A few months ago, we told you that it was rumored that the popular TRON Lightcycle Power Run attraction from Shanghai Disneyland would be making its way to Walt Disney World sometime in the next 5 years. Well, it seems the project is close to approval, but it may also be heading to California…
According to sources, budget and preliminary design teams for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts have been sent out to Shanghai to make the project into a reality here in the United States. The decision to move forward with a TRON reboot/sequel has likely heavily influenced the decision to go through with the attraction domestically.
Walt Disney World is planning to build the attraction in Tomorrowland ahead of October 1st, 2021, the start of the 50th anniversary celebration for the entire resort. This would ensure major new additions in each of the four parks leading up to what should be a milestone event lasting 18-24 months. The enhancements at Epcot should begin by that time, and Star Wars land, Toy Story Land, and Pandora: The World of AVATAR will all be open and operating, leaving Magic Kingdom needing something big and new. Currently, the attraction would sit on the site of the Tomorrowland Speedway, but the former Galaxy Palace Theater space (now cast member parking) is a possibility.
At Disneyland, rumors indicate that the former Innoventions building (now home to Star Wars Launch Bay) in Tomorrowland would be the site, allowing the outdoors portion of the coaster to soar beautifully over the Tomorrowland skyline. That being said, some believe the coaster will be repurposed for the MARVEL-themed land at Disney California Adventure, perhaps taking the place of the long-rumored Captain America launch roller coaster. Either way, expect this ride system to show up at the Disneyland Resort around the same time as Walt Disney World unveils theirs.
As always with rumors and attractions in the design phase, things can change, or even be cancelled entirely. Based on how much we are hearing about this already, I would be very surprised to not see this roller coaster “rez” in the U.S. sometime soon.
No mention that the coaster might just be the Guardians replacement for Epcot’s Energy pavilion with a new theme. Epcot needs a roller coaster more than the Magic Kingdom. California Adventure needs a Captain America roller coaster to go with the Marvel Land makeover of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Tomorrowland needs a big overhaul, but Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom already has many roller coasters.
It’s good news to me that it isn’t in Epcot – we need more original IPs in Epcot to maintain any kind of theming continuity of the actual future. Not just regurgitated futuristic-looking stuff – that is what Tomorrowland is for, IMHO. Great news, though! Get rid of those smelly cars :P
I know it’s in-vogue to hate on the Indy Speedway, but I’m not in that crowd. Sure they’re slow and they kinda smell, but for many children this is their chance to drive on their own 10 years before they can get a license. I’d much prefer a re-imagining of the speedway with electric cars or maybe an injection of some Disney IP (Sugar Rush??) than an altogether replacement. Not everything has to appeal to everyone.
I agree with you Chris.
YES. I agree. Just replace the car’s with electric ones. Re imagine. Cars theme. Disney World doesn’t have anything car’s themed.
I worked the Autopia attraction in Disneyland and I can tell you that the cars will never be electric. The price is far too high and the engines don’t produce enough power to move the cars.
They may be cost prohibitive, but they can definitely produce more than enough power. Electric motors are extremely powerful. Just ask Elon Musk.
I really hope this is true. I may be the only person the genuinely loves all things Tron.
That show building looks like it has a really huge footprint. Would it actually fit where the Speedway currently resides?
Oh god not this rumor again. It’s never gonna happen and this is just more fabricated BS.
Just like their story on the HKDL castle re-do was BS? WDWNT has a great track record of calling out what’s real from what’s not.
Also if WDWNT has a great track record, then where is Middle Earth in the Disney parks? Thought so.
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2013/10/rumor-disney-and-warner-brothers-to-bring-the-lord-of-the-rings-to-disney-parks/
Seriously? You had to go back to 2013…2013. Over 3 years ago Tom got a rumor wrong. OMG, stop the presses. I’m not saying everything is perfect, but it’s a great site for news and RUMORS. Not facts, rumors. I could see getting bent out of shape if these were presented as facts, but they aren’t. And I can tell you what Walt wouldn’t do…put people down and destroy their sense of magic. It seems like that is exactly what you’re doing with hateful anti-WDWNT posts. If you don’t like the site, get out.
Well said.
What a friggin bonehead response… You’re a friggin loser and so is your Mom!
Why would you ever do that at Wdw? Don’t you know Walt would never change anything about a park. An old past it’s prime speedway or a barely used theater is much better use of space than a state of the art coaster!!! Plus you have to stick with the true outdated feel of tommorrowland!!!!!! It is what Walt would have wanted!
After Walt died they should’ve just called it a day and declared they will stop building new attractions at both DL and WDW. I’m serious.
You mean like Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, the Fantasyland expansion, EPCOT Center, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom?
Fair enough. Other than those, they really didn’t build much more at WDW after Walt died. Of course, we won’t mention that everything at WDW was built after Wakt died.
Well Walt came up with the concept of space mountain and the basics of epcot so you can’t really include those.
He came up with the basics of EPCOT Center?! Better check that info, brother. Walt designed EPCOT, the city. The theme park had absolutely nothing to do with that.
