text: tron : legacy tron : legacy ( stylized as tron : legacy ) is a 2010 american science fiction action film directed by joseph kosinski from a screenplay written by adam horowitz and edward kitsis , based on a story by horowitz , kitsis , brian klugman and lee sternthal . it is a sequel to the 1982 film tron , whose director steven lisberger returned to produce . the cast includes jeff bridges and bruce boxleitner reprising their roles as kevin flynn and alan bradley , respectively , as well as garrett hedlund , olivia wilde , and michael sheen . the story follows flynn 's son sam , who responds to a message from his long - lost father and is transported into a virtual reality called the grid , where sam , his father and the algorithm quorra , stop the malevolent program clu from invading the human world . interest in creating a sequel to tron arose after the film garnered a cult following . after much speculation , walt disney pictures began a concerted effort in 2005 to devise tron : legacy , with the hiring of klugman and sternthal as writers . kosinski was recruited as director two years later . as he was not optimistic about disney 's matrix - esque approach to the film , kosinski filmed a high - concept , which he used conceptualize the universe of tron : legacy and convince the studio to greenlight the film . principal photography took place in vancouver over 67 days , in and around the city 's central business district . most sequences were shot in 3d and ten companies were involved with the extensive visual effects work . chroma keying and other techniques were used to allow more freedom in creating effects . daft punk composed the musical score , incorporating orchestral sounds with their trademark electronic music . tron : legacy was released in north america on december 17 , 2010 . disney aggressively promoted the film across multiple media platforms , including merchandising , consumer products , theme parks , and advertising . the film received mixed reviews from film critics , who praised the visual effects , production design , and soundtrack , but criticized the character development and cast performance . the film grossed $ 400 million during its worldwide theatrical run . plot in 1989 , seven years after the events of the first film , kevin flynn , who has been recently promoted ceo of encom international , disappears . twenty years later , his son sam , now encom 's primary shareholder , takes little interest in the company beyond playing an annual prank on its board of directors . alan bradley , an encom executive and friend to sam 's father , asks sam to investigate a strange pager message originating from flynn 's shuttered video arcade . sam discovers a large computer in a hidden basement , which suddenly teleports him to the grid , a virtual reality created by his father that exists within encom ’ s computer mainframe . he is quickly captured and sent to " the games " , where he is forced to fight a masked program named rinzler . when sam is injured and begins bleeding , rinzler realizes that sam is a human " user " and takes him before clu , the grid 's corrupt ruling program who resembles a younger kevin flynn . clu nearly kills sam in a light cycle match , but sam is rescued by quorra , an " apprentice " of flynn , who conveys him to his father 's hideout outside clu 's territory . flynn reveals to sam that he had been working to create a " perfect " computer system and had appointed clu and tron ( a security program created by bradley ) its co - creators . during this construction , the trio discovered a species of naturally occurring " isomorphic algorithms " ( isos ) not conceived by flynn , bearing the potential to resolve various mysteries in science , religion and medicine . clu , considering them an aberration , betrayed flynn , seemingly killed tron , and destroyed the isos . meanwhile , the " i / o portal " permitting travel between the two worlds had closed , leaving flynn trapped in the system . now that clu has gained complete control , he sent the message to alan in order to lure sam onto the grid and reopen the portal for a limited time . as flynn 's " identity disc " is the master key to the grid and the only way to traverse the portal , clu expects sam to bring flynn to the portal so he can take flynn 's disc , go through the portal himself , and impose his idea of perfection on the human world . against his father 's wishes , sam returns to clu 's territory on quorra 's tip - off to find zuse , a program who can provide safe passage to the i / o portal . at the end of line club , its owner castor reveals himself to be zuse , then betrays sam to clu 's guards . in the resulting fight , flynn rescues his son , but quorra is injured and zuse gains possession of flynn 's disc . zuse attempts to bargain with clu for the disc , but clu simply takes the disc and destroys the club along with zuse . flynn and sam stow away aboard a " solar sailer " transport program , where flynn restores quorra and reveals her to be the last surviving iso . the transport is intercepted by clu 's warship ; as a diversion , quorra allows herself to be captured by rinzler , whom flynn recognizes as tron , reprogrammed by clu . sam reclaims flynn 's disc and rescues quorra , while flynn takes control of a light fighter on the flight deck . clu , rinzler , and several guards pursue the trio in light jets . upon making eye contact with flynn , rinzler remembers his past and deliberately collides with clu 's light jet , but clu uses tron 's spare baton to escape while tron falls into the sea of simulation below . clu confronts the others at the i / o portal , where flynn with his digital duplicate , destroying clu along with himself . quorra , having switched discs with flynn , gives flynn 's disc to sam and they escape together to the real world . in flynn 's arcade , sam backs up and deactivates the system . he then finds a waiting bradley and tells him he plans to retake control of encom , naming bradley chairman of the board . he departs on his motorcycle with quorra , and she witnesses her first real sunrise . cast jeff bridges as kevin flynn , the former ceo of encom international and creator of the popular arcade game tron based on his own experiences in encom 's virtual reality , who disappeared in 1989 while developing " a digital frontier that will reshape the human condition " . bridges also portrays clu ( utility ) , a more advanced incarnation of flynn 's original computer - hacking program , designed as an " exact duplicate of himself " within the grid , via digital makeup and voiceover , while john reardon portrays clu physically . garrett hedlund as samuel " sam " flynn , a primary shareholder of encom who , while investigating his father 's disappearance , is transported onto the grid himself . hedlund won a " darwinian casting process " which tested hundreds of actors , being chosen for having the " unique combination of intelligence , wit , humor , look and physicality " that the producers were looking for in flynn 's son . the actor trained hard to do his own stunts , which included jumping over cars and copious wire and harness work . owen best portrays the seven - year - old sam flynn . olivia wilde as quorra , an " isomorphic algorithm " , adept warrior , and confidante of kevin flynn in the grid . flynn refers to her as his " apprentice " and has imparted volumes of information to her regarding the world outside of the grid , which she longs to experience . she is shown to have a love of human literature , particularly the writings of jules verne , and plays