Stars of Disney’s ‘TRON’ Share Memories from Groundbreaking Film at TRON Lightcycle / Run
Originally published at Disney Parks News
Twenty-five years ago, almost to the day, I began my Disney career as a professional intern at the Walt Disney World Casting Center. I had arrived two days earlier from Columbus, Ohio in my Disney-decorated van with dreams of things to come. If you would have told me then that two decades later, I would be speaking with stars from Disney’s 1982 film “TRON” under the shadow of TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom Park, I would not have believed you.
Actors Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan joined the media and invited guests from around the world for the #AllTheDisneyThrills press event. Which celebrated the many thrilling attractions and experiences in all four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort.
For the interview, I wore my TRON 40th Anniversary jacket. Which I picked up at the D23 Expo 2022 held in Anaheim, California last September. As the stars approached our interview spot, the first thing Bruce jokingly said was, “You and I must go to the same tailor.” He was wearing the same jacket!
Bruce played Alan Bradley and TRON in the films. Alan was an ENCOM computer programmer who wrote a security program named TRON to watchdog the Master Control Program (MCP). An artificially intelligent computer determined to take over the world. He would later reprise his role of Alan in the 2010 sequel “TRON: Legacy”. And provide the voice of TRON in the dynamic animated series “TRON Uprising.”
Cindy played Lora Baines. A computer scientist at ENCOM researching digitization. And her program Yori who specialized in game simulations. A strong female character in an early 1980s film, she helped Kevin Flynn, the brilliant video game programmer and father of the Grid, break into ENCOM’s computer mainframe. And as Yori, she helped TRON and Flynn defeat the MCP on the Grid.
We reminisced about their roles in the groundbreaking film against the roar of Lightcycles racing to Game Grid. I even brought my “TRON” activity and puzzle book which I colored as a child in the 1980s. It was a thrilling (and surreal) moment for someone who has watched “TRON” all his life.
Thank you to Bruce and Cindy for their time. And thank you to my fellow cast members who created this core memory for me. If I could send a letter through time to intern Steven in March 1998, I would tell him to keep believing in his dreams as they really do come true at Disney.
