1980's awesome Disney movie that used Visual FX and introduced the world to the inside of a computer. You may know it from the recent South Park episode that parodied Facebook.
In any case, much like this blog post, the film has gone through a lot of change in that year. Back then there was basic film test footage shown. Things have grown and evolved. Just look at the new logo. If you can look past how awesome the rest of it is.
Last year at comic con Disney released a small clip that was filled with the test footage of what was at the time called TR2N. The sequel to a movie from a computer centric film of the 80's that not many people seen. I loved it. I'm a nerd so that goes without saying. Since that footage was shown the only way to see it was on a very poor quality youtube video for at least 9 months. It was worth the wait to see a much better quality of it.
I'll give you a second to go and change your under pants. You back yet? So what is this all about? Yes, it's the Dude chilling in a computer. Jeff Bridges. Award winning actor now even though he does finish most of his sentences with "Man". It's jut his thing and it may very well tie the room together, man. Jeff Bridge's character is Kevin Flynn. A computer programer that is a master at arcade games. Oh yes, this man sure plays characters I want to be.
The teaser wasn't the only treat for the fans at Con last year. In the original film, Kevin Flynn ran his own arcade. Flynn's. So in true fashion Disney actually built a replica of the arcade in the gas lamp district. In it was working arcade machines and it was completely free. After a couple of minutes.. well, let's just let the video show you.
Fake wall letting you go behind the scenes and see the new updated lightcycle. That was pretty damn amazing in itself! How could you not be drooling over all this stuff? So if you still don't know what this film is about, here's the quick sum up.
"TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous."The release date of December can't come soon enough in my opinion. Though around Comic con time I always say things can't come soon enough. It's just me getting really excited for all the projects that are popping up in the pipeline, is all.
How could you NOT get excited, especially when the latest trailer for this came out and it looks like this. Just listen to the end on how that sound is just popping. It really is going to blow your average movie theater sound system out to hell.
The cherry on top of all this is that Daft Punk is working on the Soundtrack. In fact, the music from both the SDCC arcade and Light Cycle reveal as well as the music in the new trailer are all done by Daft Punk. So with a new Tron film we're getting a new Daft Punk soundtrack.
If you didn't know who Daft Punk is, they're an electronic band that you most likely have heard.. in fact, even if you don't like electronic music, you heard them at least through Jay-Z remixing or adding random lyrics over their music. They're huge Tron fans and it's easy to tell from their outfits that they were inspired greatly by the film.
And as cool as those old Tron outfits may have been and what they inspired in the form of electronic music revolution, they did need an update. You wouldn't be surfing the internet on your old IBM, right? Much like the programs in the film, everything needed an update to the modern day. Fashion included.
Just compare the old and new styles of clothing and the look of the grid where all these programs reside. You have the Old and Busted
Then the New Hotness.
That shot alone is worth a thousand words. I mean, I want to lose weight so I can put on a black tight spandex neon suit for Halloween and look like that. That's just cool looking. Yeah, sure. I do have a Threadless Tron jacket that I seem to wear all the time, but it doesn't scream out "coolness" like that shot of the suits does.....
Or does it?
Okay, no it doesn't. But at least you know who I am in a crowded night club or during a power outage. But the look of the film itself looks amazing. Perhaps it's due to that enjoyment of neon lights, but it looks slick.
Besides, tell me if this shot doesn't look all sorts of kick-ass cool
In case you're wondering, yes. That's 13 from House in a very skin tight black neon lit suit. What else could you ask for in a film? I mean, she's.... so.... HOT! Maybe it's just that I'm very much enjoying the look of short hair these days. Maybe it's because it's summer. Who knows. But tell me that this wouldn't make you turn gay.. cause, 13 is a lesbian and all.
Anyhow, back to the movie promotion of this film. On Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles, Disney literally bought up the rights to a billboard for the entire year and has made it a point to put up new billboards every month till the film is released. How do you like that, a year of promotion.
E3 this year also had a lot of push for this film. I imagine that later today will show a lot of Tron on the exhibit floor at the Disney Booth. They're making Tron their main focus. In a sense, they're hoping that it spins off the potential of a trilogy. Disney's John Lasseter grew up, much like Daft Punk, loving Tron. So since he's running the company now it's easy to see that he's going to put priority and major push on this project.
Then you have Comic con where all of San Diego is going crazy with posters and banners leading up to the comic book convention. Look at the following images and tell me that the Dude would not oblige to this;
That is why I love Jeff Bridges. Now if only he'll sign the stuff I sent him.. But that's for a different blog entry.
The whole gas lamp is going crazy with this and I'm loving it. That's my main focus this con. Tron. There's a lot to an online ARG game for the build up of this film and I can't wait to see how it plays out on the streets. I mean, they're busting up why I fell in love with the news of this film again.
You see, here we are one year later and sure enough, look at what awaits the public if they look closely enough in the Gas Lamp district...
The best damn arcade that you'll probably never step into. I just have to wonder what else they're going to be giving out. Last year they did a T-shirt that was either for the arcade or pushing the online Alternate Reality Game for Flynn Lives.
As well as offering tokens for the arcade games. The trick behind this place is, as you've seen in the first video of this blog,
A piece out of the film. I love it. Did you know that Disneyland, back in 1982, actually wanted to theme two Tomorrowland attractions around the original Tron film before it was even released. They wanted a Tron ride thru attraction that was going to replace the old Mission To Mars attraction. There was even talk about a second project. A Tron-themed arcade which would have been built in an unfinished area on the second floor of Tomorrowland's Starcade
We did get the sort of first one in the section of the People movers that you entered the world of Tron. Though considering the people mover is long since dead, that shouldn't count anymore. As for the arcade.. well, that's a bit more complicated.
You see, while it's some miracle that almost 30 years after the first movie a sequel is set to be released later this year, it should now come to no surprise that Disney is going to be milking it. The proposed Starcade Tron Arcade is in the pipeline.
Back then they wanted the following, the second floor of the starcade was to have been reconfigured so that it could then feature:
- An Audio Adventure Maze (Audio Exploration)
- An Electronic Playground (Physical Participation with Electronic Games)
- Mind Games (A Showcase of Computer Intelligence)
- 3-D TRON Adventure Game (Visual Exploration)
- Laser Hologram Game (Laser Light Exploration)
11:15-12:45 Walt Disney Pictures: TRON: Legacy— Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and convention that started it all, Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a special insider look at the upcoming TRON: Legacy. Panelists include filmmakers and talent from the film: director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger, and cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and Bruce Boxleitner. The discussion, moderated by Patton Oswalt, is set to include exclusive glimpses of the film, as well as a Q&A involving all panel participants, along with special surprise guests. Hall H
Categories: Movies | Science Fiction & Fantasy
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1 comment:
Tron Legacy is really a great movie. Flynn is a good character and the tron clothing of Garrett Hedlund in this movie was also very nice and gentle.
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