Get Ready For High-Speed Thrills with TRON!

It’s still several weeks away from its official debut, but TRON Lightcycle/Run – the latest blockbuster ride at Walt Disney World – is already the talk of the town.

Last week saw a big media event to preview this eagerly-anticipated attraction, and we were able to sneak in for our own experience of the Magic Kingdom’s latest and greatest.

Now, it has to be said, Disney doesn’t have a big history of roller-coasters and other high-speed thrill rides. They tend to go for more thoughtful and immersive attractions that appeal to all the family, things like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT and Avatar: Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom.

Last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT was only the second coaster in Walt’s World since 2006 (Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom), and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (2014) is more family ride than scream machine.

Coasters still therefore tend to be a relatively rare item in the great Disney pantheon but, when they do create one, they are usually quite spectacular, and that is certainly the case with TRON.

So, What is TRON Lightcycle/Run?

It has been five years in the making (largely thanks to two years of stop-start construction during the pandemic), but the magnificent edifice that is the new ride is ready to take a very photogenic bow in the Tomorrowland area of the park, right next to the ‘vintage’ coaster of Space Mountain.

Taking its cue from the original 2016 version of the ride in Shanghai Disneyland, the TRON attraction is very much a product of the modern age, thanks to the success of the follow-up film (in 2010), TRON: Legacy, that came as a very belated sequel to the 1982 original Tron, which was one of the first movies to deal extensively in computer graphics.

At its heart is a fast-launch roller-coaster that really catches the eye for its initial outdoor section (under a large blue-and-white canopy), while there is a longer indoor segment of the ride that tells more of the ride’s story.

Is This Another Story-telling Coaster?

In a word, yes. We’ve already had Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Orlando and EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and this is another venture into the more creative side of roller-coasters.

The basic premise is that visitors are entering into “the Grid” of the TRON movies, and, after being “digitized” to pass into the computer world, they are tested in a battle against two teams of Lightcycle riders.

As Team Blue, guests get to ride the specially-designed motorbike-style cars in a direct competition with the deadly Team Orange, and it is definitely a fight to the finish in the extreme confines of the Grid.

There is a slow build-up during the queueing area, and then the full nature of this high-speed challenge is laid out for all to see. It’s clever, it’s immersive and it really builds the anticipation for the ride itself, largely thanks to a great soundtrack from Joseph Trapanese, who also worked on TRON: Legacy with Daft Punk.

The scene is therefore well set as you enter the loading area and are strapped into a racing position on the motorbike-shaped cars, which are side-by-side with trains of 10 cars each.

What Happens Next?

Once everyone is boarded and securely in place (and this is a very different feel for a roller-coaster, with the forward-leaning racing style), it is time to brave the challenge of the Grid. The story says you have to pass through eight Energy Gates to be victorious and live to race another day, but those gates are hard to figure out as you race through the indoor section.

Basically, there is one main fast-launch sequence and then you are off on your wild whizz through the TRON realm.

The first part of the ride shoots you into the outdoor section at up to 60mph, and it feels every bit of that speed as you swoosh along this ultra-smooth track. Everyone in the queue also gets a good look at the experience as it races overhead!

But then you dive back into the (huge) main building, and the Grid takes over, surrounding you with lights, video screens and a pulsating soundtrack that lives up to the sound of the movies as you race along a twisting, turning track with several sharp drops and hills, but no inversions.

It isn’t a long ride; we timed it at barely two minutes from the vehicle going in motion to arriving at the unloading dock. But it packs a huge amount into those two minutes, and it is a spell-binding experience.

What Else Should we Look Out For?

There is a lot to see and admire in the queueing area, which includes special free lockers in which to leave loose articles and small bags. You will definitely want to leave things like sunglasses here as the ride has a habit of dislodging them.

For those with Disney’s Memory Maker photo-gathering service there is also the bonus of all the ride photos, which have been specially created for the TRON attraction and feature multiple angles as well as video. There is also a unique PhotoPass Magic Shot outside the ride, which adds even more to this fun aspect.

And, of course, there is a gift shop as you exit, with some seriously tempting merchandise to remind you of your experience, and enhance it for next time. We especially like the personalised action figures, which use the latest technology to put your face and voice on the figures.

Tron Lightcycle in Summary

All in all, it adds up to a magnificent and highly immersive journey into this sci-fi blockbuster, and it is sure to draw some major crowds when it officially opens on April 4.

The good news is that, for anyone heading to Orlando in the next two weeks, Disney has announced there will be “soft” openings of the ride from March 20. This means that the ride will be available on an ad hoc basis as they do more testing in the lead-up to the grand unveiling.

This will probably be the only time people will be able to ride by joining the stand-by queue, as the attraction will ONLY be available on the Virtual Queue system of the My Disney Experience app, or via the paid-for Lightning Lane option from April 4.

We think it is worth the time and effort, though. And even if the ride looks too fast or scary for you, it has great value just for watching the coaster fly by!

PS: If you’d like to see a full video of the ride, our friends at Veness Travel Media have one online on this link.

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