The Making of 'Tron' (2002 Video) User Reviews

It covers all the bases; watchable, informative and pretty well-made

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 14 September 2013]

As DVD bonus material documentary/retrospectives go, "The Making of Tron" is definitely one of the better ones. It's only 90 minutes, but it covers pretty much everything from the beginning of Lisberger Studios to the execution and box office disappointment of "TRON" ... right down to just how influential that movie was (PIXAR, anyone?). Almost all of the principal cast is involved, sharing all manner of entertaining on-set stories, and this thing is worth it just to see all of the archival still photos taken during production.

It's well-produced and instantly accessible for even the non-fan (it's what made me curious about "TRON" to begin with).

A solid documentary.

7/10

Nifty retrospective documentary

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 13 June 2022]

This excellent and informative 88-minute retrospective documentary covers a lot of interesting and illuminating ground on the making of the early 80's sci-fi cult classic TRON. Writer/director Steven Lisberger reveals that TRON was initially going to be an independent movie and talks about how he began his career making animated shorts. Jeff Bridges admits he was excited to play the lead because he thought the film was a risky and interesting venture that was doing something new. Cindy Morgan points out that she went to the gym to lose five pounds so she would look better in the spandex outfit she wore as Yori while Bruce Boxleitner shares a great story about reading the script on the set of a made-for-TV Western he acted in prior to TRON. Several cast members admit that they were confused by the premise.

Moreover, David Warner is fondly remembered for his strong screen presence, Lisberger had video games on the set for people to play in between takes, there were issues with the spandex costumes because they were too revealing, the Academy Awards people refused to nominate TRON for its special effects because they thought the filmmakers cheated by using computer animation, and although TRON was not a huge box office hit, it nonetheless proved to be a very influential picture which has amassed a substantial cult following. Recommended viewing for TRON fans.

How to break the mold

[Jonah14 · 9/10 · 18 March 2003]

Fascinating documentary contained on the Tron 20th Anniversary 2-DVD Special Edition in which you learn the long road Steven Lisberger and his company took to make Tron, from their early work in backlit animation to the tumultuous story of Animalympics to how they convinced post-Walt Disney/pre-The Little Mermaid Disney to back a cutting edge, decidely un-Disney like production.

A box-office failure in 1982, the documentary also discusses how kids who were 10 to 14 years old at the time latched onto it. It's also interesting to note how much Tron fortold - even being arguably the first cyberpunk movie, since it features the earliest reference to hacking and the world of Tron itself is the first depiction of cyberspace.