Tron: Uprising

[Spidey_62]

Cannot wait for this show, the animation and just the art style in general is so inventive and slick looking. Love it, the first episode was excellent!

 

[Soapy]

I will say this, I didn't really care for the music. It sounded way too similar to Daft Punk's work on Legacy. Like... I understand they probably want to keep a unified vision, for lack of a better word throughout the franchise. They want all things Tron to look, feel, and sound identifiably Tron. But instead of using the general sound of the Legacy soundtrack as a palette or template, a lot of the music tracks in the first episode were obviously closely emulating specific tracks from Legacy. If they wanted that particular music in the show they should have just used it instead of imitating it.

It's not a deal-breaker or anything, just something that stood out to me.

 

[obin_gam]

Just saw the pilot and hot diggity it was great! I agree with soapy on the music somewhat though. I like the idea of using Daft Punks score (because it is awesome), but it felt like they were just ripping it off instead of actually using it... if that makes sense... They should have just used it 100% and not added unnecessary changes for the sake of it imo.

 

[MOVIELORD101]

I will say this, I didn't really care for the music. It sounded way too similar to Daft Punk's work on Legacy. Like... I understand they probably want to keep a unified vision, for lack of a better word throughout the franchise. They want all things Tron to look, feel, and sound identifiably Tron. But instead of using the general sound of the Legacy soundtrack as a palette or template, a lot of the music tracks in the first episode were obviously closely emulating specific tracks from Legacy. If they wanted that particular music in the show they should have just used it instead of imitating it.

It's not a deal-breaker or anything, just something that stood out to me.

The reason it sounded similar is because the music for this series is being composed by Joseph Trapanese, who worked with Daft Punk on the orchestral parts of the Tron Legacy score.

 

[Clu]

yup. they wanted it to sound like the movie but retain its own identity(disc)

 

[Kane52630]

^ That's how I see it, it's familiar enough but It has it's own version...which btw I love Uprising's theme song, it's SOO good. t:

 

[Lencho01]

I'm really going to have to get used to it since there were plenty of times where I'd hear something similar to the Tron Legacy score and start humming it, but the show goes in a different direction.

Anyway, I really liked the episode and actually enjoyed more than Legacy since I feel they are tapping into potential of this being something really fun instead of just being a franchise that looks cool. Hopefully, it helps Disney with their decision of making more films or they'll just only look to Marvel to attract the boys they so badly want.

I really wonder how things will work out to tie in with Legacy like Tron becoming Rinzler and what ultimately becomes of Beck. Oh, and what's with Tron having a white suit?

 

[Kane52630]

I'm guessing it's a tribute to his old suit he used to wore, kinda like how Flynn wore all white in Legacy.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Video not available in my country...LE sigh

 

[Kane52630]

 

[roach]

wow

 

[Clu]

Kevin was trapped in/on the grid for 1000 years or so. Many stories can be told in that time frame.

Seems Tron was damaged a lot by clu, but was left for dead instead of reprogramming him. So tron trains beck, then after awhile the real tron comes out of hiding for something and then clu finally reprograms him and he becomes rinzler. But who knows what will happen to beck. Might die or just become a reprogrammed slave.

 

[obin_gam]

I suspect an epic fight in the last episode between Beck-Tron and Rinzler

 

[Lencho01]

I'm guessing it's a tribute to his old suit he used to wore, kinda like how Flynn wore all white in Legacy.

Ah, you're probably right. And it'll help to make him stick out amongst everyone else just like superheroes and their colorful costumes.

 

[Lencho01]

Kevin was trapped in/on the grid for 1000 years or so. Many stories can be told in that time frame.

Seems Tron was damaged a lot by clu, but was left for dead instead of reprogramming him. So tron trains beck, then after awhile the real tron comes out of hiding for something and then clu finally reprograms him and he becomes rinzler. But who knows what will happen to beck. Might die or just become a reprogrammed slave.

I'm going with Beck becomes Jarvis.

 

[Clu]

I'm going with Beck becomes Jarvis.

lol I was thinking the same thing. would be pretty damn sad for the replacement to tron became a joke character who flip flops.

 

[Lencho01]

Do programs just constantly look the same? Or maybe they change or keep their appearance if they have the means to do so.

