TRON Lightcycle Run is a brand new curler coaster beneath building by Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. This covers every part it is advisable know: doubtless opening date, progress photographs, trip car take a look at video, idea artwork, and solutions to frequent questions. (Updated October 29, 2022.)
To deliver you on top of things, this curler coaster was introduced 5 years in the past, is a clone of Shanghai Disneyland’s TRON Lightcycle Power Run, and will probably be positioned between Tomorrowland Speedway and Storybook Circus in Fantasyland. Like Space Mountain, it’ll be past the railway tracks that circle Magic Kingdom and, consequently, Walt Disney World Railroad is closed because of the curler coaster building the the operational cost-savings. Fortunately, that’s gearing as much as return very quickly. (See When Will the Walt Disney World Railroad Reopen? for extra.)
If you’re questioning when TRON Lightcycle Run will open…properly, we would quickly have a solution! After years and years of ready, it’s doubtless that Disney will announce the opening date between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2022. If you need to be notified when that’s revealed (or every other Walt Disney World information, low cost releases, and many others.), enroll right here for our FREE Disney e-newsletter right here.
In phrases of fundamental background, the attraction is formally generally known as TRON Lightcycle / Run (or Tron Lightcycle Power Run) and is a semi-enclosed launched metal bike curler coaster attraction. The seats are just like these on Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom; riders sit on particular person lightcycles, lean ahead, grip a set of handlebars, and a pad behind the seat comes down and snuggly secures the rider in place.
As the title suggests, the curler coaster is predicated on the Tron movies. It begins with company coming into an enormous gravity/present constructing the place they step onto the Grid and board their very own bike or lightcycle. Like Space Mountain or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, a lot of the trip is in a darkened present constructing, however not like these, the climax of the attraction is a loop beneath a big color-changing cover, which can be the enduring characteristic of the attraction’s facade.
Above is my picture of how all of this appears at Shanghai Disneyland. We’ve carried out Shanghai Disneyland’s model of the trip a number of occasions, so quite a lot of the data that follows can be primarily based on our firsthand experiences driving TRON Lightcycle Run. The largest distinction is that it’s the focus of Tomorrowland in China, with your entire land constructed round TRON Lightcycle Power Run. There are a number of approaches and viewing areas for the curler coaster, which I feel is savvy.
By distinction, Magic Kingdom’s TRON Lightcycle Run is nestled behind Space Mountain, could have a cramped method between that trip’s exit and Tomorrowland Speedway, and the one viewing space for the curler coaster beneath the cover seems to be alongside the winding entrance and exit paths. (There are just a few recipes for congestion right here.)
Now let’s check out some idea artwork for TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom to see how its aesthetics will differ from the Shanghai Disneyland incarnation of the attraction…
Above is the most recent idea artwork for TRON Lightcycle Run, which has been tweaked from the unique plans. There are some things that leap out from this new artwork by way of modifications from its predecessor.
First, the marquee is now a planter out entrance of the attraction, slightly than hanging from the highest of the cover. Next, the doorway is now a winding and accessible walkway, slightly than stairs. Finally, there’s what seems to be a (very small) tunnel for the prepare.
Above is the idea artwork from two years in the past, which additionally exhibits how TRON Lightcycle Run matches with Space Mountain, the Tomorrowland Speedway, and Walt Disney World Railroad round it.
In that, you may see the steps, path again to Storybook Circus, and unique marquee. You can’t actually see the place the prepare would go, and it seems the doorway/exit from the present constructing all comply with one path down the steps.
For these wanting an thought of how TRON Lightcycle Run will match into the Magic Kingdom “skyline,” above is an aerial view from final summer time earlier than the cover cushions had been put in. Here you too can see simply how deep the gravity constructing is, extending all the way in which again to World Dr. on the far aspect of Magic Kingdom.
