Tron: Uprising

[Clu]

Oh mandy.....shame shes married.

did she also confirm the video game for tron:betrayal is sub par? she talked like they only have the video game because it has the tron name on it.

 

[dark_b]

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!

it works very good . i am so happy that they used 3D CGI for the cartoon. some dont like it. i think it was smart because you get accurate reflections,shadows and depth of field. and very important are teh rim lights that are used a lot in the movie. and it looks like a 2D cartoon but with 3D depth. even the animation is more detailed because they are in 3D space.

i hope we get at least 2 seasons before they make the movie.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/paul-reubens-tron-uprising-interview/167598/

Paul Reubens Talks TRON: UPRISING and the New Judd Apatow-produced PEE-WEE HERMAN Movie

by Christina Radish Posted:May 20th, 2012 at 2:45 pm

The animated series TRON: Uprising, 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, actor Paul Reubens, who voices Pavel, General Tesler’s (voiced by Lance Henriksen) untrustworthy base commander who will do whatever it takes to get ahead, talked about finding the voice for the character, playing a villain, and how he had a toy from the original TRON movie. He also gave an update on the status of the next Pee-Wee Herman movie (produced by Judd Apatow), and his love of reality television, even alluding to the fact that he might be developing his own reality show. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Question: Since he’s not in the pilot much, what can you say about your character, Pavel?

PAUL REUBENS: Honestly, I saw it twice and could not pick out my character in it. I said, “Are you guys sure I’m in it?,” and they went, “Yeah, you’re absolutely in it!” I’m featured way more in every other episode, including the first episode after the pilot. I don’t know what to tell you about it. I had the same problem in The Smurfs. I have one line as a Smurf. I think somebody went, “What happened to Jokey Smurf?,” and they went, “Oh, my god!,” and wrote a line. But, I just did the sequel, and I only have one line again. I feel like I should lay down to be talking about this, but the only thing I can figure out is that Jokey Smurf has a bomb. That’s his thing. He’s got a gift with a bomb, and maybe they’re thinking that shouldn’t play with kids, so they cut him out. But, I was shocked about TRON because I couldn’t wait to actually hear it and I got to the end of the show, after seeing my name credit at the beginning, and I don’t know where I’m in it. But, I’m assured that I am in it.

Is it your actual voice?

REUBENS: No, it’s a very deep, dark, scary voice, but I couldn’t pick it out. I don’t know. You’re going to have to see Episode 1 because I’m evidently featured very heavily in that.

Is it a welcome departure to voice a villain?

REUBENS: I’ve done some pretty heavy stuff already in cartoons, but yeah, this is certainly a real villainy, “Let’s throw some characters out in front of the bus,” “Let’s de-res some people,” kind of guy.

Were you a big fan of TRON, before doing this?

REUBENS: If I was, I didn’t realize it until this happened. I had a toy from the original. I had one of the Light Cycles.

How is the progress going on the next Pee-Wee film that you’re doing with Judd Apatow?

REUBENS: It’s going great! We have a meeting this coming week, and we just did a very quick little rewrite on it. As far as I know, it’s getting shot very soon. I actually wasn’t supposed to talk about it, initially. I was talking about it in this very veiled, secretive way, saying, “Oh, I wish I could talk about it.” A journalist figured out that it was Judd Apatow that I was talking about because my writing partner was in the audience and he’s written so much with Judd. So, it got leaked about six months to a year before it was supposed to. I’ve been warned not to talk about any of my new projects, but that I can talk about because I blew it and it’s out. It’s even on IMDB now. So, that’s any minute, supposedly. Right after that, I’m following that up with two incredibly exciting projects. I would give anything to be able to just brag to you right now and drop some names, but I can’t.

Your name has been attached to all of these cultural pinpoints, with Cheech & Chong, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and now TRON. What’s that like for you?

REUBENS: I thought about that a couple weeks ago. This is giving me this new cred with the fanboys and the sci-fi community. I was at Comic-Con this past year, when Disney XD was there for TRON, showing the teaser stuff, but I was there in my Pee-Wee persona. I feel like now I could go to Comic-Con and actually just be at Comic-Con.

With all the different things you’ve done in your career, would you ever consider doing a reality series?

REUBENS: Well, like I said, I’m not allowed to speak about my future projects. I’m not allowed to talk about it. I’m really not. But, I love reality television. Many years ago, I was offered to be on one of the shows that I felt insulted to be called about. It was called The Surreal Life, with all those D-list people in a house together. I got that call every year, for three or four years in a row, and I was like, “What?! How dare they!” Saying yes to that is like officially acknowledging that you are D-list. One year, I actually knew who was doing it ahead of time and I said, “If you guarantee me that I can be Pee-Wee Herman through the whole show and never drop character, and I can be Jose Conseco’s roommate, I’ll do it.” And they said, “No.” But, ever since then, I’ve wanted to do a reality show. Ever since that moment, I just felt like, “You know what? I know I could be really funny, in that situation.” It wouldn’t be shocking to see me in a reality show. That’s all I’m saying.