I could buy Beck aging and ending up looking like Jarvis after Clu reprograms him.

 

[Terminator]

So I can't watch it online because I'm in Canada. But I heard it's airing Friday night so I check the schedule for Disney XD Canada and see a marathon of Zeke and Luther. Gone from really excited to completely annoyed.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

^^
Torrent, that is what I did.

 

[Kane52630]

I can send you a download link if you want.

 

[Juansolo]

So I can't watch it online because I'm in Canada. But I heard it's airing Friday night so I check the schedule for Disney XD Canada and see a marathon of Zeke and Luther. Gone from really excited to completely annoyed.

I ran into the same issue, but I found out that the Friday showing is on the regular Disney Channel and the Monday night encore is on Disney XD.

 

[Terminator]

I can send you a download link if you want.

Appreciate it but I ended up downloading it after my little rant last night. Kind of ridiculous that I'm forced to piracy.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/elijah-wood-tron-uprising-the-hobbit-interview/166373/

Elijah Wood Talks TRON: UPRISING, Returning to Middle Earth for THE HOBBIT, and Season 2 of WILFRED

by Christina Radish Posted:May 16th, 2012 at 1:11 am

The animated series TRON: Uprising, debuting with a special preview on the Disney Channel on May 18th before premiering on its regular night on Disney XD on June 7th, takes place after the 1982 feature film and before the events in TRON: Legacy. Produced in CG animation with a 2D aesthetic, the series follows the heroic journey of a new character named Beck (voiced by Elijah Wood), a young program who becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution inside the computer world of The Grid. You can watch the first episode here.

At the press day for this highly anticipated new show, actor Elijah Wood talked about how excited he was to be a part of this show, what he thinks of his animated self, how much fun he has doing voice-over work, determining the voice for the character, and what Charlie Bean was like, as a director. He also talked about the strange fan encounters he’s had, his experience at Comic-Con, collecting action figures, what he looks for in a role these days, what attracted him to Grand Piano, returning to New Zealand for The Hobbit, and what fans can expect from Season 2 of his FX comedy series, Wilfred. Check out what he had to say after the jump:
Question: What do you think of your animated self?

ELIJAH WOOD: He’s pretty awesome! It’s cool. It’s fun to play something so heroic.

Were you a fan of the TRON universe, prior to doing this?

WOOD: I was, and super-excited at the notion of them making a show that actually fit between the two film, in terms of the mythology. They had done so much work, in expanding the mythology with Legacy, and a lot of the same writers were involved with continuing the story, or fitting new story into the context of those two films, with this. It was really exciting that there was actually some kind of a connection to what has been done so far with the Tron universe, since the first film. When I saw the initial designs and some of the test animation, I was so blown away that it had such a cinematic quality to it. It really didn’t look like any animated series I had seen before. They brought the world to life, in a really beautiful way, and were willing to tell stories that you’re not used to seeing on television. In some ways, some of the animation looks like something you’d see in the context of a film, and that was really exciting, as well. They really pushed the technology, in terms of being able to come up with something of this quality, in a short amount of time, in episodic television. It was super-cool!

You played The Video Game Kid in Back to the Future 2, and now you are in a video game with TRON: Uprising. Do you enjoy doing voice-over work?

WOOD: It’s fun! Over the last number of years, I’m no stranger to voice work in animation, so I’m used to it. But, getting a chance to work within the context of a universe I was already familiar with was really fun. It just gave the whole experience a more special quality, I think. And the character happens to be extremely physical, so there’s a lot of me standing in front of a microphone, punching and kicking the air, and making myself sound like I’m in all sorts of intense physical scenarios, which is pretty hilarious. I’m sure there’s some footage of me, standing there looking like an idiot.

Bruce Boxleitner has an intimidating voice. Was it intimidating, being the understudy for Tron?

