So last night ElecTRONica debuted in Disney California Adventure...
I've been gone a few days so pardon the silence. But yesterday I was able to see the opening of the new entertainment offering at the Second Gate thanks to a few Bothans there. It was a surreal experience that didn't go off without a few hitches. It was in essence, a dress rehearsal and tonight will be the first official showing. But it was interesting.
I first saw the original "Tron" as a child in a darkened, empty theater. The film that Ron Miller had hoped would set Walt Disney Productions on a new path became a bit of a disappointment. While it wasn't a box office failure; it did make a profit, it was not the "Star Wars" type of film that everyone at the studio had hoped for. This began the momentum that led to the firing of Ron and the hiring of Michael Eisner, and the rest is history.
But last night there were many, many young people gathered for this event. Men and women, boys and girls that weren't even a twinkle in their parents eye when the first film came out. Watch them dancing and laughing as those awkward dancers welcomed the Programs and Users was bizarre and revealing. Seeing them dance around to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" was a through back to the era when this film came out and the audiences didn't embrace it. This audience did embrace it. Many of the people coming out of the screening of the 9 minute clip of "Tron Legacy" were shaking their heads. One girl screamed: "Amazing!" So as I sat there watching the same scene I would tend to agree with her. It was some very visually impressive images. This isn't your daddy's Tron. And yet, it was/is.
After watching that clip, going into Flynn's Arcade, having a seat at the End of the Line Club, watching the holographic projections, the rave atmosphere and the people all enjoying this, it hit me. I've always had a soft spot for Tron. It was never a favorite, but I enjoyed it. The story was a little wooden and the characters two-dimensional, but I felt the concept was ahead of it's time. Last night proved it. My friends were shaking their heads watching this experience. I asked them what they were thinking about and they said they never thought they'd see a day when that film or anything about it would be so well received. And we all talked about how it was going to be a hit. You could tell, it was in the air. It's going to be a hit. Someone said that Disney had a new franchise on its hands. "Trilogy," I said, jokingly correcting them. But the hit that Ron Miller wanted for his company twenty-eight years ago has finally materialized.
The Portal has opened...
