A new TikTok posted on the official Disney Parks page shows Mickey and Minnie in new TRON Lightcycle / Run-themed costumes complete with light-up circuits as the attraction’s media event takes place tonight.
The pair posed in front of TRON Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom wearing new TRON-inspired costumes. Mickey is in a black jacket and black pants, both with blue circuits symbolizing neutrality in the world of The Grid. Minnie meanwhile has a skirt with lines and circles much like Quorra from “TRON Legacy,” along with a bow which has blue light-up circuits.
Disney hasn’t stated whether these TRON-themed costumes will be available for greetings, only showing them off in this TikTok so far. The media preview for TRON Lightcycle / Run takes place this evening,and the attraction opens on April 4 at Magic Kingdom. Check out our photos and videos of the attraction, plus our POV video below.
Disney has announced the details of the TRON Lightcycle / Run virtual queue that will be in place. Check out our article on how and when you can join the virtual queue and get a boarding group for the new ride. You can also preview the new merchandise for the attraction and the treats which will be on offer at Energy Bytes next to the ride.
Disney is gearing up for the opening of the new attraction, TRON Lightcycle / Run, coming to Magic Kingdom. Disney has released a look at some of the merchandise items that will be available.
From a Disney Cast Member
Greetings, Programs! As someone who discussed merchandise on Disney Parks Blog for nearly a decade, imagine my delight when I was asked to write about new products created for TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise. This thrilling new attraction officially opens at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort on April 4, 2023. I’ve collected TRON products for many “cycles” (or “years” in the world of TRON), and following my overview with the Global Product Development team, I quickly realized I’m going to need a bigger house.
Users who venture into the Grid will find three merchandise collections, related to the attraction experience, the film “TRON: Legacy” or the nostalgia around this digital world first introduced in 1982 with the release of the original “TRON.”
“There are generations of guests now visiting Walt Disney World who grew up playing the TRON video games and imagining their bicycles were Lightcycles,” explained Taryn Johnson, Senior Manager for Brand Merchandising with Global Product Creation. “These collections have a dash of 1980s nostalgia mixed with incredibly fun items that continue the thrills of this new Tomorrowland attraction at home.”
One of my favorite collections is “Back to the Arcade,” which captures a slice of the early 1980s arcade scene complete with nods to Flynn’s Arcade from the original film. Elements from video game cabinets were turned into backpacks and illuminated wall signs. The tumbler even includes vintage Lightcycles that race around a domed top.
Lightcycles are fast two-wheeled vehicles on the Grid, akin to motorcycles in the “real” world. This was the jumping-off point for the “Thrill of the Race” collection which contains racing-inspired apparel for adults and kids.
The team even created a light-up replica of Sam Flynn’s helmet as seen in “TRON: Legacy” using the original costume piece as reference. This helmet is the perfect finishing touch to my own “TRON: Legacy” costume. A separate decorative helmet bag is an excellent carrying case for this or any other racing helmet.
For those that want to continue racing Lightcycles after visiting the Grid, check out the TRON Lightcycle Handlebars. This interactive toy contains lights and sound effects from TRON and can turn into an interactive game for up to four players.
Life on the Grid is replicated with a third merchandise collection inspired by the clean design language of this digital world. Adults will find light-up jackets and other accessories like a backpack that holds a new interactive Identity Disc that doubles as an audio speaker (now I can listen to the incredible “TRON: Legacy” soundtrack everywhere I go!).
One of the most impressive parts of this collection is the TRON Identity Program, an all-new retail experience. It offers guests a customizable “Program” action figure and identity chip that can be used to “re-program” other merchandise such as the interactive Identity Discs and Remote Control Lightcycles.
Reservations for this interactive experience can be made beginning March 21 by visiting disneyworld.disney.go.com/shops/magic-kingdom/tron-identity-program/.
When TRON Lightcycle / Run opens on April 4, guests will find these products and more in a specially designed pop-up shop area directly across from the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor entrance in Tomorrowland.
For those with a reservation for the TRON Identity Program, please visit Tomorrowland Launch Depot for the experience. It’s the merchandise shop located between the entrances to TRON Lightcycle / Run and Space Mountain.
Guests will also be able to use Merchandise Mobile Checkout via the My Disney Experience app when purchasing items at select locations. I love this feature as it’s easy to use and saves time as you scan items as you shop and pay from your phone.
I can’t wait to get photos in TRON Plaza under the beautiful canopy at Magic Kingdom Park sporting many of these items. It’s like a dream come true for a lifelong TRON fan like me. I hope you will join me on the Grid starting April 4!
TRON Lighcycle / Run is opening soon in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park. Disney has announced that a new food kiosk is coming soon to the area to serve some out-of-this-world treats.