While the gravity constructing is distinguished in these photographs, it must be famous that that is an excessive angle. From inside Tomorrowland and when approaching TRON Lightcycle Run, company doubtless gained’t be capable of see the ‘big box.’ It’s not seen from most of Magic Kingdom; simply as is the case at Shanghai Disneyland.
When the cover is completed, it’ll look stunning and be what attracts the attention of most company.
TRON Lightcycle Run Construction Updates
Just a brief and candy replace at the moment, by way of the enjoyable and heartwarming video shared by Disney Parks on Instagram. In this, the Walt Disney World Ambassadors are notifying Cast Members that they’ve been chosen for the opening workforce of TRON Lightcycle Run. It’s enjoyable to see the thrill that these CMs have at being chosen for these launch groups. A pleasant change of tempo from a number of the information we’ve been sharing these days!
This will not be essentially indicative of a gap date, as Cast Members might be chosen a month or so earlier than they’re reassigned. However, they in all probability would not obtain these choices a number of months prematurely–that will be comparatively unprecedented. Once these Cast Members are assigned to their new roles on the curler coaster, there will probably be a pair months of coaching and testing. This means that our opening predictions beneath are nonetheless proper on monitor–if something, TRON Lightcycle Run might enter previews or tender openings earlier than mentioned beneath. It’s extremely doubtless that we get the official information between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day!
Now, listed here are some updates on testing and building progress from the final couple months…
I’m so prepared pic.twitter.com/TbpdxnDxie
— Thomas Parris (@tparris3245) August 30, 2022
Over the course of the final month-plus, Imagineers have been testing the complete cover lighting bundle on TRON Lightcycle Run. This is a primary, because it occurred with trip car exams and exhibits the curler coaster trains and light-weight results working in tandem because the lightcycles glide beneath the cover.
Walt Disney World additionally has been dispatching trains at or close to peak effectivity, with beneath 30 seconds between them. The attraction additionally has been working with human riders, and firm executives and others have already skilled it. This signifies that the within of the attraction is completed and has been turned over to operations, and the one building to be accomplished is outdoors on the method and numerous walkways.
Now, let’s check out building progress…
There’s been quite a lot of progress on TRON Lightcycle Run’s building within the final a number of months. Like different initiatives that kicked into excessive gear with the beginning of the brand new fiscal yr, work on TRON Lightcycle Run has accelerated since across the begin of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary.
Let’s begin by approaching from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover with a contemporary have a look at the development web site.
These new photographs had been all taken throughout a busy morning on the Magic Kingdom building web site. You can actually see important progress happen whereas visiting Magic Kingdom.
In reality, we took just a few spins on the TTA PeopleMover this morning after wrapping up Halloween updates, having fun with the brand new narration and watching building staff proceed to make progress.
Here’s a have a look at the far aspect of the positioning, adjoining to the Tomorrowland Speedway.
Over right here, there are foundations for what we assume will probably be planters. Futuristic planters. You may see the top of the walkway to Storybook Circus.
Continuing in the direction of the positioning, right here’s a wider view of the primary elevated walkway and first part of the swooping cover. You may catch a glimpse of the Storybook Circus path beneath the flyover ramp that leads as much as the attraction entrance.
The predominant work we noticed was on the lead-up to the flyover walkway. There are a sequence of curved, concrete foundations being constructed. One of those is certainly for the attraction signage, per the idea artwork. The others aren’t even pictured within the artwork–one appears prefer it might be a fountain, however given Disney’s aversion to water options, that appears unlikely. Probably extra planters.
Speaking of the attraction entrance, you may see the sequence of arches–and sequence of scissor lifts–in entrance of the visitor entrance for TRON Lightcycle Run. There are a number of doorways right here, and clearly two separate sides–one for standby/digital queue and one other for the Lightning Lane.
You may see just a few sections of wall paneling that must be completed. All comparatively minor work within the grand scheme of issues.