WOOD: He’s got an intense voice. It’s awesome! It wasn’t intimidating. It was really exciting. It was a treat to work with him and meet him, and it elevates our show to have him take part and carry on his character. It’s super-awesome! It just authenticates what we’re trying to do, I think. It’s rad! But, to be honest, we haven’t recorded a lot in groups with this, which is a super-common thing in animation. You don’t often get a chance to record with the other actors who are playing the characters, mainly due to the fact that you don’t have to, the actors’ schedules are all over the place, and it’s difficult to get everyone in the same room. So, I’ve done a lot of the recording of this on my own, but I have gotten a chance to work with Bruce, which was a real treat. I’ve worked with Emmanuelle [Chriqui] and Mandy Moore, as well. That was lovely. It’s always nice when you get a chance to actually work with the other actor. It just brings the scene to life, in a way that’s not as easy to replicate on your own.

How was it to play the relationship between Beck and Paige?

WOOD: I think Paige is my favorite character, in the piece. I think she represents the most amount of duality, amongst all the characters. She’s ultimately on the wrong side of the tracks, but there’s something within her that feels like it could go either way. The relationship between Beck and Paige has some energy bubbling under the surface, between them, and that’s always really exciting and fun to play with. That was always great. That relationship carries on. You’ll see it develop, over time. It’s really cool.

With such a wide range of characters that you’ve played, over the years, what kind of fan encounters have you had?

WOOD: Well, The Lord of the Rings certainly dominates, in regards to fan encounters. Now, I’m getting a lot of people talking about Wilfred, which has been really interesting ‘cause that’s really found a new audience and people are really into that. It ranges, the types of people that I meet who are really into it, which is amazing. It seems to appeal to a relatively wide range of people.

What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you?

WOOD: I don’t know. I’ve had people fly to certain places that I happen to be and profess their love for me, in a pretty intense way.

Have you had any marriage proposals?

WOOD: Serious ones? No. I’ve interacted with fans a lot ‘cause I go to Comic-Con a lot. It just so happens that, the last couple of years, there’s been something to promote at Comic-Con that fits that audience, so I’ve been there a fair amount. But, it’s also a world that I’m familiar with. I’m a nerd as well, and a fan.

Have you ever walked the floor of Comic-Con and not gotten recognized?

WOOD: See, I can’t do that. That’s the thing I can’t do, which is a bummer. It’s weird, in my daily life, I can go anywhere without a problem. But, that’s such a concentrated amalgam of those folks, that it’s difficult. We’re part of that, too. It’s not a me versus them. But, it’s really hard ‘cause I want to. I’ve been there so many times, and I did walk the floor the first time I went. We were there to promote Rings before it came out, and I did walk the floor and it was radical. I checked out all the toy booths. It was awesome, meeting artists. But, after the first movie came out, it was pretty apparent that I couldn’t do that again. And I’ve thought about getting a costume or a mask and walking around that way, but it’s a little difficult. A bunch of people do that. I think Simon Pegg does that. I’ve definitely thought about doing that. But, I walk around San Diego. The beautiful thing about San Diego is that the Convention Center is right next to the town, and I love how the nerds just take over. It’s not even San Diego anymore. The city is ****ed and is totally taken over by all these people. It’s great! Everybody is in costume. There are ****ing zombies walking down the street. It’s the greatest thing, ever! And I walk amongst that, freely. But, the concentrated environment, not so much.

Will you have a Beck action figure, and do you collect your own action figures?

WOOD: They haven’t made one yet, I don’t think. I hope they will. I most certainly have every action figure of myself. When I was young, I collected Star Wars toys and Batman action figures. As I became a teenager, I collected all the MacFarlane movie monster toys. I loved all that stuff, so it’s a dream come true. I remember the first time I had an action figure of myself. That’s a pretty huge head **** for a 20-year-old. I had grown up with all of that. I have an action figure from Sin City. I’ve been very lucky to have a couple, much less one.

What is Charlie Bean like to work with, as a director?

WOOD: Charlie is awesome! I love Charlie. He’s incredibly enthusiastic. He’s really driving this ship, and trying to do something that hasn’t really been done, in this space before. He’s creating an animated program for all ages, but that is a little bit more cinematic than what we’re used to and a little bit darker than we’re used to in this space, and really pushing that forward. That’s wonderful. I’ve always shared that same vision with him. We have a lot of fun. Because we’ve been working on this for about two years, or a year and a half of primary work, my experiences on it are so disparate. I work on other things, and then I do three days of seeing the team and being in this universe, and then I’m out, and then I’m back in. It’s been a funny relationship, but it’s always a joy to work with Charlie.

