It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture you’ll ever see in a theme park (as long as you ignore the visible warehouse behind it). But how does Tron Lightcycle Run play out as a roller coaster?
Tron has been under construction longer than any theme park I can ever recall having taken to build from first shovel to first guest. More than half-a-decade has been spent getting this Shanghai clone up and running in Magic Kingdom. And despite leadership so long ago having decided to keep the ride completely the same as in China, where it was already criticized for its short duration, the coaster is a fun addition to the Happiest Place on Earth.
One of the things to note about Tron is that this feels more like its own land rather than an extension of Tomorrowland. The path taking you from Space Mountain to Tron is huge. You’ll walk about as far from Space Mountain to the loading dock at Tron as you would from entrance of Magic Kingdom to the entrance of Space Mountain. Getting to the new walkway and believing you’re now close to the ride is a bit like crossing the Florida state line and thinking you’re now just a little bit away from Miami.
For the most part, the new additions in this mini-land are quite nice. Winding paths and landscaping all combine to create a series of vertical layers not seen anywhere else in the park. In one moment you’re crossing over a path below that goes to Storybook Circus. Soon, you’re walking over a Disney World train passing just under you. That’s not to say everything is perfect. There are views out of the park that I’m not sure I like. The restrooms added in are extremely basic and not becoming of a new Disney expansion in their number one park. Though there are plenty of positives to go along with those dings — the views of Space Mountain are tremendous. And at night, this will be the place to be at Magic Kingdom. Tomorrowland will probably have hours and hours of wait times near closing.
There is plenty of space for Disney to expand with new restaurants and shops in this mini-land. I think they’ll need to do that. I’d also love to see the little motor cars for the Speedway leave too. But the reason they need to add more is because while Tron is a killer look on the outside, on the inside it’s a gimmicky coaster that is short and tame.
I’m not meaning to be mean to the ride or people who will love it. It’s fun enough. It’s fun to ride a coaster as if you’re on a motorcycle. The launch and the lighting effects are very high level. But when it comes to grading this as an actual roller coaster, rather than a special effects dark ride, it just isn’t all that great. There are a few seconds of exhilaration and then then the majority of the short ride is coasting relatively slowly with banked turns through a dark building. Honestly, I’m getting tired of dark building coasters at Disney. It’s a crutch. Space Mountain, Rock’n Roller Coaster, Cosmic Rewind… they’re all doing the same thing: limiting budgets by turning off the lights and using luminated props.
That’s fine when Rock’n Roller Coaster is an incredible experience with a surround sound system concept that changes what you’re used to with a roller coaster. It’s okay with an aging Space Mountain, mostly because the ride is very, very old (but a classic). But following Cosmic Rewind, and given that Tron isn’t all that great as a roller coaster, it’s time to move back to the days of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. That’s a coaster with a huge duration, theming that is out of this world. Coasters don’t have to be intense to be fun. But Tron feels like someone with Roller Coaster Tycoon tried to fit a short track into a canopy and a square building… but they should have done this the other way.
As a mini-land, it’s a great capacity increase. As a dark ride, it’s quite neat. But as a coaster, it’s average.
Still, it will have hours of wait time once Disney allows it. As long as guests enjoy it, that’s all that matters. And in case you’re wondering, yes, you should ride it at night. It will impact your enjoyment.
Grade: 8.0 /10
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