We haven’t observed as a lot taking place with the flyover ramp itself within the final couple months. Off within the distance, there are a handful of building staff. This wants its everlasting guardrail put in, however aside from that, this walkway is essentially in completed kind. Once cleaned up, it’ll (clearly) look quite a bit nicer.
Ground-level paths have been the main target extra not too long ago. We’re seeing the method from Tomorrowland take form, in addition to the walkway that’ll curve beneath the flyover and lead again into Storybook Circus. There’s additionally one other path with an unknown vacation spot–presumably main backstage.
It’s considerably troublesome to determine what’s taking place right here–that is virtually instantly beneath the PeopleMover–however it seems to be framing for extra swooping concrete partitions.
TRON Lightcycle Run is technically past the berm in Magic Kingdom, shoehorned into a decent plot of land between the boundaries of Tomorrowland, Storybook Circus, and World Drive. Consequently, the world across the attraction could have quite a lot of strategically-located partitions and walkways to direct site visitors and conceal views into backstage and areas outdoors the park.
Here’s a wider view that exhibits just about your entire TRON Lightcycle Run worksite that’s seen from the TTA PeopleMover. Now that the ETFE cushion cover is full, crews have been engaged on the bottom and elevated pathway and progress is transferring briskly on these. There’s quite a bit occurring within the picture above and beneath, so let’s break it down.
The flyover walkway (far left) will weave company beneath the cover, over the Walt Disney World Railroad tunnel (middle-left), and into the visitor entrance (far proper and beneath) of the present constructing. You can truly see an analogous path in our photographs of Shanghai Disneyland’s model of the curler coaster all through this publish (minus the prepare stuff).
Speaking of the prepare tunnel, we’ve seen quite a lot of work on this not too long ago. This is now absolutely enclosed, mirroring the idea artwork–a necessity so the prepare doesn’t discolor the crisp cover of TRON Lightcycle Run.
Construction staff have been arduous at work including a air flow system, lighting, and even beginning to set monitor for the prepare. There are additionally home windows minimize into the tunnel that’ll supply a view from the prepare of TRON Lightcycle Run.
Work now primarily is on the bottom, specializing in the flyover and method walkways. Installation of the ETFE cushion cover has been completed for just a few months. As you may see from the Imagineering photos beneath, the biomimicry-inspired roof membrane appears superior when illuminated with present lighting at evening.
What’s pictured above is not that–there are work lights on on this picture, which explains the uneven lighting. This cover additionally serves a sensible function: masking company as they method and enter the attraction, and permitting the trip to run within the rain. Thankfully, Walt Disney World has discovered its lesson on weather-related downtime for indoor/outside rides from Test Track.
Over the summer time, Walt Disney Imagineering launched new publicity photos exhibiting that TRON Lightcycle Run has reached one other venture milestone at Magic Kingdom, with the beginning of present lighting testing on the attraction cover.
This curved-wave construction serves because the Upload Conduit to the Grid, the place company (or “Users” in TRON parlance) will race beneath on Lightcycles as they start their competitors.
In preparation for the race, the Walt Disney Imagineering Show Lighting workforce is tough at work testing the system and programming greater than 1,200 fixtures throughout the floor.
The cover and exterior plaza will probably be dropped at life within the coming months because the venture workforce continues importing and integrating extra present components.
In different phrases, just about every part is finished at this level other than the flyover ramps, ground-level walkways, numerous planters, and a little bit of clean-up and landscaping work. While it nonetheless very a lot appears like an energetic building web site, quite a lot of that may be completed fairly shortly.
Obviously, it’s nonetheless an energetic building web site with quite a lot of work occurring, however the trip is now within the dwelling stretch. Seriously. After 4+ years, the curler coaster is sort of prepared. In reality, TRON Lightcycle Run might open inside just a few weeks given the work that is still. The query is…will it?
Possibly. The curler coaster itself is able to roll–fairly actually. Below the ETFE cushion roofing, you may generally see curler coaster trains launching. We’ve seen these for just a few months now, and they’re now transferring at full-speed and at common intervals.
