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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 |
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As they say around here, “Greetings, Programs!” Step into ElecTRONica—a party in the world of the TRON: Legacy, the long-awaited 2010 follow-up to TRON. You might be too young to remember the original TRON, the 1982 movie that combined groundbreaking computer animation with live action. |
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Here at ElecTRONica, you can dance, drink, play arcade games, or just hang out. If you understand the roles of Users and Programs in the world of TRON, some of this might be more meaningful. But you don’t have to be a TRON geek to have a good time. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Sunshine Plaza, with the Sun Icon, where ElecTRONica begins |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Your host Eckert declares, “Tonight, TRON City is yours.” |
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ElecTRONica starts with a “Portal opening” ceremony in front of the Sun Icon. Or maybe the preshow is somewhere else. It all depends when you arrive during the 18-month run of this party. The rest of ElecTRONica is in the land called Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Or it may be in the land called Hollywood Land. This part of the park is in transition. When the Portal is opened, the land becomes “The Grid.” You may bump into construction walls as the area is improved for your future enjoyment. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 “ElecTRONica” sign on the Hollywood Pictures Backlot elephant portal |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 End of Line Club, named after the nightclub in TRON: Legacy |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Seating for the End of Line Club |
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“Re-energize, restore, renew” at the End of Line Club. Kick back with fellow Programs to commiserate about the day’s electronic battles. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 ElecTRONica food truck |
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Hungry and thirsty? Stop at the ElecTRONica food truck. The chips are potato chips, not computer chips. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for real dining options, this part of cyberspace will leave you feeling derezzed. (Derez, short for deresolution, is a TRON term for someone or something ceasing to exist.) |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Flynn’s Arcade |
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Flynn’s Arcade welcomes those with a pocket full of quarters to come in and play TRON. Or test your skills playing retro classics like Space Invaders, Dig Dug, and Galaga, while listening to the best of ‘80s rock, including “867-5309” by Tommy Tutone, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, and “Beat it” by Michael Jackson. Outside, competitions involving the new video game TRON: Evolution take place. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Home of TRON |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Inside Flynn’s Arcade |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Neon art in Flynn’s Arcade |
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The interior brick walls of Flynn’s Arcade feature neon art based on ’80s arcade classics like Super Cobra and Pac-Man. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Space Paranoids |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Playing Space Paranoids |
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If you’re looking for an even more authentic Flynn’s experience, Space Paranoids—an arcade game only available here—is ready to take your tokens. The theft of Space Paranoids and other games developed by master programmer Kevin Flynn was a key plot point in the TRON movie of 1982—but the game did not actually exist at the time. Here in Flynn’s Arcade at ElecTRONica, it’s actually playable. Score points and advance through the sectors by zapping Recognizers, tanks, and gun turrets. |
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Two photos by Chris Bales, 2010 Double-duty theater |
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During the day, hang out with computer-generated Waldo in Muppet*Vision 3D. At night, check out the computer-retouched face of Jeff Bridges in an exclusive 3D sneak peek at TRON: Legacy. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Catch a sneak peek of the movie |
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You’ll enter the TRON: Legacy Exclusive Sneak Peek through the exit of Muppet-Vision 3-D. And then you’ll exit the same way. This is due to a light cycle photo op blocking the regular entry way to the theater. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 TRON Light Cycle on display |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 It’s 1982 again |
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Take a trip in time to 1982, where performers dance to “Separate Ways” by Journey and play the video game TRON. Then leap to the present, where the Grid has become a dark world of Programs in black and white dancing to “Crescendolls” or “Aerodynamic” by Daft Punk. They, along with your host Eckert, will also teach you some moves to “One More Time” by Hotblood. Pay attention, User! Eckert will expect you to perform this later if you’re on the DJ’s dance floor. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Be there “when the Sun goes down and the Grid lights up” |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 A light cycle battle racing over Hollywood Boulevard—or is it TRON City? |
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Straight ahead, it’s one of the bars located throughout the Portal. Above and on the buildings around you are projections that will make you feel as if you are being transported into the world of TRON, as well as scenes of light cycles and disc battles. If you head through the legs of the recognizer to your left, you will find the dance area, a sneak preview of TRON: Legacy, and Flynn’s Arcade. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 DJ spinning tunes |
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A DJ spins tunes to heat up the dancing Programs’ circuits and “rock your world.” During the mixes, you may hear a remake of “Fame,” a remix of “Sweet Dreams (are Made of this),” arcade sounds from games like Pac-Man, and newer music like “Break Down the House.” |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Programs gyrating to the techno mix from the DJ under a giant light “chandelier” |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2010 Digital projections abound, giving Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! a TRON makeover |
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One more thing… This outdoor nightclub is for the whole family. There’s even face painting for the kids. |
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ElecTRONica premiered at Disney California Adventure on October 8, 2010. It was the follow-up to Glow Fest, the popular “outdoor nightclub” that complemented World of Color during its opening season. |
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Concept art © Disney Concept art for ElecTRONica, prior to its opening |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2011 Hollywood Blvd. construction in 2011 |
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During its run, ElecTRONica had to stay one step ahead of Hollywood Land construction, especially the rebuilding of the park’s Hollywood Blvd. with tracks for the Red Car Trolley ride. Initially, the preshow for ElecTRONica took place on the stage in front of the Sun Icon at the back of Sunshine Plaza. When construction of Carthay Circle Theater began, the stage moved to the front of Sunshine Plaza. Finally, it relocated to a spot in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright textile block-inspired restrooms between Off the Page and Disney Junior: Live on Stage! ElecTRONica closed April 15, 2012. Just two months later, on June 15, 2012, Mad T Party, a new nighttime party based on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, took the place of ElecTRONica. |
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© 2022 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Sincere thanks to Chris Bales for his assistance with this Yesterland article. Updated October 21, 2022 |
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