News Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Tron, like Navi Cruise and the Mine Train, feels more like the IDEA of a ride then an actual ride. The concept is neat so the substance can be almost totally lacking.

To its credit, this is something Uni has, it seems, avoided. Uni has rides that are lacking - F&F, Fallon - but they don’t lack content. There’s some there there, even if the there is stupid.

I’d argue something like Gringotts falls into the same category. The buildup is perfection, from the exterior to the queue. First 20 seconds of the ride? Wow! Then everything after falls flat.

It’s just a different kind of flat (and for me, a bigger letdown).

With Tron, what you see is what you get. You’re going for the launch, cool glowing stuff, and a unique ride vehicle; it delivers fantastically on all three.

 

[James Alucobond]

Tron is, in my opinion, a much better realized version of what Rock 'n' Roller Coaster seeks to achieve mechanically while also being vastly more attractive, visually interesting, and thematically appropriate for a Disney park. If you're not mad at RNR existing, I'm not sure why you'd mind Tron existing aside from the fact that it's not really the people eater the Magic Kingdom needs. But there's also tons of underutilized and vacant space elsewhere in Tomorrowland that can be reactivated for that purpose as well.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I’d argue something like Gringotts falls into the same category. The buildup is perfection, from the exterior to the queue. First 20 seconds of the ride? Wow! Then everything after falls flat.

It’s just a different kind of flat (and for me, a bigger letdown).

With Tron, what you see is what you get. You’re going for the launch, cool glowing stuff, and a unique ride vehicle; it delivers fantastically on all three.

I don't think you can remove the queue and pre-shows from a judgement of Gringotts. Those are integral parts of the experience. And the pure ride portion of Gringotts is more then twice as long as Tron. So you may not be wild about it, which is fair, but its a substantial amount of content.

As for Tron, a big portion of it is the outdoor swoop - which has nothing whatever to do with Tron, highlights the ride buildings real status as a warehouse with a fancy awning stuck on, and fails to build any momentum because the ride brakes immediately. And the actual Tron-y bit of the ride - from re-entering the building to slowly moving down a long, barely themed hall to unload - lasts (incredibly) less then 40 seconds. That's - shocking, really.

 

[matt9112]

Agreed with all the Disney callouts (and very likely to agree with the Uni ones as well) - while I'm happy to enjoy a good 'slow' ride, I get a lot of enjoyment out of themed coasters, and they all deliver something. Even Mine Train scores points for its main scene; now there's a ride I wish were longer.

Just checked on YouTube, and it seems Tron is about 70 seconds from start to finish (not including the trip to unload). RnRC, about 100 seconds. Mine Train, about 130.

Of these, Mine Train feels the least satisfying to me, not because it's slow, but because it's so sparse outside of the mine. In comparison, Tron and RnRC accomplish what they need to do, with the launch clearly being the highlight. The theming on Tron tops RnRC as well - the aesthetic is just so cool.

View attachment 583629

People have every right to be disappointed we're not getting more, but as for Tron itself, I can't help but feel hyped. Would happily take it over Space Mountain, and those who disagree will be able to ride SM as much as they want–likely with shorter waits!

To be fair RNRC themeing is legitimately the lowest tier. Thats what six flags can do. Its sad because i actually love the que and exterior of RNRC but the fishbowl just has nothing going on. Also shorter than RNRC? Wow thats eek.

 

[matt9112]

Tron is, in my opinion, a much better realized version of what Rock 'n' Roller Coaster seeks to achieve mechanically while also being vastly more attractive, visually interesting, and thematically appropriate for a Disney park. If you're not mad at RNR existing, I'm not sure why you'd mind Tron existing aside from the fact that it's not really the people eater the Magic Kingdom needs. But there's also tons of underutilized and vacant space elsewhere in Tomorrowland that can be reactivated for that purpose as well.

Not mad....just know theres better ways to blow that money.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

To be fair RNRC themeing is legitimately the lowest tier. Thats what six flags can do. Its sad because i actually love the que and exterior of RNRC but the fishbowl just has nothing going on. Also shorter than RNRC? Wow thats eek.

Is RnRC Disney's greatest work? Nope. Is it a ton of fun and still one of the most popular rides in WDW? Absolutely.

Tron will be as well. You don't have to agree with me, but in terms of post-ride satisfaction I expect it to surpass Space Mountain and Mine Train.

I don't think you can remove the queue and pre-shows from a judgement of Gringotts. Those are integral parts of the experience. And the pure ride portion of Gringotts is more then twice as long as Tron. So you may not be wild about it, which is fair, but its a substantial amount of content.

As for Tron, a big portion of it is the outdoor swoop - which has nothing whatever to do with Tron, highlights the ride buildings real status as a warehouse with a fancy awning stuck on, and fails to build any momentum because the ride brakes immediately. And the actual Tron-y bit of the ride - from re-entering the building to slowly moving down a long, barely themed hall to unload - lasts (incredibly) less then 40 seconds. That's - shocking, really.

Can't really agree with this. Of course the queue is part of the Gringotts experience, but the ride feels completely phoned in after the intro section. That's what we're bothered with, right? That Tron's launch is great and all, but then the rest is phoned in?

(And yep, the outdoor segment does break immersion. Guess where else that happens? Test Track. It's still the highlight of the ride for most.)

