Film Trivia about 1982's computer game themed film Tron and 2010's sequel Tron Legacy
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TRON (1982)
Directed by Steven Lisberger.
A software programmer finds himself pulled into a virtual world where he must enlist the help of a security program called Tron to defeat the application's villain and return home. |
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5. Writer / Director Steven Lisberger was happy that Disney were willing to produce his film, but was disheartened when none of their animators would join the project. He believes that Disney at the time was comprised of many ‘cliques’ and that animators viewed the oncoming computer technology required for the film to be a threat to their craft.
4. Unusual for an American film, the names of all the Taiwanese animators who worked on the movie appear at the end credits in their original Taiwanese characters rather than in English translation.
3. Financially the film was a disappointment, grossing only $26,918,576, approximately just $10 million above its budget. The computer game tie-in actually made more money than the movie, with some estimates claiming it had earned $45,000,000 by the end of 1983.
2. Despite the ridiculously large effort that went into the technical aspects of Tron, the film was snubbed for an Academy Award in Special Effects as the use of computers in the effects process was considered ‘cheating’. It did however get nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Sound.
1. Pac-Man makes a cameo in the film, not only being clearly visible in a scene with Sark (David Warner) but also accompanied by one of his trademark sound effects. Mickey Mouse can also be seen in the movie, as part of the landscape under the solar sailor.
5. Writer / Director Steven Lisberger was happy that Disney were willing to produce his film, but was disheartened when none of their animators would join the project. He believes that Disney at the time was comprised of many ‘cliques’ and that animators viewed the oncoming computer technology required for the film to be a threat to their craft.
4. Unusual for an American film, the names of all the Taiwanese animators who worked on the movie appear at the end credits in their original Taiwanese characters rather than in English translation.
3. Financially the film was a disappointment, grossing only $26,918,576, approximately just $10 million above its budget. The computer game tie-in actually made more money than the movie, with some estimates claiming it had earned $45,000,000 by the end of 1983.
2. Despite the ridiculously large effort that went into the technical aspects of Tron, the film was snubbed for an Academy Award in Special Effects as the use of computers in the effects process was considered ‘cheating’. It did however get nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Sound.
1. Pac-Man makes a cameo in the film, not only being clearly visible in a scene with Sark (David Warner) but also accompanied by one of his trademark sound effects. Mickey Mouse can also be seen in the movie, as part of the landscape under the solar sailor.
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TRON: LEGACY (2010)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski.
In search of a father that has been missing for several years, Sam is surprised when a lead to his whereabouts drags him to a virtual world where he must fight to stay alive. |
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Text Version:
5. The costumes in Tron were made of flexible, pliable, thin vinyl sheeting, a polymer-based elastomeric electro luminescent lamp. The technology was so new that it had only recently been incorporated into Japanese security vests and nowhere else. In order to light the suits lithium batteries were contained in the disk area at the back, which had to be recharged every 12 minutes.
4. The famous Hollywood Wilhelm Scream, the sound of someone meeting a sudden death which has been used in numerous films for decades, is present in Tron: Legacy – albeit with a digitized twist.
3. Writer and director of the first Tron film Steven Lisberger makes a cameo appearance as a bartender in the End of Line club.
2. Costing over $170 million Tron: Legacy is the most expensive film ever made by a first time director, although returning less than half a billion at the box office means it wasn’t an entirely successful venture. While Joseph Kosinski was slated to direct many other films for Disney immediately after, the financial disappointment is one possible reason why none of these projects ever emerged, and his next film was Oblivion (2013) for Universal.
1. Cillian Murphy plays the part of Edward Dillinger in the boardroom scene at the beginning of the film, suggesting that he is possibly the son of the first film’s antagonist Ed Dillinger (David Warner). Not only does his presence hint at a further plot development which never comes to fruition, (but is possibly setting up events for a sequel), but surprisingly the A-list actor doesn’t even receive a credit for his role.
5. The costumes in Tron were made of flexible, pliable, thin vinyl sheeting, a polymer-based elastomeric electro luminescent lamp. The technology was so new that it had only recently been incorporated into Japanese security vests and nowhere else. In order to light the suits lithium batteries were contained in the disk area at the back, which had to be recharged every 12 minutes.
4. The famous Hollywood Wilhelm Scream, the sound of someone meeting a sudden death which has been used in numerous films for decades, is present in Tron: Legacy – albeit with a digitized twist.
3. Writer and director of the first Tron film Steven Lisberger makes a cameo appearance as a bartender in the End of Line club.
2. Costing over $170 million Tron: Legacy is the most expensive film ever made by a first time director, although returning less than half a billion at the box office means it wasn’t an entirely successful venture. While Joseph Kosinski was slated to direct many other films for Disney immediately after, the financial disappointment is one possible reason why none of these projects ever emerged, and his next film was Oblivion (2013) for Universal.
1. Cillian Murphy plays the part of Edward Dillinger in the boardroom scene at the beginning of the film, suggesting that he is possibly the son of the first film’s antagonist Ed Dillinger (David Warner). Not only does his presence hint at a further plot development which never comes to fruition, (but is possibly setting up events for a sequel), but surprisingly the A-list actor doesn’t even receive a credit for his role.
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Before You Go...
Like action sci-fi with some pop philosophy thrown in? Our next article might also be for you:
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Also Worth Checking Out
Like action sci-fi with some pop philosophy thrown in? Our next article might also be for you:
Superhero Movie Watchmen: Human Bean Juice
Also Worth Checking Out
- Want to know what a future without books looks like? Check out our Fahrenheit 451 Retrospective
- Those Tron bikes got you riled up for some speedy fun? Take a look at Cars From Movies You Can Actually Drive
- Many more 1980s and 2010s movies are to be found in our Examination Of All 13 Star Trek Films