go with flynn . she comments that her ' aggressive style ' is usually foiled by flynn 's patience . wilde describes quorra as akin to joan of arc . her hairstyle was influenced by singer karen o. wilde added that although " [ quorra ] could have just been another slinky , vampy temptress " , it was important for her to appeal to both men and women , and that character tried to avoid the typical female lead by having a naiveté and childlike innocence adequate for such an " evolving and learning organism " . quorra 's action scenes led wilde to work out and train in martial arts . bruce boxleitner as alan bradley , an executive consultant for encom , and close friend of kevin flynn who , after receiving a cryptic page from the office at the shuttered flynn 's arcade , encourages sam to investigate its origin . boxleitner also portrays tron / rinzler , a security program originally developed by bradley to monitor encom 's master control program and later reassigned by flynn to defend the grid , who was overpowered and re - purposed by clu as a masked command program wielding an identity disk that splits into two , in flashback sequences via the same treatment as bridges ' younger self for clu . anis , a stunt actor , portrayed rinzler , while boxleitner provided the dialogue . rinzler is named after author and lucasfilm executive editor j.w. rinzler . michael sheen as zuse / castor , a flamboyant supermodel program who runs the end of line club at the top of the tallest tower in the system . sheen describes his performance as containing elements of performers such as david bowie , joel grey from cabaret , and a bit of frank - n - furter from the rocky horror show . james frain as jarvis , an administration program who serves as clu 's right - hand man and chief intelligence officer . frain had to shave his head , bleach his eyebrows white , and wear make - up . the refraction on jarvis ' helmet led frain to walk in a " slightly , blind stagger " which the actor felt was helpful to get him into character . frain described jarvis as " a fun , comic character that ’ s a little off - beat " , considering him " more human , in terms of being fallible and absurd " compared to the castor . beau garrett as gem , one of four programs known as sirens . the sirens operate the grid 's game armory , equipping combatants with the armor needed to compete in the games , while also reporting to castor . daft punk as disc jockey programs at castor 's end of line club . steven lisberger as , a bartender in the end of line club . jeffrey nordling as richard mackey , the chairman of encom 's executive board . cillian murphy ( uncredited ) as edward dillinger , jr . , the head of encom 's software design team and the son of former encom senior executive ed dillinger ( portrayed by david warner in the original film ) . swan and yaya dacosta also appear as sirens . themes tron : legacy is imbued with several references to religious themes , particularly those relating to christianity and buddhism . olivia wilde 's character , quorra , was informed by the historical catholic figure joan of arc . wilde sought inspiration from her six months before production of the film commenced . she , alongside kosinski , collaborated with the writers on editing the characters so she would contain the characteristics of joan of arc . wilde assessed the characteristics of the figure : " she 's this unlikely warrior , very strong but compassionate , and completely led by selflessness . also , she thinks she 's in touch with some higher power and has one foot in another world . all of these were elements of quorra . " since she epitomizes the concept of androgyny , producers conceived quorra from an androgynous perspective , notably giving her a short haircut . bridges opined that tron : legacy was evocative of a modern myth , adding that ideas alluding to technological advancement were prevalent throughout the film . to cyriaque lamar of io9 , the film 's approach to technology was reminiscent of a . " one of the things that brought me to this film , " affirmed bridges , " was the idea of helping to create a modern - day myth to help us navigate through these technological waters [ ... ] . i dig immediate gratification as much as anybody , but it happens so fast that if you make a decision like that , you can go far down the wrong path . think about those plastic single - use water bottles . where did that come from ? who decided that ? you can have a couple of of water [ ... ] and those bottles don 't disintegrate entirely . microscopic animals eat the plastic , and the fish eat those , and we 're all connected . it 's a finite situation here . " according to screenwriter adam horowitz , kosinski stated that the film 's universal theme was " finding a human connection in a digital world . " they followed this by " approach [ ing ] the world from the perspective of character , using kevin flynn as an organizing principle , and focus on the emotional relationship from father and son and their reconciliation , which brings profound turns in their respective individual lives . ” pre - production background steven lisberger relocated to boston , massachusetts from philadelphia , pennsylvania in the 1970s to pursue a career in computer animation . since the computer animation field was mainly concentrated in los angeles , lisberger had very little competition operating on the east coast : " nobody back then did hollywood stuff , so there was no competition and no one telling us that we couldn 't do it . " he later produced the american science fiction film tron ( 1982 ) for walt disney productions , the first computer animation - based feature film . although the film garnered some critical praise , it generated only modest sales at the box office — the cumulative north american gross was just $ 33 million . producer sean bailey , who saw the film with his father and lisberger , was captivated by the finished product . although tron performed below disney studio 's expectations , it later developed a cult following , which fueled speculation of pixar 's alleged interest in creating a sequel , in 1999 . rumors of a tron sequel were further ignited after the 2003 release of the first - person shooter video game , tron 2 . 0 . lisberger hinted that a third installment could be in the works , depending on the commercial success of the game . conception plans for creating tron : legacy began to materialize in 2005 , when walt disney studios hired screenwriters brian klugman and lee sternthal as writers for the film . the two had recently finished writing the script for warrior . according to variety columnist michael fleming , klugman and sternthal felt " that the world has caught up to lisberger 's original concept " . klugman said of the precedent film : " it was remembered not only for story , but a visual style that nobody had ever used before . we are it , taking ideas that were ahead of the curve and applying them to the present , and we feel the film has a chance to resonate to a younger audience . " in 2007 , disney began to negotiate with joseph kosinski to direct tron : legacy . kosinski admitted that at the time , he was not keen on the idea but it later grew on him as time progressed . kosinski was involved in a meeting with bailey , president of walt disney pictures . " disney owns the property , tron , " bailey stated . " do you know it ? are you interested ? what would your take be ? in a post - matrix world , how do you go back to the world of tron ? " kosinski wanted to embrace the general ambiance of the film , and wished to not