| Tron | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Lisberger |
| Screenplay by | Steven Lisberger |
| Story by |
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| Produced by | Donald Kushner |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bruce Logan |
| Edited by | Jeff Gourson |
| Music by | Wendy Carlos |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million |
| Box office | $50 million[1] |
Tron (stylized as TRON) is a 1982 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer and video game developer who is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer where he interacts with programs in his attempt to escape. It also stars Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, and Barnard Hughes. Tron, along with The Last Starfighter, was one of cinema's earliest films to use extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI).
The inspiration for Tron dates back to 1976, when Lisberger became intrigued with video games after seeing Pong. He and producer Donald Kushner set up an animation studio to develop Tron with the intention of making it an animated film. To promote the studio itself, Lisberger and his team created a 30-second animation featuring the first appearance of the title character. Eventually, Lisberger decided to include live-action elements with both backlit and computer animation for the actual feature-length film. Various studios had rejected the storyboards for the film before Walt Disney Productions agreed to finance and distribute Tron. There, backlit animation was finally combined with the 2D computer animation and the live action.
Tron was released on July 9, 1982. The film was a moderate success at the box office, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised its groundbreaking visuals and acting but criticized its storyline as being incoherent. Tron received nominations for Best Costume Design[2] and Best Sound[3] at the 55th Academy Awards. It was however disqualified from the Best Visual Effects category because at the time the Academy felt that using computer animation was "cheating".[4][5] Tron spawned multiple video games (including an arcade tie-in released shortly after the film), and as it became a cult film, a multimedia franchise including comic books. A sequel titled Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski, was released in 2010, with Bridges and Boxleitner reprising their roles and Lisberger acting as producer. A commercial success, it was followed by the XD animated series Tron: Uprising in 2012, set between the two films.[6] A third installment, Tron: Ares, is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2025.[7][8]
- ^ "Disney Sets 'Tron' B.O. Record Straight". Daily Variety. February 24, 1984. p. 31.
- ^ Gandhi Wins Costume Design: 1983 Oscars
- ^ E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Wins Best Sound: 1983 Oscars
- ^ Jackson, Matthew (March 1, 2013). "Little-known sci-fi fact: Why Tron's FX got snubbed for an Oscar". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ Rose, Steve (July 5, 2022). "'Frankly it blew my mind': how Tron changed cinema – and predicted the future of tech". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (November 4, 2010). "Disney XD orders 'Tron: Legacy' toon". Variety. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
- ^ Tjarks, Jonathan (August 5, 2020). "'Tron: Legacy' Has a Cult Following for a Reason". The Ringer. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Watch: How 'Tron: Legacy' Built its Legacy with Visual Feats". No Film School. June 15, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.