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

TRON: Uprising will air on Thursdays on Disney XD, starting June 7th.

 

[Clu]

pee wee playing pee wee as a reality series, would have been gold.

 

[ravn0s]

loved the first ep

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/emmanuelle-chriqui-tron-uprising-interview/166897/

Emmanuelle Chriqui Talks TRON: UPRISING, Her Role in THE MENTALIST, and Status of the ENTOURAGE Movie

by Christina Radish Posted:May 25th, 2012 at 8:28 am

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 Emmanuelle Chriqui, who voices Paige, General Tesler’s (voiced by Lance Henriksen) confident and polished field commander, talked about how blown away she was by the look of the entire series, having been familiar with the original TRON film, what attracted her to the role, how Paige is much more than just a villain, the process of building the character’s persona, and what she enjoys about voice-over work. She also talked about how she’d love to do a live-action action movie, what she looks for in a role, playing a recurring character on the CBS drama series The Mentalist, and the current status of the Entourage movie. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Question: What did you think when you saw your animated character?

EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI: I was blown away by the entire series, to be honest with you. The whole animation is so unique and edgy and cool-looking. Paige is amazing! She’s so hot! She really is. She’s cool, with this short hair and really long legs. I wish I could relate to that. I love how she looks. It’s really cool.

Did you get to record to any of the animation?

CHRIQUI: Initially, not at all, actually. We just record without anything, and then they animate to the voices, and then we do ADR and match that.

What attracted you to this project?

CHRIQUI: It’s funny because the voice-over world is definitely another career. It’s another outlet to be creative. But, I’m just not invested, in the way that I am with film and television. If I go to an audition, I’m like, “Did you hear yet? What did they say?” With voice-over, it’s just far more relaxed, which is really, really nice. This was the first time that I auditioned for something like this, where I was like, “Did you hear yet?” I really, really wanted this because the material was that good. When I read the role of Paige, I couldn’t believe it was animation. It reads like live-action. The fact that it’s a cartoon, I just find that astounding, really. With the dialogue, the stories, the complexity and the characters, you wish that you could do that.

Were you familiar with TRON, before this project?

CHRIQUI: Yes, I was familiar with the original film.

How would you describe Paige?

CHRIQUI: Well, Paige is such an interesting character because she goes under the villain category, though I don’t play her as a villain. She works for the bad guys, but I think it’s because she’s misguided. She’s very smart, she’s very driven, and she also does everything with a lot of conviction, which are all really admirable qualities. It’s just unfortunate that she works for the bad guys. Later, we learn other aspects of her, so that we understand why she is in this situation. It’s very interesting because, though she’s a villain, she’s not really.

Did you know her backstory while you were playing her, or have you learned about her during the process?

CHRIQUI: As we’ve been recording, I keep discovering stuff. Charlie [Bean] is awesome. He’s such a great director to work with. We just have such a good rapport together. He’ll fill me in, as we go. He’ll say, “This is where she’s coming from, and this is what just happened.” When we’re not all recording together, and I’m by myself in the booth, I just have my pages with me, so he’s really good at filling in the blanks. He’s heard everybody else, so he knows exactly what he needs. It’s a very organic process, I would say.

How did you go about building your character’s persona?

CHRIQUI: The voice quality is essentially the same as mine. She’s a little breathier when she talks, but it’s in more in what she’s saying. Often, people ask if it’s different doing live-action and voice-over, but the only thing that’s different, really, is that we’re in a booth and there’s no camera on me. But, my intention, as an actor, is exactly the same. Whatever I’m saying and whatever my dialogue is, that is really authentic. If you were to see us in the booth, you would laugh because you’d see our hands flailing. We do anything to make it come across, as we would in life. So, as far as playing things harder, which is who Paige is, it’s really in the material.

Do you like playing a harder character like this?

CHRIQUI: Yes, definitely! I figure that this is my stepping stone. Someone will watch it and go, “Oh, my god, that’s Emmanuelle Chriqui?! She can sound bad. Let’s give her this.”

Would you like to do a live-action action movie?

CHRIQUI: I would love to! I’d love to have to train for three to six months and get in the sickest shape ever, and have gun training and fight training. That would be so fun. I want to do that, at least once. I get to play for a living and I’ve never played that, so I would love to play that.

Are you prepared for the feedback from TRON fans?