The different query is whether or not Walt Disney World even needs to open TRON Lightcycle Run anytime quickly. We’ll handle that subsequent…
TRON Lightcycle Run Opening Date
Now let’s flip to the opening date of Magic Kingdom’s upcoming thrill trip. Walt Disney World has dropped the road that TRON Lightcycle Run “is set to open at Magic Kingdom Park in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary.”
This isn’t a surprise, as that was the plan previous to the multi-month closure of Walt Disney World, throughout which all building stopped. Even after the parks reopened, work was gradual to renew inside Magic Kingdom on TRON Lightcycle Run.
We’ve speculated repeatedly that Walt Disney World would intentionally stagger its new attraction debuts this yr and in 2023 as a method to incentivize new and repeat journeys. Our considering was that the debuts of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot and TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom would must be sufficiently spaced to offer new bookings two photographs within the arm.
Walt Disney World has already made its large addition for this yr: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is now open. We’ve skilled that new Epcot E-Ticket many occasions, and share ideas in our Spoiler-Free Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Ride Review. Personally, I feel it’s significantly better than TRON Lightcycle Run.
The query is when will TRON Lightcycle Run open?
To our disappointment and shock, Disney introduced that TRON Lightcycle Run will debut in Spring 2023. While unlucky that it gained’t open this vacation season, it does make sense. This spacing after Cosmic Rewind can be strategic because the attraction might be solely completed properly earlier than then.
This delay into Spring 2023 is extra about when it’s most financially advantageous to open one other headliner trip after Cosmic Rewind. Spacing them out in several calendar years would immediate some followers to take two journeys as an alternative of 1, permitting Walt Disney World to profit from two distinct advertising and marketing pushes.
This is disappointing as a result of we all know that TRON Lightcycle Run might be carried out inside weeks or months if the corporate desired. It’s already being examined with reside riders and there’s little or no work to be carried out on the concrete across the attraction’s entrance. There’s nothing stopping Disney from opening TRON Lightcycle Run for this Christmas season apart from the corporate’s want to take action.
There’s loads of current precedent for this. Walt Disney World has sat on completely completed initiatives post-closure, ready to debut them when most financially advantageous. However, that has been with issues that had been considerably completed pre-closure. With TRON Lightcycle Run, the corporate slowed work…then resumed and accelerated it.
With all of that stated, if compelled to decide on attainable opening dates for TRON Lightcycle Run, I’d go along with February 17, 2023 on the earliest. That’s nonetheless over a full 18 months after it was alleged to debut.
That places it in a brand new fiscal yr and simply earlier than the Presidents’ Day and Mardi Gras holidays, which will probably be one of many busiest weeks of the yr at Walt Disney World in 2023. It would make sense from a requirement perspective, and assist improve Magic Kingdom’s capability as soon as Splash Mountain closes to be reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
However, I’m considerably skeptical that TRON Lightcycle Run will debut by late February 2023, if solely as a result of Walt Disney World doesn’t usually open main new points of interest within the winter months. To my data, there has not been a high-profile trip opening in January or February within the present millennium.
For my extra reasonable and “most likely” state of affairs, I’ll predict that TRON Lightcycle Run opens on March 10, 2023. If I might solely select a single date slightly than all of those ranges, that will be my exact prediction.
This would put the trip’s opening simply earlier than Osceola and Orange County, Florida are scheduled to have their spring breaks. That is actually the kickoff of the spring break season, which lasts till one week after Easter, which falls on April 9, 2023.
One factor that provides me pause about this prediction is that it’s so quickly after the busy Presidents’ Day and Mardi Gras window. That week goes to be bonkers, and it could actually assist if Magic Kingdom had TRON Lightcycle Run to assist with crowds. So…maybe it should?
There’s a manner for each predictions to be true: previews. It’s doubtless that TRON Lightcycle Run could have just a few weeks of previews earlier than the trip formally opens for Cast Members, Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members, and many others. In different phrases, previews might begin in mid-February with the trip formally opening in early March 2023. That timeline would work completely.
