New Tron Monorails

[rtphokie]

LOL....that's my GM at work...his name is Jay Mynard! AKA Tron guy!! I think he will approve of the monorail designs!!

You work on Hercules?

 

[k5jm]

LOL....that's my GM at work...his name is Jay Mynard! AKA Tron guy!! I think he will approve of the monorail designs!!

Tell Jay, that fellow Armadillo, K5JMH says hello from Houston. Jay is a funny guy. We miss having him down here.

 

[Groucho]

I guess I will be the lone voice of dissent here. Not only do I think they're ugly, I think they're inappropriate for something that I would consider to be sacred (as far as WDW goes). I would expect to see this on the local mass transit system, not at WDW.

I know Disney cross-promotes its products, but save that for something more innocuous. What's next, having a big Miley Cyrus poster hanging from the top spire of Cinderella Castle or a big Wand stating "Jonas Brothers" above SpaceShip Earth?

Well, they did have the Tron "corridor" in the Peoplemover back in the day...

FWIW, I love Tron (I just showed it to my son for the first time a couple weeks ago!) and have been very stoked since the Comicon teaser appeared, and the event Disney did some time last year at a trade show with a recreation of Flynn's Arcade sounded like one of the coolest things ever.....

But.... I have to agree, the monorails should be at least somewhat "sacred" - they should be uncluttered and beautiful. No lightcycles, no balloons, none of that. Just like how Spaceship Earth looks so much better without that darn wand hanging off it.

On a side note, anyone who likes FPS games, check out Tron 2.0 from a few years ago - it's a surprisingly good one!

 

[dmccarty]

I like the TRON "paint" on the monorails.....

I think it is cool.

But it is a glorified commercial which is not good. I have to agree with WDWFigment that this makes the monorail look like a city bus.

I really don't want to see Miley on the side of the monorail. I guess if they put Stitch on the monorail it would at least answer what causes the smell in the monorail cars. Twould be Stich....

Later,
Dan

 

[mom2rtk]

So am I the only one who DIDN'T know what TRON even was??????? Oh well, guess it wouldn't be the first time. When did the original come out?

 

[Master Mason]

I will say this.... I went to see Alice In Wonderland last night and I got to see the new Tron: Legacy trailer at the beginning. It looks a LOT better than the original. But I agree; I hope this is not something Disney does every time they want to push a new movie. I don't think it would be very cost efficient to redo the monorail each time, but here's hoping. I guess they figure a "futuristic" movie vehicle goes along with a futuristic transportation system?

It's sort of funny that people think of something built originally in 1959 as "futuristic".

 

[Master Mason]

Just like how Spaceship Earth looks so much better without that darn wand hanging off it.

I'm probably one of the few dissenting votes on this, I actually liked it better with the wand, but that is probably because that's what it looked like the first time I saw it. It just seemed really missing when I went back and it was gone.

 

[RBennett]

It's sort of funny that people think of something built originally in 1959 as "futuristic".

Well, and that's why I put that in quotes because when it originally came out it was. Now, we all know the monorail as one of our favorite disney transportation options that has been around for over half a century.

 

[Groucho]

I'm probably one of the few dissenting votes on this, I actually liked it better with the wand, but that is probably because that's what it looked like the first time I saw it. It just seemed really missing when I went back and it was gone.

Hey MM! I'm sure that initial viewing has something to do with it. I remember going to WDW when Epcot was being built as well as when it was brand new and so I've got an emotional connection to the original... Heck, I even still miss Kitchen Kabaret.

mom2rtk, it came out in 1982. IMDB's page is here. OK, it is a product of its time and kind of a relic now, but it's still fun. The making-of documentary on the 2-disc special edition is really interesting, too - it was really the product of a tiny animation company and a lot of the stuff was just being figured out as they were filming the movie - there was a very real danger of them not being able to finish it! It certainly is unique-looking.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey MM! I'm sure that initial viewing has something to do with it. I remember going to WDW when Epcot was being built as well as when it was brand new and so I've got an emotional connection to the original... Heck, I even still miss Kitchen Kabaret.

mom2rtk, it came out in 1982. IMDB's page is here. OK, it is a product of its time and kind of a relic now, but it's still fun. The making-of documentary on the 2-disc special edition is really interesting, too - it was really the product of a tiny animation company and a lot of the stuff was just being figured out as they were filming the movie - there was a very real danger of them not being able to finish it! It certainly is unique-looking.

I had a hunch it must have been between 1981 and 1985.... I was away from home working my way through school then. Working full time and attending college doesn't leave much time for movies....


No wait... scratch that..... That was before I was born.... no WONDER I don't remember it!

 

[DznyFan]

Well, love 'em or hate 'em, I just read an article (with photos) they're out and running the EPCOT line today.

 

[Robert29]

I think they look pretty sharp and cool and I say that with the expectation they are merely temporary until the movie comes out. I might regret that statement if they do this on a regular basis with future films.

 

[TestTrackBoy]

Took this one today...