Like it or not, guests will have a different standard for a ride where the launch takes their breath away, and that moves really quickly through the rest of its track. This isn't Ratatouille or Gringotts, where you spend minutes parked in place watching short films. For those of us who enjoy motion in our attraction and the right level of aesthetics to complement it, Tron delivers what it needs to, whereas I'll always be shocked by the route they chose with Gringotts. Don't care if the ride is minutes longer if those minutes are trash.

 

[Andrew25]

I think most people's complaints about Tron is how long it took to build for what is essentially a a < :60 second ride with lots of block breaks in between.

Gringotts isn't trying to be a coaster. It's a dark ride that uses a coaster as it's ride system.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I think most people's complaints about Tron is how long it took to build for what is essentially a a < :60 second ride with lots of block breaks in between.

Gringotts isn't trying to be a coaster. It's a dark ride that uses a coaster as it's ride system.

When Gringotts was announced, they made a big deal out of the ride system, and how anything would be possible in terms of motion. The very first scene with Bellatrix feeds into that as well, completely upending expectations.

Then bam, boredom all the way through until the music swells.

Tron isn’t trying to be anything besides a zippy coaster with cool glowing lights and a unique vehicle. Yes, most wish it were longer, but that’s because what you get is so enjoyable. RnRC is really the best parallel, and most guests leave it smiling.

 

[Casper Gutman]

When Gringotts was announced, they made a big deal out of the ride system, and how anything would be possible in terms of motion. The very first scene with Bellatrix feeds into that as well, completely upending expectations.

Then bam, boredom all the way through until the music swells.

Tron isn’t trying to be anything besides a zippy coaster with cool glowing lights and a unique vehicle. Yes, most wish it were longer, but that’s because what you get is so enjoyable. RnRC is really the best parallel, and most guests leave it smiling.

It’s 40 seconds of actual themed content. That’s absurd, and that was my entire point about WDW rides. You may not like the content at Gringotts - I think you’re very wrong, but it’s an opinion - but it’s there and it’s substantial. And again, it really isn’t fair to dismiss the pre-shows and queue, integral parts of the experience. As I said, Tron is an idea more than a ride.

Also… aren’t the effects in Tron entirely screen-based?

 

[Andrew25]

My problem with Tron lies in it's embarrassingly low capacity, it's overblown budgets, and the ridiculous construction time line. The most disappointing part is that the Disney of a long time ago could have built several Pirates of the Caribbean/Haunted Mansion style rides with the budget for Tron.

 

[GimpYancIent]

It’s 40 seconds of actual themed content. That’s absurd, and that was my entire point about WDW rides. You may not like the content at Gringotts - I think you’re very wrong, but it’s an opinion - but it’s there and it’s substantial. And again, it really isn’t fair to dismiss the pre-shows and queue, integral parts of the experience. As I said, Tron is an idea more than a ride.

Also… aren’t the effects in Tron entirely screen-based?

It's a coaster w minimal theming just to give it a little color, particularly during dark hours.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

It’s 40 seconds of actual themed content. That’s absurd, and that was my entire point about WDW rides. You may not like the content at Gringotts - I think you’re very wrong, but it’s an opinion - but it’s there and it’s substantial. And again, it really isn’t fair to dismiss the pre-shows and queue, integral parts of the experience. As I said, Tron is an idea more than a ride.

Also… aren’t the effects in Tron entirely screen-based?

Totally fair to have a different opinion, but there’s a clear difference between ambition, effort, and the actual satisfaction guests experience from it.

Tron could have been more ambitious and it could have been longer, but what it delivers really works for the type of experience it is. It was one of my two favorites in Shanghai, not because everything else was bad, but because it’s so much fun. Of course Pirates is a bigger spectacle, but I loved both and am glad we’re getting one.

If Tron is an idea of a ride more than a ride, I wish that idea would get cloned to Pandora as well; it would be my favorite idea in the land.

 

[James Alucobond]

Also… aren’t the effects in Tron entirely screen-based?

Given the aesthetic of Tron, isn't that appropriate?

 

[J4546]

I think the canopy will bring a ton of life into tomorrowland and hopefully kickstart a major overhaul.

 

[corran horn]

I think the canopy will bring a ton of life into tomorrowland and hopefully kickstart a major overhaul.

It'll look amazing! Especially at night! The question is, where will you have to be to get an obstructed view of it like you have in SD? On the train? On the speedway?

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

how do we already know capacity will be embarrassingly low?

 

[JoeCamel]

It'll look amazing! Especially at night! The question is, where will you have to be to get an obstructed view of it like you have in SD? On the train? On the speedway?

Bio was getting views from across the lagoon....

 

[doctornick]

how do we already know capacity will be embarrassingly low?

It's the same ride as SDL, so we know how it works.

That being said, I think people are often very extreme in their labeling of rides when they say things like "embarrassingly low". No, Tron is not a high capacity Omnimover taking on over 2000 people an hour, but it something like 1400-1500/hour. Not great, but pretty decent for a roller coaster. ROTR has a similar capacity as well (and I think it's ideal if it was working smoothly is supposed to be closer to 1800/hr) and gets bemoaned as have bad capacity. I think it is understandable that many new rides will fall in that range if they want to do more unique experiences and ride vehicles.

"Embarrassingly low" to me would be something like sub-1000/hr.

 

[J4546]

tron is like 1600- 1700 per hour, not bad, about the same as hagrids. Pirates is 3400, its one of the if not the highest capacity rides. Indiana Jones is 2400 per hour.

 

[wdwmagic]

Close-up look at the pull-through test.

TRON Lightcycle Run pull-through test

TRON Lightcycle Run pull-through test

www.wdwmagic.com