On April 4, hordes of Users—also known as Magic Kingdom Park guests—were digitized to race against Team Orange during the grand opening of Tron Lightcycle Run.
The ride’s thrills are heightened by an electric soundtrack, neon blue lights illuminating each Lightcycle wheel, and a special safety restraint that allows riders to straddle the bikes that many are familiar with from the Tron films.
However, immersion into the world of Tron doesn’t end when the attraction concludes. Nestled to the right of the Tron Plaza entrance, Disney has opened a new retail oasis with merchandise commemorating the new attraction.
How does The Walt Disney Company seamlessly connect Tron Lightcycle Run and its post-ride merchandise experience? Funworld spoke with Associate Brand Merchandising Manager, Amanda Leahy, about how product development involves drawing upon the expertise of individuals from all corners of the company.
“We work with our team, alongside a great product development team, and partner with WDI [Walt Disney Imagineering] to get aspects from the attraction … We also work with [the Walt] Disney Archives to look at props. The Lightcycle helmet was a prop scan. We also have die cast vehicles. So, we really work together with a lot of different groups of very creative people to tell a story, to make the product come to life in a way that is unique and cohesive throughout.”
In addition to story cohesion, personalization was a key characteristic that the team worked to integrate into guests’ merchandise experience. Leahy provided a walkthrough of the Tron Identity Program, which allows visitors to see themselves reflected in an action figure.
Guests take a key and enter the digitization portal, a booth where they select lights, record their voice repeating lines of movie dialogue, and have their face digitally scanned. A chip is then produced, which populates the figure with the person’s face and voice. “About an hour later, you come back to the extraction portal, and you will get your completed program,” says Leahy.
Other merchandise products include trendy backpacks the size of purses, sustainable water bottles, oversized keychains shaped like Lightcycles, and remote control Lightcycle vehicles. These complement traditional t-shirts, lapel pins, and coffee mugs. The products selected as part of the Tron merchandise collection were thoughtfully designed to provide guests with a personalized, immersive shopping experience that falls in line with the narrative advanced by the new attraction.
The merchandise team's immersion efforts will easily captivate fans of the Tron films—and the new attraction—who are eager to bring home a reminder of their time on the Grid.
