A new video uploaded to the Disney Parks TikTok offers viewers an exclusive POV of the new TRON attraction, set to open on April 4, 2023.
TRON Lightcycle / Run, one of the fastest rollercoasters offered at any Disney Park, allows theme park Guests to “speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stakes race based on the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy (2010).” In the TRON franchise, real-life individuals visit a futuristic virtual reality known as the Grid, host to “users” playing for Team Blue against the computer’s nefarious Team Orange within competitive simulations.
POV videos are popular online at the moment, intended to bring viewers into the creator’s point of view, immersing them in a virtual experience. In the TRON POV, viewers experience the new racing coaster attraction as if they are on their very own lightcycle inside TRON’s world until the “feed” seems to glitch, cutting out a large majority of the experience and skipping straight to the end.
The video formats its caption like a computer transmission message, similar to those found within the Grid:
>◎//: Welcome programs. TRON preview testing has begun. 404 error detected in footage. Enter the Grid on 04/04/23 🥏
Of course, Cast Members have already experienced the new roller coaster during Company previews, with many enjoying the new ride.
However, the new attraction’s experience has not satisfied all preview riders, leaving Disney fans worried that the long wait was not worth it. In fact, within the comments, a TikTok user named Christopher asks, “is that it?,” noting that he thought the ride experience would be longer.
In typical Disney fashion, the Company brand remains “in character” regarding all things TRON, going the extra mile in the replies to keep up the immersive element: “Error 404 detected, footage missing. Remaining footage unrecoverable and in person simulation required for footage retrieval.”
Of course, the “in-person simulation” mentioned is telling Guests that they won’t be able to fully enjoy the new ride via screens, ride-through videos, or other forms of virtual content, which is ironic given the storyline of TRON. Even so, Walt Disney World as a whole seems to be moving towards prioritizing Guest Experience over visitors who film theme park content, with fans wondering if TRON Lightcycle / Run itself implemented its locker system to prevent the use of cameras and cellphones.
You can watch the video for yourself below to get a taste of what Guests will experience when TRON Lightcycle / Run opens at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland at the Walt Disney World Resort:
Just remember, to get the complete ride experience, you’ll actually have to step into the Grid.
