Tron
- 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition
(1982) | Approx. 96 Minutes | Rated PG |
Reviewed by Tony Phoenix |
Click to Buy |
Ratings Summary
(Scored out of a maximum of five) |
| Audio |
|
Video |
|
| Goodies |
|
Interface |
|
| Value |
|
|
| ADVANCED
HOME THEATER - Finally! They got it right! |
The Movie
It has been almost exactly one year since I reviewed the original DVD
release of Tron. Now for the 20th anniversary of the film, Disney
has released a two-disk set commemorating this ground-breaking film.
For the story line, refer back to my original
review. Instead, let me take a closer look at the new release,
and examine just how special this "special edition" is.
The original movie poster
art - © Disney
The Goodies
In my opinion, there are two highlights in the goodies: the audio
commentary that is an optional audio track for the film, and a brand new
"making of" feature.
Although the audio commentary is a direct lift off of the laserdisc
release, (they even refer to the old side breaks) it is still probably
one of the most impressive commentaries I have ever listened to. Unlike
so many other presentations, the participants — Steve Lisberger,
Donald Kushner, Harrison Ellenshaw and Richard Taylor — really get
into the detail of Tron; how and why it was developed, instead of
spending time talking about how wonderful they are, or how great their
work is.
Promo art © Disney
Unfortunately, like all Disney releases, there is no way to switch
the commentary on while watching the movie. Instead, you are forced out
to the main menu to enable the commentary. Try pressing the audio button
on your remote with nearly any non- Disney DVD, and you see the
difference. It seems silly to prevent you from changing the audio tracks
during the movie. (This is purely a programming issue, Disney can
program the disc to allow switching of the tracks on the fly.)
The 90-minute "making of" documentary is a brand new
addition, and is truly impressive. Assembled by the same company that
did the Snow White DVD, this documentary delves into a wide range
of topics and issues related to the movie. Even John Lassiter, who was
working as an animator on Mickey’s Christmas Carol at the time Tron
was being produced, talks about his encounters with the making to Tron,
and talks about the influence it had on his later work with Pixar.
Promo art © Disney
There are about four more hours of bonus material on the disk – way
too much to cover in this review. I spent hours browsing through the
presentations, finding myself drawn deeper into the computer world.
While the overall goodies are a vast improvement over the first
release, there was one major regression. The Spanish and French audio
tracks that were included on the original disk release are completely
missing from the edition. I know that this is not a huge issue to most
people, but as someone who speaks French, I do like to take advantage of
listening to the French soundtracks in order to maintain my language
skills. It was disappointing to find those missing.
From the
MousePlanet archives: Tron
special event - May 14, 1999
From
the press release [edited]: Walt Disney Pictures'
1982 landmark computer-animated feature Tron returned for a
special one-week limited engagement at The El Capitan Theatre.
This marked the debut of a brand-new 70mm six-track Dolby SR®
Stereo print - the first struck in seventeen years and the
first time the film has ever been formatted and presented in
Dolby SR® Stereo.
A special
panel discussion with the filmmakers, including director
Steven Lisberger, visual-effects supervisors Richard Taylor,
and computer-image choreographer Bill Kroyer, was presented
before the film. Also participating were actor Bruce
Boxleitner (who starred in the title role) and actress Cindy
Morgan (who played the dual role of Lora / Nori). Noted
journalist / animation historian Charles Solomon
moderated.
[Above - left
to right] Cindy Morgan, Bruce Boxleitner and Charles
Solomon.
[Above - left
to right] Bill Kroyer, Richard Taylor and Steven Lisberger. |
The Video, Audio and Interface
The film transfer has been cleaned up significantly, with a lot less
grain in the images. Color and contrast are a bit schizophrenic, but
that is mainly due to the animation process used to create the film.
Gone are most of the scratches and defects I noticed in my first review.
Overall, this is a vastly improved image. The transfer is also now
anamorphic, meaning it shows properly on a wide screen TV.
Promo art © Disney
The audio in this release moves up to a 5.1 track. The only major
difference I noticed was that my subwoofer got a good workout as the
tanks and light cycles moved across the screen. Unlike the original DVD,
the bass is clear and powerful – you really get the feeling of the
tanks rumbling toward you.
The interface has been significantly jazzed up, with new animated
menus that tie you directly into Tron’s computer world. It's really
amazing what can be done now to duplicate Tron's look with the current
technology.
| The Advanced
Home Theater
What do I like most about this new release? That customers no
longer have to spend over a hundred dollars on a huge laserdisc
box set to get this material on a favorite film! Finally the
average consumer out there can see all sorts of great features
that in years past only a few hundred thousand people (if that
many) used to only be able to enjoy on the LD format.
