Tron suffered from severe Disney-itis, which was a different disease back then. Even though it introduced a lot of computer concepts to the public, the story burdens itself with leaden exposition aimed at too young a level; I think it was a confusing mess to all but college computer science buffs, the kind who at the time were inventing personal computers.

Other Disney 'touches', such as the Tinkerbell-like blip of light called 'Bit' that shows up now and then, also reminded one that the whole effort came from the predigested backfile of dull entertainment ideas that was the 1980 Disney. There is an attempt to flesh out life in the computer world by having the existence of "users" (us humans) regarded as propaganda spread by religious fanatics, but it all remains on the concept level - the evil Master Control Program spends its time torturing lowly individual programs Tron and Clu as if it were the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Despite writer Steven Lisberger's attempts at weightier things, Disney must have seen Tron as a rerun of the successful Fantastic Voyage, with humans basically shrunken and transformed into anthropomorphic 'programs' for the purpose of a novel adventure.

Clipped from the film were a couple of moments suggesting slightly more mature behavior, where the digital Tron and Yori spend the night together in a virtual boudoir. These wouldn't have worked anyway in a story that shoehorns the talents of Jeff Bridges into a combination hacker/freedom fighter/Rick Blaine club owner. Then again, the idea of hacker as hero in 1982 shows how there was still some slack left in the corporate neck-lock on content. I can't imagine Disney celebrating the heroism of info-terrorists who hack into a giant (Disney-like) mainframe, now.

The performances are just what you'd expect. Bridges is amiable as ever in what must have been a profitable lark after his artistic but mostly unseen Cutter's Way. Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan are carefully chosen safe 'n vapid Disney figures (sense any bitterness in this?). And David Warner is consistent but unexciting as the corporate climber villain. It's hard to respect a bad guy whose antidote to an outsider seeking corporate secrets, is to put him right in the computer where he can succeed.

Visually, Tron hasn't dated well. The well-known Jean Giraud and Syd Mead are listed as production designers. Judging by the concept drawings and testimony in the docus, many of their designs made it to the screen without change at all. Individual scenes, such as the light cycles that zip atop a Renwal-like grid of lines, indeed capture the feeling of being inside a computer game, but the design of much of the rest of the 'computer world' pretends that the wireframe basics of the newish animation techniques are some kind of aesthetic plus. It doesn't help that the rest of the world has sort of a blah Logan's Run - disco - Xanadu 'futuristic' look. The computer characters are purplish-hazy optical concoctions, filmed in contrasty suits that could be later manipulated to produce an unusual (for the time) effect.

Disney's special DVD makes Tron look every bit as snappy as it did in its original 70mm (I'm pretty sure) engagements. The five hours of extras boasted on the box combine scores of original promotional material from both Disney and director/animator Steven Lisberger's company, along with new docus where Lisberger and others look back at the production. It's all very straightforward and levelheaded, with nobody claiming Tron to be a classic, and instead telling us about the state of affairs in the industry back then, and the forays into new technology that made Tron such a daunting effort. On the other hand, the extras don't include any core revelations of the kind that sometimes turn Savant's opinions around 180^o. Navigating among them is a chore because the any push of the remote requires one to sit through repetitious Tron-inspired computer animation bumpers. This helps account for the five hours, easily. Bruce Boxleitner introduces the deleted scenes, and there's a thorough selection of photo galleries and storyboards. A storyboard-to film comparison is the kind of feature that I suspect gets little play, no matter how it's presented.

The audio commentary is presented with a page-long disclaimer distancing Disney from the 'entertainment opinions' being offered, as if the comments of the original producer and director were only grudgingly allowed voice in the modern Disney empire. The sample I heard had the director saying that Tron came out before the studio renaissance that began with Splash. He had problems casting the show because at the time, name talent wanted little to do with Disney live-action movies. Talk about heresy against The Mouse. Tron's evil Master Control Program is an excellent cypher for our modern entertainment corporations, of which Disney is a prime example. They want to own everything, while spoonfeeding us sanitized rewrites of their own history.

The IMDB lists a new Disney production called Tron 2.0 that I didn't catch being plugged on the disc. Maybe I didn't look hard enough - the timewasting extras navigation doesn't encourage exploration.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor,
Tron: The 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition rates:
Movie: Good-, or Fair+
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: Original promos and docus, a new docu, deleted scenes, photo gallery, Audio Commentary with Steven Lisberger, Donald Kushner, Harrison Ellenshaw and Richard Taylor; storyboards and storyboard comparisons.
Packaging: Snapper case
Reviewed: January 25, 2002