originally posted on 4/21/2023
TRON Lightcycle / Run.
Photo: David Fake. View full-sized image.
Prepare to be whisked away and digitized into the world of TRON Lightcycle / Run! The newly opened motorbike-style launched roller coaster at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom brings a new level of thrills and spectacle to the Orlando, Florida, theme park.
TRON is a “copy-and-paste” re-creation of the original coaster from Shanghai Disneyland that opened with the park in 2016. Themed as a “co-conduit portal” (along with Shanghai), guests “digitize” into computer program combatants as do the characters from the Disney “TRON” films. Riders are referred to as Users and represent Team Blue, which will race against the fictitious Team Orange on the Game Grid, with the winner navigating through nine brightly lit “gates” first.
Photos: Jonathan Hymes. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Manufactured by Vekoma, TRON has seven trains with two-across motorcycle-style cars riders must mount and lean forward to grip a pair of handlebars. Securing riders in place are restraints around the legs and a pad behind the seat that flips up and presses down against the rider’s back. For those unable or unwilling to ride in that fashion, more conventional sit-down seating is available in “Light Runner” cars at the rear of two trains. The view of the rest of the cycles in front of that rear car is a fun perspective, and many coaster enthusiasts may line up for the privilege to experience TRON from all vantage points! There is a 48-inch minimum height requirement.
Photo: Shannon Christopher. View full-sized image.
The Disney World version of TRON took nearly six years to open. It was first announced at a Disney Fan event, D23, in 2017 and planned to debut in 2021. By May of 2019, most of the track slated for the indoor section of the ride rose over the construction site, and by spring of 2020, the Gravity Building enveloped it. In March of 2020, Walt Disney World closed its gates under the COVID-19 threat. Construction on TRON stopped as well. The two openings for the track to extend outside the gravity building were sealed. As the parks reopened in July of that year, construction continued on the outside track and undulating canopy covering it.
Photo: Shannon Christopher. View full-sized image.
With the disruption of the shutdown, timing for strategically opening TRON during Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebrations and other new attraction debuts was thrown off. To get the most bang for their marketing buck, Disney held off the debut of TRON further while opening Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, two attractions also delayed. Finally, in September of 2022, Disney announced a spring 2023 opening date for TRON with a more precise date of April 4, 2023, announced in January of 2023.
Photos: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Now that TRON is open, let’s take a ride (spoilers ahead)! The entrance is squeezed between the left of Space Mountain and the Autopia Speedway. The path opens to a large walkway with signage for the ride. The canopy and first curving swoop of track loom ahead. Once under the canopy, which reaches 105 feet in height, a large plaza appears to the right. The display of 1,200 lighting fixtures illuminating the track and canopy is fantastic and a must see in the evening. Space Mountain next door adds a dash of futuristic magnificence. A tonal heartbeat of a musical score composed by Joseph Trapanese adds to the futuristic ambiance and tension. The queue begins with minimal theming. Fans of the films will spy a “Shiva Laser” aimed at the riders to digitize them, and deeper inside are walls with glowing circuitry, transitioning into the world to come.
Most striking is a preshow room with a full video wall of animated graphics, eventually falling away to a stunning reveal of a transparent window overlooking the launch section of the actual coaster. To go from the low-key graphics of the previous queue to a sudden look-down upon the vibrant blues trimmed by bright sinuous lighting, video screens and launching trains also trimmed out with LED lighting is a dazzling experience!
The queue area and station help tell the story and immerse the riders.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Riders exit the preshow room and walk along a balcony around and above the launch area. From there, a room for switchback queues and a large mandatory locker area (the lockers are mandatory but are complementary and double sided to ease traffic flow). Riders finally enter a large space called the Sync Chamber and descend a ramp to board their Lightcycles. There is a small hatch on the actual cycles big enough for car keys, a mobile phone and maybe a thin wallet.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
The actual ride starts with a short approach to the launch tunnel or Upload Conduit. The train stops for a dramatic buildup with lights, sounds and video screens overhead. There are mirrors to make it look as if a race is happening. The train takes off and ramps up to its 60 mph top speed till it bursts out and upward to the right above the crowds in the entry plaza. The canopy overhead makes the train seem faster, and the evening glow adds to the exhilaration.
TRON Lightcyle / Run claims its place adjacent to the park’s iconic Space Mountain.
Photo: Doug Perry. View full-sized image.
The track slopes downward, then up through a shallow S curve to the left. The train then enters the gravity building and the first of several straight track sections threading through the previously mentioned gates, then hurtles downward into a S curve and back up for another straight section and S curve. The first section features lighting effects, but the final two sections sport special mirror and projection effects of the competing Gold Team racing alongside and eventually crashing. It’s a great visual climax as the train heads up into the last straight track section and is declared the winner, rolling into the unload area.
Photo: David Fake. View full-sized image.
TRON Lightcycle / Run is a true family ride with mild forces, exhilarating speed and some spectacular visuals. The ride is short, with the high-speed portion lasting less than a minute over its 3,000-foot total track length. But for the average guest, two minutes in that unique position straddling the vehicle is probably enough before the ride might get uncomfortable. It’s a good fit in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland and helps the park tremendously with its high capacity, giving some relief to the overall ride capacity. Make plans to visit the Magic Kingdom and take on the challenge of the Grid!
— Marlon Scott
Photo: Scott Arnold. View full-sized image.
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