As for the most recent date we anticipate to see TRON Lightcycle Run open, that will be May 26, 2023. That’s the Friday earlier than Memorial Day, which–though technically nonetheless Spring 2023–is considered because the unofficial begin of summer time by Walt Disney World.
Given that TRON Lightcycle Run might actually open any time, this may not be as a consequence of building delays. Rather, it could be a deliberate resolution if Walt Disney World already thinks spring break resort occupancy projections are sturdy sufficient, doesn’t care about addressing Magic Kingdom crowds after Splash Mountain closes, and needs to assist enhance bookings for summer time. This state of affairs appears most unlikely to me.
To be crystal clear, that’s not a rumored opening date for TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom. It’s merely my speculative prediction primarily based on what’s doubtless and possible given crowds, demand, and advertising and marketing campaigns.
As for when Walt Disney World will doubtless announce the opening date for TRON Lightcycle Run, the 2 almost definitely prospects (however actually not the one ones–it might occur a random morning in November) are in the course of the Thanksgiving particular or Christmas Day Parade on ABC. If you need to be notified when that’s revealed (or every other Walt Disney World information, low cost releases, and many others.), enroll right here for our FREE Disney e-newsletter right here.
There’s additionally the fact that TRON Lightcycle Run will probably be an Individual Lightning Lane attraction, which signifies that it’ll instantly generate direct income for Walt Disney World as soon as it debuts. That means there’s much less incentive for the corporate to attend round to have or not it’s a part of a advertising and marketing marketing campaign.
The cash that TRON Lightcycle Run might make in the course of the busy vacation season might outweigh the worth it has for Walt Disney World’s 2023 advertising and marketing push. (Moreover, there’s no motive TRON Lightcycle Run must be model new to be the main target of selling–Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and different points of interest which might be a number of years outdated stay a spotlight of adverts.)
While I actually get pleasure from TRON Lightcycle Run, it “only” scored a 9/10 in our Shanghai Disneyland Ride Reviews. The large factor that prevented it from receiving an ideal 10/10 is length. The coaster itself, from launch to return, lasts virtually 60 seconds precisely. (Other web sources counsel it’s 2 minutes lengthy–that’s solely correct from load to unload, however a full minute of that isn’t a part of the trip expertise in any respect.)
Another concern is the seating, which I’ve beforehand stated (wrongly, I assume) can be what precluded this curler coaster from ever being cloned at Walt Disney World. As famous above, TRON Lightcycle Run has bike seating, with company straddling the lightcycle, leaning ahead and inserting their chest and abdomen flush with the entrance pad whereas handlebars come ahead and a again restraint lowers.
It’s a cosy match, like a tighter and safer model of Flight of Passage in Pandora – World of Avatar. Shanghai Disneyland’s model has accessible vehicles in the back of the trains. More accessible seating will probably be vital within the Magic Kingdom model, as the traditional bike seats aren’t going to work for lots of Walt Disney World company.
Ultimately, TRON Lightcycle Run is quite a bit like Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster. Both are quick launch curler coasters that largely happen in darkish present buildings with a scattering of props and lean closely on thrills. TRON Lightcycle Run will probably be about 20 seconds shorter, however it’ll have an outside part, and superior visuals inside.
With all of that stated, what can’t be overstated about TRON Lightcycle Run is the coolness issue because of the distinctive seating, flashy visuals, and that outside loop. This is a particular benefit it has over different curler coasters at Walt Disney World. While I want it had been about one other 20-30 seconds longer, I feel most followers will find yourself loving TRON Lightcycle Run.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider TRON Lightcycle Run? Are you excited for this new Magic Kingdom curler coaster, or does it not curiosity you? Thoughts on how the aesthetic will match into Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World? Any questions? Hearing your suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas or questions beneath within the feedback!