use the internet as a model or use a formula of the matrix film series . as neither individuals were in equal agreement on choosing a perspective to conceive the film , kosinski asked bailey to lend him money in order to create a conceptual prototype of the tron : legacy universe , which was eventually presented at the 2009 san diego comic - con international . " so , we went into disney , " he recalled , " and i told them , ' we can talk about this all day , but in order to really get on the same page , i need to show you what this world looks and feels like . give me some money and let me do a small test that will give you a hint for a couple minutes of it , and see what you think . ' " a graduate of columbia university 's architecture school , kosinski 's knowledge of architecture was pivotal in conceptualizing the tron : legacy universe . his approach in cultivating a prototype was different from other film directors because , according to kosinski , he came " from a design point of view " ; " some of my favorite directors come from outside of the film business , so that made my approach different from other directors , but a design background makes sense for a movie like this because the whole world has to be made from scratch . " lisberger would later state that he left the sequel to a different production team because " after thirty years i don ’ t want to compete with myself " , and to showcase how the next generation dealt with the themes contained in tron - " if i brought my network in , it would be a little bit like one of those clint eastwood movies where all the old guys go to space . " lisberger added that " i dig this role of being the obi - wan or the yoda on this film more than being the guy in the trenches " , stating that unlike kosinski his age was a hindering factor - " i cannot work sixteen hours a day staring at twenty - five monitors for most of that time . " writing shortly after hiring kosinski , bailey approached screenwriting duo adam horowitz and edward kitsis , who accepted for being self - described " obsessed about tron " . horowitz later claimed the challenge was to " homage the first movie , continue the story , expand it and take it to another place and open up space for new fans " , and kitsis claimed that the film would start a whole new mythology " of which we 're only scratching the surface " . horowitz and kitsis first created a story outline , and developed and fine - tuned the plot with bailey and kosinski across a period of two days in la quinta . the writers also consulted lisberger , to view tron 's creator input on the story . lisberger gave his blessing , particularly as he has a son the same age as sam , which kitsis stated that " was like we had tapped into something he was feeling without even realizing it . " the pixar team contributed with rewrites for additional shooting after being shown a rough cut in march 2010 , which helped in particular to the development of sam 's story line . the writing staff cited the wizard of oz as a source of thematic influence for tron : legacy in writing the script , with kitsis stating that " they both have very similar dna , which is tron really lives on , in a lot of ways , trying to get home . you 're put on this world and you want to go home and what is home ? that 's in a lot of way inspired us . " kitsis also added that they had to include an " emotional spine to take us into the story or else it just becomes a bunch of moves or gags and stuff " , eventually deciding on adding a mysterious destiny to flynn and giving him a legendary aura - " kevin flynn to us was steve jobs and bill gates all wrapped up into one and john lennon " . the writers decided to create the character of clu as an evil embodiment of " how you look back on your younger self , ( ... ) that guy [ that ] thought he knew everything , but he really knew nothing " . bridges liked the idea of the dual perspectives , and contributed with the writers for the characterization of flynn as a sanguine zen master by suggesting them to get inspiration from various buddhist texts . part of the concepts emerged from a reunion the producers had with scientists from california institute of technology and the jet propulsion laboratory to discuss concepts such as isomorphic algorithms and the digitizing of organic matter . horowitz revealed the film would contain many light cycles battles , and asserted that the script for the scenes were " incredibly detailed " , and involved an intricate collaborative process . for the disc game , horowitz and kitsis wrote a rough draft of the scene , and sent the script to kosinski ; he summarized his perspective of the sequence 's visuals to them . " he described them as these underlying platforms , " said horowitz , " that would then coalesce and then the way you would go from round to round in the game is you defeat someone , they kinda come together as you see in the movie . " after giving his intake , kosinski sent various sketches of the scene to the writers and would often revise the script . kitsis thought that illustrating the character 's stories to be the most difficult task in writing tron : legacy . the writers collaborated with the creative process throughout production , which was helpful especially considering the difficulties of describing in a tangible way a digital world that " in its very nature defies basic screenwriting conventions . " production development at the 2008 san diego comic - con , a preliminary teaser trailer ( labeled as and directed by joseph kosinski ) was shown as a surprise to convention guests . it depicted a yellow program engaged in a light cycle battle with a blue program , and it prominently featured jeff bridges reprising his role as an aged kevin flynn ( from the first film ) . at the end of the trailer , the yellow program showed his face , which appeared identical to flynn 's earlier program clu ( resembling the younger flynn in tron ) . while the trailer did not confirm that a tron sequel was in production , it showed that disney was serious about a sequel . in an interview with sci - fi wire , bridges revealed that the test footage was unlikely to appear in the finished film . on july 23 , 2009 , disney revealed film 's title at their panel at comic - con. bridges explained that the title is in reference to the story 's theme : " it 's basically a story about a son 's search for his father . " they also showed a trailer similar to the one shown at comic - con 2009 , with updated visuals . at the time , the film had just wrapped production and they had a year of post production ahead of them . because none of the footage from inside the computer world was finished , they premiered concept images from the production . art included the , which has been updated from the original film . concept photos were also shown of disc wars , which has also been revised from the original film into a 16 - game tournament . the arena is set up so that the game court organically changes , and all 16 games are going on at the same time . the boards also combine in real time until the last two disc warriors are connected . light cycles make a return , with new designs by daniel simon . according to the press conference at comic - con 2008 , a new vehicle appears called a " light runner , " a two - seat version of the light cycle . it is said to be very fast , and has the unique ability to go off the grid on its own power . we also get a glimpse at kevin flynn 's own cycle , a " second generation light cycle " designed in 1989 by flynn and is " still the fastest thing on the grid . " it