What was your reaction when you finally got to see what this would look like?

WOOD: It’s awesome! It’s even better than what I had anticipated it being, from seeing the early animation tests and designs. Seeing it play out with the finalized animation and some of the slo-mo sequences, it’s so beautiful. A lot of it is computer animation, but all the characters look like two-dimensional cell animation. I love the mix of the two. It’s really a unique look. I also love how angular the characters are. There’s just something really special about the way it’s all been designed. The music is awesome. It definitely takes its cues from what Daft Punk did in Legacy, and I love that. It’s really exciting! I’m excited for people to see it, and I’m excited to see more of it. I’ve seen such little pieces, here and there, so I’m looking forward to sitting down and watching all of them.

How did you determine what voice you wanted for the character?

WOOD: It was determined right away that it would be my own voice. But, when the character is Tron, or The Renegade, we do change his voice a little bit. Digitally, they mess with his voice, and I also give it a gravity that Beck doesn’t have, in his normal Beck mode. The character is split between the two, in a way. Some of those more Tron/Renegade moments definitely have a depth and a gravity to them, and that’s fun. It’s fun to play around with all of that.

What do you look for, when you’re looking at roles, these days?

WOOD: I don’t know that I’m ever looking for anything, in particular. I’m always intrigued by new challenges and things that I’ve never done before and new experiences. It sounds so simple, but the primary interest is just something that’s good and instills within me some kind of gut feeling that feels like something that I’m passionate and excited about, and there can be multiple variables that can instill that. It can be simply a filmmaker, it can just be a character, it can just be the script, or a combination of all those things. But, I’m always just looking to do things that I’ve never done before, primarily.

You’re getting ready to do Grand Piano next, right?

WOOD: Yes. I’m very excited! I’ve known the director, Eugenio Mira, for a couple of years, just from attending Fantastic Fest in Austin, which is a genre film festival. He and Nacho Vigalondo are the Spanish contingent that are out there, every year. They’re the best! So, I’ve known him socially now for a number of years. When I got the script for that, I was really excited about the prospect of getting a chance to work with him. It’s a very Hitchcockian, beautiful piece, and an exciting piece. I’m psyched about it!

What was it like to shoot The Hobbit and return to that character, ten years later?

WOOD: It’s such an incredible treat. It’s not often that you have such an intense formative life experience, and then, ten year later, get to revisit that. It was really amazing, going back to New Zealand. So many of the crew, who had worked on Rings, are working on The Hobbit. A number of the same actors are working on it. We shot a little bit in Hobbiton, and I realized that I had turned 19 in Hobbiton. I was there 11 years ago. That’s bonkers! And it hasn’t changed. It was really amazing! It was a remarkable experience, and a great family reunion. It felt like stepping back into time. It was a gift. It was awesome!

The Season 1 finale of Wilfred had some pretty big shocks and twists. What can you say about where things are going in Season 2?

WOOD: We left it real open, didn’t we? Well, I suppose it’s no surprise that Wilfred certainly exists. There’s a lot of things that will be answered, or certainly addressed, within the season premiere. There’s some growth this season, for Ryan. I think we’ll see Ryan interacting with people more. A lot of last season, he spent in the basement getting stoned and having these experiences, but not really anything that was solid or foundational. He will make some strides for that, this season, which is interesting and presents other problems for him, as well. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s such a joy to work on that show. The team is amazing. Jason [Gann] is hilarious. It’s great! People have a lot of enthusiasm for what we’re doing and seem to really get into some of the questions that we create, which is really wonderful. In one respect, the show is a comedy, and it’s sometimes quite broad. It’s about a guy who’s friends with a man in a dog suit, but underneath all of that, there are all these layers, and people seem to really be responding to all those layers and the multi-faceted aspect of the show. That’s something that we’re really excited about, and is our favorite elements of what we’re doing. It’s cool that people don’t know what to expect.

Tron: Uprising will air on Thursday nights on Disney XD, starting on June 7th.

 

[Clu]

good interview with some interesting things. needs to be june already.