What you get in this new DVD edition is pretty much a port of
the original laser set, with a new anamorphic transfer (which
really looks great on the new 16x9 widescreen sets) and a spiffed
up sound track. In particular the scenes bathed in red light,
which were a nightmare even on the relatively stable LD format
(and unwatchable on tape) are now rock solid on DVD. And yes, the
lightcycle chase zips around the widescreen and your speaker
system the way it should. (Even with all the improvements in
computer effects technology since the film first opened this
sequence can still hold its own.)
Promo art © Disney
The purchaser of the disc will also be pleased to find the
sound is slightly improved from the already good first DVD release
(which was a real disappointment otherwise in the features
department), and the new documentary made for this DVD sort of
nicely brings together in a story form what used to be just a
collection of infobits and elements on the original LD set.
Tron is no masterwork, is a
bit clumsy in its storytelling, and clunky in its action.
(And why this happened is explained in the documentary.) But it
was a visual treat, and Disney with this movie experimented with
some concepts and ideas that only really came into full bloom just
recently with the advance of motion picture special effects.
For a lot of the film's fans, it sort of is like the first
movie adventure that captured their imagination - in the same way
that other generations were captivated by such adventures as
Disney's "In Search of the Castaways" or Lucas'
"Star Wars" did. Lord knows over the years I've
come to find out that many of you reading this column today were
introduced to the world of computers by this truly innovative
film.
Promo art © Disney
Disney has improved upon a really disappointing first release
of this movie on DVD, and made it special once again for the
movie's fans and for people just now "entering the game grid
of Tron." The company deserves compliments for a job well
done, and offering this set at a price point that is ultra
consumer friendly. What a treat.
Also Disney has finally
released the Tron
soundtrack on CD - in a newly remastered
edition with three bonus tracks at midline pricing - which means
you can find it at most stores for around ten dollars!
Click to Buy
Tracks:
1. Creation of Tron | 2. Only Solutions | 3. We've
Got Company | 4. Wormhole | 5. Ring Game and
Escape | 6. Water, Music, And Tronaction | 7. Tron
Scherzo | 8. Miracle and Magician | 9. Magic
Landings | 10. Theme from Tron | 11. 1990's Theme |
12. Love Theme | 13. Tower Music - Let Us Pray | 14.
Light Sailer | 15. Sea of Simulation | 16. New
Tron and the MCP | 17. Anthem | 18. Ending Titles |
Bonus Tracks: 19. Tronaction | 20. Break In | 21.
Anthem for Keyboard Solo
The film's composer Wendy Carlos in the
interesting liner notes even begins a story about how the master
tapes had to be baked in an oven to get a final high quality copy
off of them for the CD release, she fills in the rest of what was
involved on
her website. (It's a terrible problem affecting many
master tapes for all recording companies now - due to a change in
the tape manufacturing process during that time. She details
the process, and how it affects everyone in the music
industry now.)
The original album
cover - Promo
art © Disney
I'd always found the music from this movie, in particular the
main theme, to be rather haunting. What a pleasure to now hear the
score on this CD with improved sonics, in particular the end theme
with its huge choir and pipe organ. There's a richness in the new
20 bit remastered CD presentation that the souped up DVD Dolby
Digital soundtrack can't quite match with its more limited data
rates.
- Al Lutz |
The Final Evaluation
Promo art © Disney
I liked Tron before this DVD. Now, I honestly
have to say I like it even more. While it lacks the same emotional
impact of Toy Story or A Bug’s Life, it is still an
amazing movie.
So, my old copy of the DVD gets tossed out, and I gladly replace it
with a collection that is truly worthy of this ground- breaking movie. |
Promo art © Disney
Goodies
- All-new extensive "The Making of Tron"
documentary (88 mins.)
- Deleted scenes
- Production photo gallery including archival photos
not presented in the laser disc edition
- Commentary by writer/director Steven Lisberger,
producer Donald Kushner and visual effects supervisors Harrison
Ellenshaw and Richard Taylor
- Storyboard-to-film Comparisons
- Extensive still frame galleries
- Pre-production animation tests
- Deleted original soundtrack music
- Inspirational designs by futuristic artists Syd
Mead, Peter Lloyd and Jean "Moebius" Giraud
- Computer animation design and memo reels
- Original publicity materials
- Original theatrical trailer
Technical Specifications
- Region 1 Encoded
- Single-sided, dual-layer
- English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Spanish, French subtitles
- 19 chapters
- THX Certified
- Widescreen anamorphic - 2.20:1
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