incorporates some of the look of both films . a life - size model of the light cycle was put on display at a booth at fan expo 2009 in toronto , ontario from august 28 – 30 , 2009 , along with a special presentation of material from the production . the conceptual art shown at comic - con was shown in the session , along with some test film of the martial artists who play a more athletic style of disc wars . a segment from the film showed flynn 's son entering the now - decrepit arcade , playing a tron stand - up arcade video game , noticing a passage in the wall behind the tron game and entering it , the passage closing behind him . flynn 's son makes the visit to the arcade after alan bradley receives a page from the disconnected phone number of the arcade . the footage was used later as part of the trailer released on march 5 , 2010 . the character of yori and her user , dr. lora baines , do not appear in the sequel , even though the film refers to alan bradley being married to lora . fans have lobbied for actress cindy morgan to be in the film with active campaigns online , such as " yori lives " on facebook , which is independent of morgan herself . " all i know is what i 'm seeing online , " morgan said . " i am so thrilled and touched and excited about the fan reaction and about people talking about the first one and how it relates to the second one . i can 't tell you how warm a feeling i get from that . it just means so much . " no one from tron : legacy had contacted morgan , and she did not directly speak with anyone from the sequel 's cast and crew . as dr. lora baines , cindy morgan had appeared with bruce boxleitner ( as alan bradley ) at the press conference in san francisco , april 2 , 2010 . filming principal photography took place in vancouver , british columbia in april 2009 , and lasted for approximately 67 days . many filming locations were established in downtown vancouver and its surroundings . stage shooting for the film took place at the canadian motion picture park studio in burnaby , a nearby suburb of the city . kosinski devised and constructed twelve to fifteen of the film 's sets , including kevin flynn 's safe house , a creation he illustrated on a napkin for a visual effects test . " i wanted to build as much as possible . it was important to me that this world feel real , and anytime i could build something i did . so i hired guys that i went to architecture school with to work on the sets for this film , and hopefully people who watch the film feel like there ’ s a certain physicality to this world that hopefully they appreciate , knowing that real architects actually put this whole thing together . " the film was shot in dual camera 3d using pace fusion rigs like james cameron 's avatar , but unlike the sony f950 cameras on that film , tron used the . " the benefit of [ the ] , " according to director kosinski , " is that it has a full 35mm sensor which gives you that beautiful cinematic shallow depth of field . " the film 's beginning portions were shot in 2d , while forty minutes of the film were vertically enhanced for imax . digital domain was contracted to work on the visual effects , while companies such as prime focus group , dd vancouver , and mr. x were brought on to collaborate with producer on the post - production junctures of tron : legacy . post - production wrapped on november 25 , 2010 . the sequences on the grid were wholly shot in 3d , utilizing cameras specifically designed for it , and employed a 3d technique that combined other special effects techniques . the real - world sequences were filmed in 2d , and eventually altered using the three - dimensional element . bailey stated that it was a challenge shooting tron : legacy in 3d because the cameras were bigger and heavier , and variations needed to be taken into account . despite these concerns , he opined that it was a " great reason to go to the movies because it 's an experience you just can 't recreate on an iphone or a laptop " . in some sequences the image shows a fine mesh pattern and some blurring . that is not interference or a production fault , but indicates that that sequence is a flashback and to simulate an older form of video representation technology . stunt work on the film was designed and coordinated by , who also designed and trained fight sequences for 300 and watchmen . olivia wilde described it as an honor to train with them . design in defining his method for creating tron : legacy , kosinski declared that his main objective was to " make it feel real " , adding that he wanted the audience to feel like filming actually occurred in the fictional universe . for this , many physical sets were built , as kosinski " wanted the materials to be real materials : glass , concrete , steel , so it had this kind of visceral quality . " kosinski collaborated with people who specialized in fields outside of the film industry , such as architecture and automotive design . the looks for the grid aimed for a more advanced version of the cyberspace visited by flynn in tron , which lisberger described as " a virtual galapagos , which has evolved on its own " . as bailey put , the grid would not have any influence from the internet as it had turned offline from the real world in the 1980s , and " grew on its own server into something powerful and unique " . kosinski added that as the simulation became more realistic , it would try to become closer to the real world with environmental effects such as rain and wind , and production designer darren gilford stated that there would be a juxtaposition between the variety of texture and color of the real world introduction in contrast with the " clean surfaces and lines " of the grid . as the design team considered the lights a major part of the tron look , particularly for being set in a dark world — described by effects art director ben procter as " dark silhouetted objects dipped in an atmosphere with clouds in - between , in a kind of japanese landscape painting " where " the self - lighting of the objects is the main light source " — lighting was spread through every prop on the set , including the floor in flynn 's hideout . lisberger also stated that while the original tron " reflected the way cyberspace was " , the sequel was " going to be like a modern day , like contemporary plus , in terms of how much resolution , the texturing , the feel , the style " , adding that " it doesn ’ t have that pong land vibe to it anymore . " the skintight suits worn by the actors were reminiscent of the outfits worn by the actors in the original film . kosinski believed that the costumes could be made to be practical due to the computerized nature of the film , as physically illuminating each costume would be costly to the budget . christine clark worked with michael wilkinson in designing the lighted costumes , which used electroluminescent lamps derived from a flexible polymer film and featured hexagonal patterns . the lights passed through the suit via light tape , a substance composed of honeywell lamination and sylvania phosphors . to concoct a color , a transparent 3m vinyl film was applied onto the phosphor prior to lamination . while most of the suits were made out of foam latex , others derived from spandex , which was sprayed with balloon rubber , ultimately giving the illusion of a lean shape . the actors had to be compressed to compromise for the bulk of the electronics . in addition , clark and wilkinson designed over 140 background costumes . the two sought influence from various fashion and shoe designers in building the costumes . on the