The underwhelming reactions to rumors of Disney working on a third Tron movie are disheartening, but not exactly surprising. Despite its groundbreaking status as one of the first movies to fully merge live-action and computer-generated imagery, Tron has long struggled to break out as a major franchise. A few Kingdom Hearts appearances aside, the last time Disney made an effort to bring this world to the mainstream was 2010's Tron Legacy, a sequel to the original 1982 film whose stunning neon visuals and Daft Punk score failed to make up for a rather cliché story. If Tron 3 wants to remedy this issue, it should look at the criminally underrated animated series Tron: Uprising for inspiration.
Airing 19 episodes, Uprising was a perfect stepping stone for the Tron franchise in terms of both storytelling and world-building. Taking place some unknown cycles after Clu betrayed Kevin Flynn and seized tyrannical control of the Grid, Tron: Uprising followed Beck (Elijah Wood), a mechanic program whose home city of Argon is invaded by Clu's forces, led by General Tessler. After watching his friend get killed by a soldier, Beck retaliates against the occupation wearing a modified suit to resemble Tron, the Grid’s former protector. Dubbed "the Renegade," he manages to escape Tessler's forces before getting captured and interrogated by a masked figure, who reveals himself to be a still-living Tron (Bruce Boxleitner). Unable to retaliate due to the severity of digital scars Clu gave him, Tron encourages Beck to become his successor, with the pair teaming up to kickstart a revolution against this fascist regime.
Uprising’s hook was simple but solid, drawing fans back into the Grid from a pedestrian-centric view. While the Tron movies approached its digital world from the perspective of human "users," this show blended elements of the original film with a fresh exploration of its programs' everyday lives. This was revealed primarily through Beck and Tron’s mentor/student dynamic, with Wood and Boxleitner's performances making it easy root for the duo's struggle against overwhelming odds. All Tron has left is his name and the cause, with Beck constantly being reminded of that weight as the Renegade’s actions sparks both hope and fear across the Grid.
Boxleitner and Wood were also matched by a compelling roster of side characters with equally high-profile voice talent. Beck’s friends Mara (Mandy Moore) and Zed (Nate Corddry), as well as his boss/father figure Abel (Reginald VanJohnson), create a believable surrogate family that’s regularly tested by conflicting feelings over Beck’s dual identity. Mara actively supports what the Renegade is doing while Zed is more adverse, fearing his actions will result in more punishments being enforced on innocent programs. On the other side of things are Tesler's (Lance Henriksen) efforts to qualm the Renegade's actions, often sending out his second in commands Paige (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Pavel (a surprisingly menacing Paul Reubens) to enforce these tactics. Each character has some goal or ambition which regularly conflicts with the other side, making the fallout of their encounters feel meaningful each time.
If Tron 3 wants to create a compelling story, it should follow Uprising’s lead by making the Grid's ecosystem feel truly expansive. Building upon Legacy’s neon-futuristic iconography, Argon is a bustling metropolis filled with unique light-based architecture and character models. You get the return of the classic Tron iconography like light cycles and disc wars but also delve even further into this world and its neighboring cities, revealing everything from underground racing locations to black markets to clubs. The world feels lived in, and Tron: Uprising's highly stylized 3D CGI animation is made more atmospheric by Joseph Trapanese's ominous techno score. Even the fight scenes are memorable, demonstrating a kinetic fluidity as characters chase each other across rooftops and wield everything from identity discs to staffs to augmented energy arms.
Another area where Tron 3 could follow the path of Uprising is how its character moments complicate the "good vs. evil" angle. The episode "Isolated" shined a spotlight on Paige’s backstory and how she was manipulated by certain tragedies to become a believer in Clu’s xenophobic propaganda against the ISO's. Likewise, the two-parter "Scars" saw Tron consumed by vengeance toward the return of a familiar face -- his former friend turned Clu ally Dyson -- as viewers learn the extent of what he lost from Clu's betrayal. Instances like this proved the show was a surprisingly dark one, regularly killing or seriously injuring programs but somehow sidestepping the censors since derezzing reduced their bodies to pixelated cubes. It's not exactly the family-friendly marketing image Disney desires, but Tron: Uprising still told a compelling story that, especially compared to the movies, felt more accessible to viewers.
The show's finale hinted at the beginning of a grander resistance as Clu personally entered the battle for Argon City, a conflict that was sadly never resolved due to its cancelation by Disney. Judging by Tron: Legacy, which revealed Tron to have been repurposed as Clu's servant Rinzler, it's likely this story didn’t end well. Yet fans are left with so many unanswered questions that they want to see answered, which could be the perfect entry point for a sequel. Since Legacy ended with Sam Flynn uploading the Grid to a new file, it’s possible that certain characters survived and could be re-introduced as supporting players for him and Quorra to encounter.
If Disney wants to make fans invested in Tron’s digital utopia, they have to give it greater scope, a compelling plot and interesting characters. Tron: Uprising managed to achieve all three, despite never fitting in with the company brand. Ironically, the show's once-dismissed mature accessibility might be exactly what Disney needs to sell a Tron 3 to modern audiences.