 

[Lencho01]

Featurette...

http://collider.com/tron-uprising-behind-the-scenes-featurette/167158/

Interview with Mandy Moore...

http://collider.com/mandy-moore-tron-uprising-tangled-2-sequel/166872/

Mandy Moore Talks TRON: UPRISING and Potential for a TANGLED Sequel

by Christina Radish Posted:May 17th, 2012 at 12:31 pm

The animated series TRON: Uprising, debuting with a special preview on the Disney Channel on May 18th before premiering on Disney XD on June 7th, takes place after the 1982 feature film and before the events in TRON: Legacy. Produced in CG animation with a 2D aesthetic, the series follows the heroic journey of a new character named Beck (voiced by Elijah Wood), a young program who becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution inside the computer world of The Grid. You can watch the first episode here.

At the press day for this highly anticipated new show, actress/singer Mandy Moore, who voices Mara, the lone voice of reason and Beck’s loyal best friend and fellow mechanic, talked about how her character fits into the TRON universe, what she thought when she saw how her character would look, what a big TRON fan her husband (singer/songwriter Ryan Adams) is, how excited she is about how cool the show has turned out, and that she’s more of a girl’s girl than her tomboy character. She also talked about writing songs for a new album, doing voice-over work and singing on another Disney animated show, called Sheriff Callie’s Wild West (for Disney Junior), what she looks for in a role now, and that she would definitely be up for a Tangled sequel. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Question: What can you say about your character, Mara?

MANDY MOORE: Mara is a mechanic in Able’s garage, along with Elijah Wood’s character, Beck, and Nate Corddry’s character, Zed. They are this little trifecta – this trio – of best friends. They work together and they play together, but Mara is one of the guys. She is confident and spunky and the voice of reason, I like to think, especially as the series progresses. As the series does progress, she finds herself falling in love with this masked vigilante – The Renegade. She doesn’t realize that, in fact, it is her best friend, Beck. She is in love with his moral compass and what he stands for, and she is right behind him. She is great at what she does, too. She specializes in vintage technology and older Light Cycles. She has a real affinity for the older technology, in a geeky way, unlike anybody else in the garage. But, she also works on some of the more bad-ass, harder, scary bits and pieces of machinery. She really knows her way around that garage. She is a much cooler girl than I am. The blue hair is her trademark.

What did you think, when you saw how she would look?

MOORE: I thought it was very hip and very cool. When they first described her to me, I was like, “Oh, okay.” Not being someone who is particularly well-versed in the TRON universe, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it fits well within that world.

Since you weren’t familiar with the TRON universe before this, what made you want to play this character?

MOORE: My husband (Ryan Adams) is a big TRON fan, and I thought it would earn me Brownie points. I found out they were doing the series and I got the word about auditioning and I took it upon myself to do that. Then, when I was lucky enough to get cast, I was able to go home and share the good news, and he was very excited. They gave us a bunch of toys and action figures – from TRON: Legacy, not from the series – and I was able to bring those home to him and he has them in his office. He is all excited. We have a TRON video game at home, too. That is how much of a TRON fan he is. This is pretty cool for him, so he is pretty excited. That is what drew me in, initially, but when I went in for the audition and they showed me the schematics of what the landscape was going to be and what the whole aesthetic of the show was and what the different characters were going to look like, it was animation unlike anything I had seen before. I thought it was beautiful and just so super-cool. That is what made me excited about it.

Did you work out a backstory before you went in to record the voice, or was that something that is given to you?

MOORE: There is not too much of a backstory. When you meet these characters, you take it for what it is. I think it is more about watching their story progress, based on what happens to them at the beginning of the story, with this take-over of their city and how they all individually react to it. I don’t think it necessarily matters where they are coming from, or who they are. You have to understand the fact that they are friends and they are bonded together. These programs don’t really have families, so friendships are like families. The fact that they are so close is what bonds them together and makes them family.

So, I didn’t really work on much of the backstory, and nobody told me to. Nobody told me to do anything different with my voice. A lot of it was really on the page. With any animated project, you really rely a lot on the directors and writers to give you guidance because there is no point of reference. There is nothing to look at. It is not as if there is a monitor and you are watching the animated sequences already. A lot of it just comes from your imagination, and a good description from the powers that be. They really had to start at square one with me. I was like, “A program, like a computer program?” The vocabulary was so overwhelming to me. It still is.