CHRIQUI: I’m sure it will be intense because ThunderCats was pretty intense, and I think TRON is even more intense than that.

What do you enjoy about voice-over work?

CHRIQUI: The beauty of voice-over work is that maybe you come in and record once every two weeks for a couple of hours, and do a couple episodes a session. It’s awesome! You spend an afternoon playing in the booth, and there you have it. It doesn’t interfere with much. Even when I’ve been on location, we can do studio time, wherever I am. It’s the best job, ever.

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

CHRIQUI: There is a dream role. God, there’s so much left to do. I think the dream role is getting the opportunity to really sink my teeth into something and transform in the role. There’s material that I read that I fall in love with, and I always get a little bit sad because I know that, when I fall in love with it, almost everyone else is falling in love with that same piece. Getting the crack at doing that thing that, in my soul, I know I have to do it, that’s the role. And that role is a wide range of things, but it’s complex. It’s a film that will move a very wide audience ‘cause I seek to inspire the way I’ve been inspired. As an artist, that’s the dream.

And you’ll be recurring on The Mentalist now?

CHRIQUI: Yeah. It’s a really, really fantastic character that’s very different. I’m excited about it.

Have you heard anything about the Entourage movie?

CHRIQUI: I know that it’s being written, as we speak. Maybe it’s done. I need to check in. I don’t know.

Will you be in it?

CHRIQUI: Yes. Should it ever be made, yes.

If it is made, what would you like to see Sloan do?

CHRIQUI: I haven’t really thought about it. She was pregnant, when we left her. We don’t really know the future of her and E. I’ve always said that I would love to see them work it out, just because it’s been so cat-and-mouse for years. It’s like, “Can’t we just get along and love each other?” But, I also think it would be really fun to play that. We always see them either fighting or not talking. It’s just always so extreme. I’d love to be able to see them with a little family, and married or just together, and having a normal life. I’d like to see what that’s like.

So, you have no idea what the plot of the movie could be?

CHRIQUI: I have no idea. I just keep saying to Doug [Ellin], “You should write it in the South of France or Italy. Let’s all go on vacation.”

For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interview with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore and Paul Reubens.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I haven't been following this too closely, but I am really looking forward to it. anyone know if Castor/ Zuse is going to have any kind of presence in the show?

 

[Clu]

so far not looking likely, but you never know zuse might show up and help beck once or twice as there was a time he believed in the users.

 

[Clu]

looks like they jumped the episodes from 10 to 18.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054368?refCatId=14

and shows the target audience is 6-14

 

[mjdiddy1]

Man, this looks like a hit. I love the style of the show and the animation is crazy.

 

[TheVileOne]

Why is the animation so choppy and cheap looking?

 

[Donut]

Hopefully with the show being well liked. This green lights Tron 3. Sooner rather then later

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/bruce-boxleitner-tron-uprising-interview/168702/

Bruce Boxleitner Talks TRON: UPRISING, the Longevity of TRON and His Career with the Character of Tron

by Christina Radish Posted:May 27th, 2012 at 6:58 am

The animated series TRON: Uprising, 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 a press day for the show, TRON universe veteran Bruce Boxleitner – who reprises his role as Tron, once the greatest warrior of the system but now just a scarred man who sees potential in Beck to become his successor – talked about how surprised he is that TRON has sustained for so many years, what made an animated series the logical next step, and why he’s decided to stick with the Tron character all this time. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Question: Has it been surprising to you, that with so much time since the first film, the TRON universe is still going?

BRUCE BOXLEITNER: Oh, yeah. The original movie is more popular now than it ever was in the 1980s, for many, many reasons. I do a lot of fan conventions and I would say that 85 to 90% of the everybody that comes up to me talks about TRON. It’s not about Babylon 5, or anything else that I’ve ever done, sci-fi or genre wise, and that’s great. When it was initially happening, after the original movie, I was perplexed by it and thought, “Wow, you actually saw it?!” And then, as the years went on, somebody was constantly walking up to me to say, “Because of TRON, I went into computers.” It was something that actually influenced people. You don’t really see that a lot in Hollywood.

With the things that you do, you wonder if anything resonates, and TRON did. I think TRON came along at a time just before all of this gadgetry that we have now. In its own naive, sweet way, it predicted a world unlike a lot of science fiction that took us places we would never actually experience. We’re actually experiencing some aspects of the original TRON story, with technology and video games. We had these big wall-size arcade games. TRON reflects the age of information that it was predicting.

This generation has grown up with it. I come from before all that. We didn’t need cell phones. We got along perfectly without them. We didn’t need computers. What the hell would you want one for? We didn’t know what they were all about, when we were doing the original movie. IBM had computers. You didn’t have one in your house. If you did, it was a big primitive-looking thing. Now, you can’t go anywhere without some kind of device, and that’s related to this.