I’ll go on the TRON ride no matter where it ends up in the U.S. I never saw the TRON movies but the Shanghai ride looks fantastic. It would be sad to lose the Speedway cars, but Disneyland’s Autopia is better anyway and maybe not as smelly. I’d rather see the new ride go to Future World (take some of the crowds away from Frozen Ever After and Soarin’), as long as it goes somewhere in the parks without losing anything really good.
As long as they can do it without losing the Peoplemover, it’s fine with me. It would be wonderful if they could work it into the Transit Authority path!
the TTA needs to die
TTA Peoplemover is my favourite ride(if you can call it a ride) in Magic Kingdom, it’s a break where you just enjoy the view and relax, it hardly ever has a queue longer than ten minutes, and Tomorrowland would look and be incomplete and lacking.
I think this ride for Disney world will be awesome and I can’t wait for the official word! Tron ride in Disney will be awesome!
I don’t understand all the excitement. The Tron ride is way too short, incovenient and requires you to leave your loose items in a locker, so you’re basically forced to stand in lines twice.
Cheese with your Whine hon? We stand in lines everyday.. One more wont make a difference !
Two indoor high speed roller coasters side by side? I’m gonna go with NOPE. But it would do fine at Epcot. There is more than enough land between the current pavilions in Future World for it to fit.
In general, the idea of a Tron rollercoaster sounds amazing, but I don’t see how it fits anywhere. The Shanghai version is surely too big to fit where speedway is, isn’t it?
Speedway makes no sense thematically, but if they upgrade to electrics and retheme (knock-knock Honda), it works. Sightlines would be problematic, too, as it would surely be very visible from Storybook Circus and Fantasyland. With all the investment in MK recently, I also don’t see them revisiting before a multi-year project at Epcot to level out the attractiveness of each gate a little more.
So, Epcot? As much as I don’t want to lose audioanimatronic dinosaurs, I don’t think Universe of Energy can stick around forever, even though the topic of energy is even more important now than it was in the late 1970s. Given a leveling of Universe of Energy and Wonders of Life (moving the Festival Center to the shuttered Innoventions buildings), Disney would have ample space to build a new experience. But would they? Hard to say what the thoughts are regarding the recent announcement which makes it seem like we should see a huge influx of IP-based experiences in Epcot, but Tron seems pretty suspect since they recently canceled a Tron movie. And we already have the Tron themed Test Track just two doors down.
I’m going to guess you haven’t heard about the reboot starring Jared Leto.
Universe of Energy should be replaced, but not by a Tron coaster, it doesn’t fit with the Epcot ideologies – it should be replaced by Time Racers, as a fast paced thrill ride. To get a roller coaster into Epcot I would build the Matterhorn in a new Switzerland pavillion, roller coasters in future world don’t fit in, so you have to create thrill rides like Test Track and Mission:Space, which are more than just your average theme park’s roller coaster.
This is pretty exciting news. Just got back from Shanghai where I made a quick stop at the park. Thisnride was hands down my favorite rollercoaster experience out of all the Disney coasters I’ve ridden. Especially in the first “row”. Excellent ride and it’d be an awesome addition to the parks here!!!
It would be awesome to have the Tron ride start in the old PeopleMover/Rocket Rods Station and then go through the old track, granted they would need to the build a lot of the track, and then into Innovations for the loops. It could then either continue to follow the old track or create a new portion back to the station. Imagine that at night! The one cool thing that Rocket Rods did was have illuminated vehicles at night running through T-land! It can be done.
It won’t happen. I will bet you $50.
” allowing the outdoors portion of the coaster to soar beautifully over the Tomorrowland skyline. ”
There should be no outside portion. I hope the outside portion is eliminated by the time it comes to Florida. I’ve seen videos of the Shanghai version, and the outside portion practically ruins the ride. The illusion that you are on the Grid is destroyed as soon as you come outside. Keeping it fully in doors allows the theming to stay in fact and makes you feel like you’re in the world of Tron.
Not only would there not be enough space for the launch inside, but it would become too much like Space Mountain next door or Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster, and I would think that people like to see what the ride is like from outside and watch, and to get a good view of the park from the coaster.
I live near Shanghai. I’ve been to the Shanghai Kingdom, I’ve ridden this ride. It’s a great coaster, but I don’t think it should replace anything.
Test Track is a lemon and never works properly, even when the weather is good. They should swap this one for it and extend the track out to another pavilion to attract incoming guests (maybe intertwine the monorail that goes through the Futureworld area before arriving at the gate).
Test track is a ride that everyone enjoys, and it has been renovated fairly recently, what it needs is to have a futuristic roof to close over the outside portion of the track when it rains.
Went on the Tron attraction in Shanghai earlier this year and I can tell you first hand that this attraction would be a great addition to both Tomorrowlands. It fits perfectly and is quite the centerpiece of Shanghai’s Tomorrowland.
I think that the ride is amazing, but its too short. I would have two launches with two buildings, making it twice as long – one building where the speedway is now, another where the car park currently is(south of Tomorrowland), with both launches under Tomorrowland, going between the two buildings.
For the record I just want to say the TTA Peoplemover is one of the greatest attractions in the world.
I hope they do not add the ride to WDW. It would totally ruin the open space of Space Mountain, AND what would happen to the people mover? Would that also go into it like Space Mountain? Personally I think they shouldn’t do anything that major to tomorrowland because it is already awesome and I actually like the tomorrowland Speedway.
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