Your character has a lot of guy friends, and is a bit of a tomboy. Are you more of a girl’s girl?

MOORE: I have more girlfriends, absolutely. I like being a girl’s girl. I like being friends with other women, who are supportive of women. I think that is important. We live in a world where it’s difficult to be a woman who is strong and confident, so I like to surround myself with friends that embody that same principle and idea.

Are you working on a new album?

MOORE: I am writing right now. I am all about animation, right now. I am doing another animated show for Disney Junior, called Sheriff Callie’s Wild West, and I get to sing in that. I play a sheriff cowboy cat. She has a cowboy hat and she sings lots of songs. It’s fun to do a combination of both.

A lot of your contemporaries are doing these music and singing reality shows as judges. Would you ever consider doing something like that?

MOORE: I don’t know if that is really my cup of tea, but I do watch them, occasionally. I don’t think I would be a very good judge. I try not to be particularly judgmental. I think it would be terrifying to be in that position, as a contestant. Those people have to get on stage and deliver. I could never do that. I wouldn’t want to put myself in the position, of judging people like that, because I am in awe that anybody could get up there and get through that sort of scrutiny.

What’s it like to see kids react to Tangled now, the same way that kids reacted to The Little Mermaid when it was released?

MOORE: That is nice for me. I am glad to be a part of their childhood. The Little Mermaid was a touchstone for me. All of the Disney animated films were, definitely. It’s super-cool, but it’s different. It’s not as if I have 30-feet of long, blonde hair, so nobody knows who I am. Occasionally, friends of mine, who have kids, will be like, “It’s Rapunzel,” and it just doesn’t make any sense to them. They’re like, “No, it’s not!” Even when I speak, it doesn’t translate.

In your live-action work, you’ve played some mean girls and some nice girls, and you’ve done a lot of slice-of-life stories. Have you ever thought of doing sci-fi or fantasy?

MOORE: I would love to! I don’t think that world tends to think of me for those sorts of roles, but I would love to. I am up for any kind of challenge like that, that is outside of my comfort zone, and that certainly is not something I would immediately think of doing myself, either. But, I am up for it. Why not?

What do you look for, in a role? What is a dream project for you?

MOORE: I think it is a multitude of things, as it has always been. There has to be a challenging element to it, I want to work with good people, and I’d like to do something that, hopefully, I can be proud of, at the end of the day. I definitely am getting pickier, as time goes on. You start to realize that it’s not worth compromising. The few things we all have done, that we have had little doubts about, manifest themselves, in some way. I have always looked back on those particular decisions and gone, “I really should have listened to my gut.” Anytime I listen to my gut and I don’t do something, or I do, it always tends to work out in my favor. I am trying to be as picky as possible, and do things that I know I am going to enjoy and be proud of and are challenging.

Since you are becoming pickier about the roles you do, have you thought about writing, at all?

MOORE: I haven’t thought about writing so much as potentially producing, and finding my own projects to get into production. I want to be able to buy the rights to a story that I have read, or a book that I have read. That seems to be more in line with what I am projecting to be the next facet of the business that I want to get involved in. But, maybe I’ll get into writing, somewhere down the line. I don’t know.

What gets you excited, personally? Are there stories or things that you like where you go, “That’s me! That’s what I love to watch or do”?

MOORE: I like to laugh, so at this point in my life, I would love to do more comedy. I think that would be fun. I don’t know in what respect because there are no qualifications as to what kind of comedy, but that seems like something that would be really fun, right now.

Is there any talk of a Tangled sequel?

MOORE: I have heard things from various people, but nobody has officially said anything to me. I would love to do it. I had the best time working with everyone on that project. I would be 150% behind that.

In the early Disney films, all the women needed to be rescued, but Rapunzel takes care of herself and is more kick-ass. Was that important to you?

MOORE: Sure, absolutely! I think that is a product of our ever-changing environment and world, and the fact that women are assuming that role, more and more. I am happy to embody characters that are independent and fierce, can take care of themselves, and are not waiting to be rescued. I do like that element. I think it is certainly a fun characteristic to get to play up.

For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interview with Elijah Wood.