back of the suit was an illuminated disc , which consisted of 134 led lights . it was attached to the suit via a magnet , and was radio - controlled . all the costumes had to be sewn in such a way that the stitches did not appear , as the design team figured that in a virtual environment the clothes would just materialize , with no need for buttons , zippers or enclosures . according to neville page , the lead designer for the helmets , " the art departments communicated very well with each other to realise joe ’ s [ ... ] vision . we would look over each other ’ s shoulders to find inspiration from one another . the development of the costumes came from trying to develop the form language which came from within the film . " the majority of the suits were designed using zbrush . a scan of an actor 's body was taken , which was then encased to decipher the fabric , the location of the foam , amongst other concerns . with a computer numerical cutting of dense foam , a small scale output would be created to perfect fine details before initiating construction of the suit . upon downloading the participant 's body scan , the illustrations were overlaid to provide an output manufacturing element . describing the computer numerical cutting process , chris lavery of clothes on film noted that it had a tendency to elicit bubbles and striations . clark stated : " the [ ... ] suit is all made of a hexagon mesh which we also printed and made the fabric from 3d files . this would go onto the hard form ; it would go inside the mould which was silicon matrix . we would put those together and then inject foam into the negative space . the wiring harness is embedded into the mould and you get a torso . we then paint it and that ’ s your finished suit . " sound and visual effects crowd effects for the gaming arena were recorded at the 2010 san diego comic - con international . during one of the tron : legacy panels , the crowd was given instruction via a large video screen while techs from skywalker sound recorded the performance . the audience performed chants and stomping effects similar to what is heard in modern sports arenas . it took two years and ten companies to create the 1 , 565 visual effects shots of tron : legacy . the majority of the effects were done by digital domain , who created 882 shots under supervisor eric barba . the production team blended several special effect techniques , such as chroma keying , to allow more freedom in creating effects . similar to tron , this approach was seen as pushing the boundaries of modern technology . " i was going more on instinct rather than experience , " kosinski remarked . although he had previously used the technology in producing advertisements , this was the first time kosinski used it a large scale simultaneously . darren gilford was approached as the production designer , while david levy was hired as a concept artist . levy translated kosinski 's ideas into drawings and other visual designs . " joe 's vision evolved the visuals of the first film , " he stated . " he wanted the grid to feel like reality , but with a twist . " an estimated twenty to twenty - five artists from the art department developed concepts of the tron : legacy universe , which varied from real world locations to fully digital sets . gilford suggested that there were between sixty and seventy settings in the film , split up into fifteen fully constructed sets with different levels of computer - created landscapes . rather than utilizing makeup tactics , such as the ones used in a beautiful mind , to give jeff bridges a younger appearance , the character of clu was completely computer generated . to show that this version of clu was created some time after the events of the original film , the visual effects artists based his appearance on how bridges looked in against all odds , released two years after tron . the effects team hired makeup artist rick baker to construct a molded likeness of a younger bridges head to serve as their basis for their cg work . but soon , they scrapped the mould because they wished for it to be more youthful . there was no time to make another mould , so the team reconstructed it digitally . on - set , first bridges would perform , being then followed by stunt double john reardon who would mimic his actions . reardon 's head was replaced on post - production with the digital version of the young bridges . barba – who was involved in a similar experience for the curious case of benjamin button — stated that they used four with infrared sensors to capture all 134 dots on bridges face that would be the basis of the facial movements , a similar process that was used in avatar . it took over two years to not only create the likeness of clu , but also the character 's movements ( such as muscle movement ) . bridges called the experience surreal and said it was " just like the first tron , but for real ! " music the french electronic group daft punk composed the film score of tron : legacy , which features over 30 tracks . the score was arranged and orchestrated by joseph trapanese . jason bentley served as the film 's music supervisor . an electronic music fan , kosinski stated that to replicate the innovative electronic tron score by wendy carlos " rather than going with a traditional film composer , i wanted to try something fresh and different " , adding that " there was a lot of interest from different electronic bands that i follow to work on the film " but he eventually picked daft punk . kosinski added that he knew the band was " more than just dance music guys " for side projects such as their film electroma . the duo were first contacted by producers in 2007 , when tron : legacy was still in the early stages of production . since they were touring at the time , producers were unsuccessful in contacting the group . they were again approached by kosinski , eventually agreeing to take part in the film a year later . kosinski added that daft punk were huge tron fans , and that his meeting with them " was almost like they were interviewing me to make sure that i was going to hold up to the tron legacy " . the soundtrack started being composed before production had even begun , and is a notable departure from the band 's previous works , as daft punk put more emphasis on orchestral elements rather than relying solely on synthesizers . " synths are a very low level of artificial intelligence , " explained member guy - manuel de homem - christo , " whereas you have a stradivarius that will live for a thousand years . we knew from the start that there was no way that we were going to do this film score with two synthesizers and a drum machine . " " derezzed " was taken from the album and released as its sole single . the album was released on december 3 , 2010 , and sold 71 , 000 copies in its first week in the united states . peaking at number six on the billboard 200 , it eventually acquired a gold certification by the recording industry association of america , denoting shipments of 500 , 000 copies . a remix album for the soundtrack , titled tron : legacy reconfigured , became available on april 5 , 2011 to coincide with the film 's home media release . marketing on july 21 , 2009 , several film - related websites posted they had received via mail a pair of " flynn 's arcade " tokens along with a flash drive . its content was an animated gif that showed css code lines . four of them were put together and part of the code was cracked , revealing the url to , a fictitious site maintained by activists who believe kevin flynn is alive , even though he has