From a Disney Cast Member;
As we are gearing up for TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise to blast off in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park in just a few short weeks, I’ve also got some exciting foodie news for you. Tomorrowland will soon be home to another new foodie spot – Energy Bytes!
This new kiosk will be serving up some tasty eats and sips for you to grab, drawing inspiration from the futuristic environment around you. Whether you’re looking for some breakfast bites, savory snacks, sweet treats, or refreshing beverages, this new spot will soon become a go-to pitstop as you venture into the world of Tomorrowland.
If you’re kicking off your morning in Magic Kingdom Park, Energy Bytes has some breakfast delights for you. For those wanting a sweet start to the day, the tasty Chocolate Cake Doughnut Holes topped with mocha sauce are a perfect option. With each “byte” you’ll be begging for more! The coffee lovers out there will also have a new caffeinated beverage to try – Joffrey’s Cold Brew Coffee topped with a yummy mocha sauce. This iced sip is the perfect combination of that classic coffee flavor with a touch of sweetness. These will surely be on my list to start my Magic Kingdom morning!
Now onto the savory options. If you love buffalo chicken and dumplings, you’re in luck because Energy Bytes is combining both of these classics into one delicious concoction – Digital Dumplings – Buffalo Chicken. Yes, you heard that right. This bite perfectly combines chicken dumplings, blue cheese powder, and cayenne pepper broth.
And these aren’t the only dumplings coming to Tomorrowland. There is another dish soon to be served up. The Digital Dumplings – Beef & Broccoli is out of this world as it transforms this iconic dish into dumpling form with beef dumplings, broccoli pesto, and ginger-soy broth. How delicious! I don’t know about you, but these snacks are already making me hungry.
For those looking for a little sweet pick-me-up, Energy Bytes has you covered too. The Strawberry IceOform is the ultimate refreshing treat with the sweetness of the strawberry ice cream mochi, graham crackers, and even a little bit of cheesecake foam to finish it off. It not only looks beautiful but tastes great too!
Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got the Watermelon Refresher with yuzu and ginger. This frozen sip will take you to another world with tasty flavors. Just take a peek at how good it looks! It’ll be the perfect accompaniment for any of the other yummy items available at this location.
Well, there you have it – all the must-try items coming to the newest food and beverage location at Magic Kingdom Park. We can’t wait to welcome you to Energy Bytes soon!
(Note: All offerings are subject to change and availability.)
Guests have waited patiently for Magic Kingdom’s newest attraction, TRON Lightcycle / Run, to open at the Walt Disney World Resort since 2018, and soon it finally will… With a major change that just debuted on the Disney Parks Blog.
Set to be one of the fastest rollercoasters offered at any Disney Park, the predecessor to TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland will bring Guests into the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy (2010). In both TRON (1982) and this sequel, the Flynn family grapples with obstacles in a digitized gaming playground known as The Grid, where “users” on Team Blue compete against antagonists from the interface’s Team Orange in simulated combat via games such as Lightcycle racing, allowing them to “speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stakes race.”
When the ride opened at China’s second Disney theme park in lieu of Space Mountain to great success, plans began to transfer it to Florida just two years later. Once again, Disney Parks and Walt Disney Imagineering have brought this completely pixelated mode of transportation into the real world, this time at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.
Despite extended delays due to the Covid-10 pandemic lockdown in 2020, construction is now nearly complete. In addition, Walt Disney World Cast Members have already experienced the nearly finished rollercoaster attraction through Cast Previews, with the ride fully opening to all Guests on April 4 of this year.
While some riders have criticized the ride for its lack of accessible seating, others praise the unique special effects like projection mapping and screen technology, which combine with immersive onboard audio to create a better-themed entertainment experience. However, further controversy arose over the ride’s use of a sponsor.
For instance, the Enterprise rental car company logo appears on the main queue entrance sign, causing some fans to claim it dampens the ride’s immersion with ties to our reality. Now, Disney has taken that corporate connection one step further with a new post-show experience.
Although the queue’s Hall of Opponents features two other teams in addition to Blue and Orange, previous competitors Team Yellow and Team Red, it’s Team Green that shows up in the post-show exit, which has intrigued Guests due to its connection to the Enterprise sponsor.
Presented by Enterprise, the Team Green space will include displays relaying the “culture, capabilities, and values of Enterprise” along with the “impressive programming” for the team’s real-life Green Lightcycle, “the latest and “most-advanced iteration to join the competition.” Furthermore, alongside this dynamic photo opportunity, the post-show will share rotating backstories for all twelve Team Members for Users to enjoy on future visits to the Grid.
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:
