TRON Premieres

EPCOT Center’s cinematically synergistic experience TRON premieres in 1982

Notice the last line in the Billing Block :-)

While Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy and The Rocketeer form what I often refer to as “the Disney•MGM Studios Trilogy”, and Animal Kingdom has its own trio of films with The Lion King, A Bug’s Life, and Dinosaur, EPCOT Center has only one cinematic symbiont. A movie that more than makes up for any inequity with impressive innovations — TRON.

From its architectural aesthetics to its commentary on the relationship between humanity, technology, and religion, EPCOT Center & TRON not only share the same birth year but also perfectly complement each other's ethos. And thanks to Ron Miller’s synergy machine (sorry, Michael), TRON premiered a mere 84 days before the “Dawn of the 21st Century” priming the audience for forward-thinking park to come.

EPCOT Center “Teaser Trailer” that ran before TRON.
Fully Restored by JLH Omnimedia

Beyond just the thematic relationship, TRON had strong presence in the park as its concept art was used for several of GM’s World of Motion brochures and most prominently footage from its impressive “Wormhole” sequence into the the Game Grid was used in the 3rd “Speedroom” of the attraction that lead into the attraction’s very TRON-esque Centercore City finale!

Most intriguingly, TRON was also intended to have its own “attraction” in the SouthWest quadrant of CommuniCore — an interactive arcade to be called “The Game Grid”.