been missing since 1989 . clicking on a tiny spider in the lower section of the main page led to a countdown clock that hit zero on july 23 , 2009 , 9 : 30 pm pdt . within the terms of use section , an address was found . it lies in san diego , california , usa near the city 's convention center where the comic - con 2009 took place and some footage and information on the sequel was released . flynn 's arcade was re - opened at that location , with several space arcade machines and a variety of ' 80s video games . a full - size light cycle from the new film was on display . a ninth viral site , , was found . it portrays some of the history of flynn 's arcade as well as a fan memoir section . on december 19 , 2009 a new poster was revealed , along with the second still from the film . banners promoting the film paved the way to the 2010 comic - con convention center , making this a record third appearance for the film at the annual event . disney also partnered with both coke zero and on tron : legacy . disney 's subsidiary marvel comics had special covers of their superheroes in tron garb , and nokia had trailers for the film preloaded on nokia n8 phones while doing a promotion to attend the film 's london premiere . while sam picks up a can of coors in the film , it was not product placement , with the beer appearing because " just liked the color and thought it would look good on screen . " theme parks and attractions at the walt disney world resort in florida , one monorail train was decorated with special artwork depicting with trailing beams of light , along with the film 's logo . this tron - themed monorail , formerly the " coral " monorail , was renamed the " " and unveiled in march 2010 . at the disneyland resort in california , a nighttime dance party named " electronica " premiered on october 8 , 2010 and was set to close in may 2011 , but it was extended until april 2012 due to positive guest response , in hollywood land at disney california adventure park . winners of america 's best dance crew , poreotics , performed at electronica . as part of electronica , a sneak peek with scenes from the film is shown in 3d with additional in - theater effects in the muppet * vision 3d theater . on october 29 , 2010 , the nighttime show world of color at disney california adventure park began soft - openings after its second show of a tron : legacy - themed encore using a daft punk music piece titled " the game has changed " from the film soundtrack , using new effects and projections on paradise pier attractions . the encore officially premiered on november 1 , 2010 . on december 12 , 2010 , the show extreme makeover : home edition as part of a house rebuild constructed a tron : legacy - themed bedroom for one of the occupants ' young boys . the black painted room not only consisted of life sized tron city graphics but glowing blue line graphics on the walls , floor and furniture , a desk with glowing red lit for the legs and a tron suit inspired desk chair , a shaped chair with blue lighting accents , projection mural system that projects tron imagery on a glass wall partition , laptop computer , flat panel television , several tron legacy action figures , a in black and shimmering dark blue and blue overhead lit panels . disney was involved with the ice hotel in , sweden through association with designers ian douglas - jones at i - n - d - j and ben rousseau to create " the legacy of the river " , a high - tech suite inspired by tron : legacy . the suite uses electroluminescent wire to capture the art style of the film . it consists of over 60 square meters of 100mm thick ice equating to approximately six tons . 160 linear meters of electroluminescent wire were routed out , sandwiched and then glued with powdered snow and water to create complex geometric forms . the ice hotel is expected to get 60 , 000 visitors for the season which lasts december 2010 through april 2011 . on november 19 , 2010 , the tron : legacy pop up shop opened at royal - t cafe and art space in culver city , california . the shop featured many of the collaborative products created as tie ins with the film from brands such as oakley , hurley and adidas . the space was decorated in theme and the adjacent cafe had a tie in menu with tron inspired dishes . the shop remained open until december 23 , 2010 . shanghai disneyland , scheduled to open on june 16 , 2016 , will feature the tron power run , a steel , indoor roller coaster located underneath a color - shifting canopy in tomorrowland . the attraction , unique to that disney park , will take guests on a ride through the grid from tron : legacy on their very own light cycle . merchandising electronics and toy lines inspired by the film were released during fall 2010 . a line of tron - inspired jewelry , shoes and apparel was also released , and disney even created a pop - up store to sell them in culver city . custom tron branded gaming controllers have been released for xbox 360 , playstation 3 and wii . a tie - in video game , entitled tron : evolution , was released on november 25 , 2010 . the story sits between the original tron film and tron : legacy . teaser trailers were released in november 2009 , while a longer trailer was shown during the spike video game awards on december 12 , 2009 . there were also two games released for the ios devices ( iphone , ipod , and ipad ) as a tie - in to the film : tron and tron : legacy . disney commissioned n - space to develop a series of multiplayer games based on tron : legacy for the wii console . ign reviewed the playstation 3 version of the game but gave it only a " passable " 6 out of 10 . a tie - in 128 - page graphic novel tron : betrayal was released by disney press on november 16 , 2010 . it includes an 11 - page retelling of the original tron story in addition to a story fitting between the original film and tron : legacy . ign reviewed the comic and gave it a " passable " score of 6 . 5 out of 10 . release on october 28 , 2010 , a 23 - minute preview of the film was screened on many imax theaters all over the world , ( presented by asus ) . the tickets for this event were sold out within an hour on october 8 . stand - by tickets for the event were also sold shortly before the presentation started . original merchandise from the film was also available for sale . announced through the official tron facebook page , the red carpet premiere of the film was broadcast live on the internet . tron legacy was released in theaters on december 17 , 2010 , in the united states and united kingdom . the film was originally set to be released in the uk on december 26 , 2010 , but was brought forward due to high demand . the film was presented in imax 3d and disney digital 3d . the film was also released with d - box motion code in select theaters and released in 50 - enhanced cinemas , creating " 3d sound " . on december 10 , 2010 , in toronto , canada , a special premiere was hosted by george stroumboulopoulos organized through twitter , open to the first 100 people who showed up at the cn tower . after the film ended the tower was lit up blue to mirror the grid . on december 13 , 2010 , in select cities all over the united states , a free screening of the entire film in 3d was available to individuals on a first - come , first - served basis . free " flynn lives " pins were handed out to the attendees . the announcement of the free screenings was made on the official flynn lives facebook page . on january 21 , 2011 , the german designer michael michalsky hosted the german premiere of the film at his cultural event during berlin fashion week . home media tron : legacy was released by walt disney studios home entertainment on blu - ray disc , dvd , and digital download in north america on april 5 , 2011 . legacy was available stand - alone as a single - disc dvd , a two - disc dvd and blu - ray combo pack , and a four - disc box set adding a blu - ray 3d and a digital copy . a five - disk box set featuring both tron films was also released , with one , entitled the ultimate tron experience , having a collectible packaging resembling an identity disk . the digital download of tron : legacy was available in both high definition or standard definition , including versions with or without the digital extras . a preview of the 10 - part animated series tron : uprising is included in all versions of the home media release . tron : legacy was the second walt disney studios home entertainment release that included disney second screen , a feature accessible via a computer or ipad app download that provides additional content as the user views the film . forty minutes of the film were shot in 2 . 