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TRON...Happy 25th!


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"It all happens inside a computer."

 

On July 9, 1982, twenty-five years ago today, Walt Disney's "Tron" was released on 1,091 theatre screens in the United States and Canada. The groundbreaking film, starring Jeff Bridges and directed by Steven Lisberger, cost nearly $20 million to produce (a huge sum in its day) and grossed, according to most accounts, a mere $30 million domestically.

 

A visual and aural delight, "Tron" was nominated for two Academy Awards: Sound and Costume Design. But, more amazing than the film's amazing visual effects is trying to figure out why the film was not nominated for a Visual Effects Oscar!

 

Of note to the film's history is that it was photographed in Super Panavision 70, reviving the process that had been popular with the 1960s roadshows but had been dormant for a decade. But despite the large-format origination, Disney struck only about 40 high-quality 70-millimeter prints for domestic distribution. A list of the venues in which the 70mm version was booked is provided below, and what some may find a surprise is the number of theatres in major markets denied an opportunity to showcase "Tron" in the best presentation manner available at the time. (Some theatres in cities absent from the list of initial 70mm bookings did, however, screen a 70mm print in the fall of '82 or spring of '83 when Disney re-issued the film with the hope it might find an audience during a less-crowded moviegoing season.)

 

So...is "Tron" a good movie? After 25 years I still can't decide! But one thing is certain: the film was ahead of its time due to the innovative use of computer graphics, and its influence can be observed in countless movies, television programs and video games. I think anyone working in the film, computer and video-game industries owes a debt of gratitude to "Tron" and its talented production crew.

 

Anyone have any "Tron" memories they care to share?

 

Me? As a 13 year-old, I saw "Tron" in July or August of '82 at the Barstow Twin in Barstow, California. What I remember most was: (1) being confused by the character names and computer terminology, (2) thinking the movie was not as good as the video game, (3) seeing the trailer for the soon-to-open EPCOT Center and wondering why Florida instead of California would get such a thing, and (4) on the way out of the theatre, enthusiastically spotting the one-sheet for that summer's re-issue of "Star Wars" which included a banner in the corner of the poster promising the first glimpse of footage, in the form of a coming attractions trailer, for the next "Star Wars" movie due for release the following year. I would see "Star Wars" several (more) times during that re-issue, and "Tron" was quickly forgotten.

 

Over the years, though, thanks to the fantastic Special Edition LaserDisc and subsequent DVD, and the 70mm print that surfaced in 1999 and made the rounds, I?ve come to appreciate "Tron" and think it deserves some recognition on this, the 25th anniversary of its release.

 

_______________________________________________

 

A supplement to this reminiscence, for the film-history and technology enthusiasts: a list of the original, first-run 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo engagements of "Tron."

 

Baltimore, MD: Westview

Bloomingdale, IL: Stratford Square

Calgary, AB: Chinook

Cedar Grove, NJ: Cinema 23

Chicago, IL: McClurg Court

Chicago Ridge, IL: Chicago Ridge Mall

Edmonton, AB: Londonderry

El Cajon, CA: Parkway Plaza

Gretna, LA: Westside

Grosse Pointe Woods, MI: Woods

Hillside, IL: Hillside Square

Honolulu, HI: Royal

Las Vegas, NV: Cinedome

Livonia, MI: Terrace

Los Angeles, CA: Chinese

Los Angeles, CA: Village (opened July 16)

Milwaukee, WI: Spring Mall Triplex

Montclair, CA: Montclair

Montreal, QC: Claremont (July 23)

New York, NY: State 2

Northbrook, IL: Edens

Orange, CA: Cinedome

Paramus, NJ: Route 4 Sevenplex

Pittsburgh, PA: Warner

Portland, OR: Bagdad

Quebec City, QC: Canadien (July 22)

Reno, NV: Century

Sacramento, CA: Century

San Antonio, TX: Northwest

San Diego, CA: Glasshouse 6

San Diego, CA: La Jolla Village

San Jose, CA: Century 24

Southfield, MI: Northland

Springdale, OH: Tri-County

Toronto, ON: Hollywood

Tucson, AZ: El Con

Vancouver, BC: Denman Place

White Plains, NY: United Artists

Winnipeg, MB: Metropolitan (July 30)

Woodbury, NY: Cinema 150

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Ah, Tron! A large part of the reason I'm here.

 

It may be fair to say that it has, er, influenced my subsequent work:

 

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Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery.

 

Phil

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I remember being first in line to see it when it opened at my local multiplex...

 

That was the last movie I saw on a real original Cinerama® screen.

Not that it actually was in Cinerama®, but the motorcycle chase worked well on the big curved screen.

 

I saw a 35mm scope print of 'Conan the Barbarian' at the same theatre, the anamorphic projection lens was strained to the limits at the screen edges.

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Tron is a unique film, nothing else quite like it. As far as I know, no else has made another feature film using the same backlight animation technique with live-action. As a kid, I saw it as double feature with "Firefox" with Clint Eastwood. There was talk in the last few years of making a sequel, but I don't know what happened with that.

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  • 2 years later...

When I was a kid, in the still early days of cable, we had the Disney Channel. I remember watching it on TV then, and taping it with the VCR, a tape I probably watched over 100 times. Love it, and still do, even if it doesn't hold up as well nowadays. But I was super stoked when the test/teaser trailer came out for 2.0. Hopefully it'll happen.

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