35 : 1 and then vertically enhanced for imax . these scenes are presented in 1 . 78 : 1 in a similar way to the blu - ray release of the dark knight . reception critical response review aggregator website rotten tomatoes reported that 51 % of commentators gave the film a positive review , based on 226 reviews . attaining a mean score of 5 . 9 / 10 , the site 's consensus stated : " tron : legacy boasts dazzling visuals , but its human characters and story get lost amidst its state - of - the - art production design . " at metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics , tron : legacy received a rating average of 49 , based on 40 reviews . the visual effects were cited as the central highlight of the film . in his three - star review , roger ebert of the chicago sun - times felt that the environment was aesthetically pleasing , and added that its score displayed an " electronic force " that complemented the visuals . rolling stone columnist peter travers echoed these sentiments , concluding that the effects were of an " award - caliber " . j. hoberman of the village voice noted that while it was extensively enhanced , tron : legacy retained the streamlined visuals that were seen in its predecessor , while variety 's peter debarge affirmed that the visuals and the accompanied " cutting - edge " score made for a " stunning virtual ride " . to nick de semlyen of empire , " this is a movie of astonishing high - end gloss , fused to a pounding daft punk soundtrack , populated with sleek sirens and chiselled hunks , boasting electroluminescent landscapes to make blu - ray players weep . " some critics were not as impressed with the film 's special effects . manohla dargis of the new york times avouched that despite its occasional notability , the film 's " vibrating kaleidoscopic colors that gave the first movie its visual punch have been replaced by a monotonous palette of glassy black and blue and of orange and yellow " . though declaring that tron : legacy was " eye - popping " , san francisco chronicle 's amy biancolli asserted that the special effects were " spectacular " — albeit cheesy . a columnist for the wall street journal , joe morgenstern denounced the producers ' emphasis on technological advancements , which he felt could have been used for other means such as drama . to the new york post 's kyle smith , there were many moments where he " shed [ his ] customary phlegmatic equilibrium and [ ... ] thought : hey , this is really exciting ! " the performances of various cast members was frequently mentioned in the critiques . michael sheen 's portrayal of castor was particularly acclaimed by commentators , who — because of his flamboyance — drew parallels to the english singer - songwriter david bowie , as well as fictional characters such as a clockwork orange ( 1971 ) lead character alex . dargis , debruge , puig , and carrie rickey of the philadelphia inquirer were among the journalists to praise his acting : dargis ascribed sheen 's exceptional performance to a seemingly " uninteresting " cast . to philadelphia daily news film critic gary thompson , the film became humorous with the scenes involving castor . star tribune critic colin covert believed that sheen 's campy antics was the " too brief " highlight of tron : legacy . with other cast members — particularly garrett hedlund , olivia wilde , and jeff bridges — commentary reflected diverse attitudes . the film received " a little boost from " wilde , according to rickey . the boston globe 's wesley morris called hedlund a " dud stud " ; " none of what he sees impresses , " he elaborated . " the feeling is mutual . at an alleged cost of $ 200 million , that ’ s some yawn . if he can ’ t be thrilled , why should we ? " to salon commentator andrew o 'hehir , even bridges — an individual he regarded as " one of america 's most beloved and distinctive " actors — was " weird and complicated " rather than being the " sentimental and alluring " portrayer in the original tron . critics were divided with the character development and the storylines in tron : legacy . writing for the new yorker , bruce jones commented that the audience didn 't connect with the characters , as they were lacking emotion and substance . " disney may be looking for a merchandising bonanza with this long - gestating sequel to the groundbreaking 1982 film , " remarked jones , " but someone in the corporate offices forgot to add any human interest to its action - heavy script . " likewise , usa today journalist claudia puig found tron : legacy to resonate with " nonsensical " and " unimaginative , even obfuscating " dialogue , and that " most of the story just doesn 't scan " . as dana stevens from slate summed up , " tron : legacy is the kind of sensory - onslaught blockbuster that tends to put me to sleep , the way babies will nap to block out overwhelming stimuli . i confess i may have through one or two climactic battles only to be startled awake by an incoming neon frisbee . " although he proclaimed the plot of tron : legacy and its predecessor to be spotty , ian of npr was lenient of the latter film due to its youth - friendly nature . in contrast to negative responses , michelle alexander of eclipse adored the plot of tron : legacy , a reaction that was paralleled by rossiter drake from 7x7 , who wrote that it was " buoyed " by its " sometimes convoluted , yet hard to resist " story . metro 's larushka ivan - zadeh complained about the underdeveloped plot , saying " in 2010 , issues surrounding the immersive nature of gaming and all - consuming power of modern technology are more pertinent than ever , so it 's frustrating the script does nothing with them . " however , she conceded that " it 's the best 3d flick since avatar and a super - groovy soundtrack by daft punk nonetheless makes for an awesome watch " . box office leading up to the release , various commercial analysts predicted that tron : legacy would gross $ 40 – $ 50 million during its opening weekend , a figure that los angeles times commentator ben fritz wrote would to be " solid but not spectacular " . although the studio hoped to attract a broad audience , the film primarily appealed to men : " women appear to be more hesitant about the science - fiction sequel " , wrote fritz . jay fernandez of the hollywood reporter felt that the disproportionate audience would be problematic for the films long term box office prospects . writing for box office mojo , brandon gray attributed pre - release hype to “ unwarranted blockbuster expectations from fanboys ” , given the original tron was considered a box office failure when it was released , and the film 's cult fandom " amounted to a niche " . in north america , the film earned $ 43 . 6 million during the course of its opening weekend . on its opening day , it grossed $ 17 . 6 million , including $ 3 . 6 million during midnight showings from 2 , 000 theaters , 29 % of which were imax screenings , and went on to claim the top spot for the weekend , ahead of yogi bear and how do you know . tron : legacy grossed roughly $ 68 million during its first week , and surpassed $ 100 million on its 12th day in release . in international markets , tron : legacy grossed $ 23 million on its opening weekend , averaging $ 6 , 000 per theater . according to disney , 65 % of foreign grosses originated from five key markets ; japan , australia , brazil , united kingdom , and spain . the film performed the best in japan , where it took $ from 350 theaters . australia ( $ ) , the united kingdom ( $ ) , brazil ( $ 1.9m ) , and spain ( $ 1.9m ) . by the following week , tron : legacy obtained $ 65 . 5 million from foreign markets , bringing total grosses to $ 153 . 8 million . at the end of its theatrical run , tron : legacy had grossed $ 400 , 062 , 763 ; $ 172 , 062 , 763 in north america , and $ 228 , 000 , 000 in other countries . accolades tron : legacy received an award for " best original score " from the austin film critics association . the film was also nominated for " excellence in production design for a fantasy film " by the art directors guild , and for " sound editing " by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences . the film made the final shortlist for the academy award for best visual effects , although it did not receive a nomination . halted sequel and other media halted sequel steven lisberger stated on october 28 , 2010 , before the film 's release , that a sequel was in planning and that adam horowitz and edward kitsis , screenwriters for tron : legacy , were in the early stages of producing a script for the new film . perry nemiroff of cinema blend speculated that tron 3 could be the first installment in a new trilogy . on january 13 , 2011 , ain 't it cool news reported that the film was close to having its sequel announced as part of disney 's plan for tron 's future . on january 21 , 2011 , tron - sector reported an unsourced rumor that a sequel to tron : legacy had been green - lit and a teaser trailer would debut on the dvd and blu - ray disc releases of tron and tron : legacy . harry knowles reported on the teaser , calling it a " dvd extra " and noting that it had been filmed before thanksgiving ( i.e. before november 2010 ) . on april 8 , 2011 , director joseph kosinski talked about the sequel : " we 're working on the story right now . once we get a script we 're all really happy with , we 'll take it to the powers that be and see if we can go back to the grid . i think we will pick up with where tron : legacy left off with sam and quorra in the real world and what does that mean and the possibilities it opens up for the next chapter . it 's that relationship between the two of them that 's the next step . " on march 31 , kosinski said that the film 's script was expected to be finished in two weeks and its working title is . on june 7 , 2011 , it was reported that screenwriter david ( eight below ) had been hired to draft a script for the sequel to tron : legacy . legacy screenwriters adam horowitz and edward kitsis were initially slated to return , but were forced to drop out due to their ongoing work in developing the abc television series once upon a time . it is currently unspecified whether or not legacy director joseph kosinski will return to direct the sequel . on march 8 , 2012 , bruce boxleitner suggested that a sequel to tron : legacy could begin filming as early as 2014 , after kosinski finished his film oblivion . on june 4 , 2012 , horowitz and kitsis confirmed they were developing a sequel , and the character of quorra would be returning for the film , as well as a cameo in tron : uprising . on december 5 , 2012 , jesse was hired to rewrite the script for the film . this was later followed by the confirmation that bruce boxleitner and garrett hedlund would return for the third film . in september 2013 , kosinski said : " the tron sequel is still in early stages , it ’ s still in the script stage . so i can ’ t say if and when that would go into production but the fundamental idea of the movie is something i ’ m very excited about , it delivers on the ideas that we set up in legacy , especially at the end in the last five minutes , so that one is a work in progress . " on january 15 , 2014 , bruce boxleitner stated in an interview : " all i know is , they don ’ t tell me anything , but they want to do it i would say probably the end of this year , for 2015 maybe , " boxleitner said . " they don ’ t have any dates but i ’ m thinking from the i ’ m hearing that ’ s it , but i don ’ t know anything for sure other than they do have a script they love , they 're still tweaking . " the film may also take place more in the real world than in the past according to the recent interview : " that ’ s what i ’ m told , but you didn ’ t hear me say that , " boxleitner joked . " i think it ’ s going to be a lot about taking the company back because if you remember sam flynn says to alan at the end , just before he rides his bike off into the sunrise with quorra , says , ‘ we ’ re going to take the company back . ’ that ’ s not the end of the movie . that ’ s the beginning of the next one . that ’ s foreshadowing . and you don ’ t get cillian murphy to do an unscripted cameo " and " i got a feeling eddie dillinger jr . ’ s going to be as bad as his dad was . " in march 2015 , it was revealed that disney has greenlit the third film with hedlund reprising his role as sam and kosinski returning to direct the sequel . wilde was revealed in april to be returning as quorra . filming was expected to start in vancouver in october 2015 . however , in may 2015 , the hollywood reporter stated that walt disney studios had chosen not to continue with a third installment , which was confirmed by wilde the following month . in the end of july , boxleitner stated he frequently heard about the pre - production of tron 3 while shooting cedar cove in vancouver , and was disappointed to hear about the cancellation . while expressing the opinion that disney decided to " play it safe " and explore other properties [ i.e. star wars ] , boxleitner said that this broke his interest in continuing with the franchise , as " it 's been too up and down for me . i would rather not just keep going . i don ’ t want to repeat my career anymore . " however , in september 2015 , hedlund stated that he was told that the third tron film was not " totally dead " , but jokingly suggested that it could be released 30 years later , referencing the near 30 - year gap between the first film and legacy . television tron : uprising , a spin - off animated series , premiered june 7 , 2012 on the disney xd network across the united states . tron : legacy 's writers adam horowitz and eddie kitsis revealed that the series tells the story of what happened in the grid in between the films . voice actors for the animation include bruce boxleitner as tron , elijah wood , lance henriksen , mandy moore , emmanuelle , paul reubens , nate corddry and olivia wilde , who reprises her role as quorra . manga a manga version of tron : legacy was released by earth star entertainment in japan on june 30 , 2011 .