Animation certainly reflects that. Look at how early video games looked, and then look at the video game world now. We’re making movies based on video games. What an absurdity! But, it’s the truth. They’re cinematic and so lifelike now, compared to Donkey Kong. The movies also reflect that.

Why was an animated series the next step in the TRON universe?

BOXLEITNER: Our animated series is just another great venue for the TRON mythology. It speaks to it, right away. An animated series makes sense. And now, TRON fans can also get their fix, every week, for awhile. It fits in very nicely with the mythology that we’ve set up already because it falls between the films. I think it’s fun. The one thing about TRON is that it has diehard fans, ever since the beginning. Not everybody is into TRON, but the ones that are, are into it all the way. What I love about the animated series is seeing what they come up with. The character is consistent, in many ways, but there are always new aspects that come out. In the series, he’s very much a harsh task-master. He really beats the living daylights out of Beck. It’s really tough love. And, because you have a young guy who is very insecure about himself and what he feels and thinks, his own self-confidence isn’t there. What’s fun with this Tron character is to play this guy who is very beaten-up and scarred, and who needs this protégé to continue on the rebellion. There’s a tender side, too. (Director) Charlie Bean pushed me.

Did you and Elijah Wood get to work together, at all?

BOXLEITNER: We only worked together once, the whole time, and that was at the very beginning when we first auditioned this for the powers-that-be at Disney, but were never in the booth together again, unless that’s just my selective senior memory. But, Charlie really tried to squeeze every nuance out of everything we said. We tried to find Tron’s voice in this. I had to have a very different voice. This guy is beaten-up and battle worn, and he has much more maturity to him. Half the time, I’d walk out of the sessions wanting tea and honey afterwards. Charlie would make me do the lines over and over and over again. I’m actually Beck to his Tron. But, he was trying to hear it. He’s really exceptional in his delivery of the product.

Why have you decided to stick with TRON for so long?

BOXLEITNER: I decided, way back, that I embodied this character, in the first place, so I’m going to be the only one that plays him. That’s it. I didn’t know this animated series was coming. I never saw any of this coming. It was just a job. We did it, and then we hung up our tights and went home and on to other projects, never thinking this would come back again. Now, those same old, stinky tights are in a Disney exhibition that’s traveling across the country. I’m sure Jeff [Bridges] is as amazed. We didn’t get to work on TRON: Legacy together, too much. We had a lot of versions of the script, until we came down to the one you actually saw, so I saw Jeff all the time, during that. We’d goof off with each other, just the way we did 30 years ago. It was amazing.

You’re known for sci-fi, but also for doing Westerns. Do you see them as being similar, since they’re both essentially morality stories?

BOXLEITNER: I totally agree. The Western is America’s King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table mythology. And certainly, there are certain qualities in the journey of any hero, no matter what. That’s true for the Western, and that’s true for TRON. They are both good vs. evil morality tales. Our heroes are the common man or woman who rises above great challenges to finally succeed. That happens in any number of Westerns, and that happens in The Grid, too. Tron just had those incredible discs, instead of a gun.

TRON: Uprising will air on Thursdays on Disney XD, starting on June 7th.
For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interviews with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Paul Reubens.

 

[Clu]

june 7th cant come soon enough.

 

[Lencho01]

Some concept art...

http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2012/05/more-tron-uprising-art.html

Spoiler

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/joe-trapanese-tron-uprising-interview/169563/

Composer Joe Trapanese Talks Scoring TRON: UPRISING and Building on His Work With Daft Punk in TRON: LEGACY

by Christina Radish Posted:May 30th, 2012 at 5:19 am

The animated series TRON: Uprising, 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 a press day for the show, music composer Joe Trapanese, who collaborated with Daft Punk on the critically acclaimed soundtrack for TRON: Legacy, talked about connecting the films with the world of the animated series, how scoring has evolved over the years, what his composing process is like, how he likes to have themes for the characters, whether or not he wants to know where the story is going, working with the director, and what type of artists he’d like to collaborate with next. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Question: Do approach this as entirely separate from the films, or do you want to connect everything, musically?

JOE TRAPANESE: It’s a little bit of both. Both the original TRON and the sequel to it are so special and so unique and cool, on their own. Coming into TRON: Uprising, we’re very close to the sequel, and I was very fortunate to work on the sequel with Daft Punk. Right off the bat, there was the idea of, “Let’s take some elements from that score and transition them into the show, but find a way to do that in a unique way that’s new to the show.” So, we have new themes and we’ve added new instruments, like electric guitar, and some of the synth layers and some of the sounds that you’ll hear, percussion wise, are very familiar and are from the newest film.

What was it like to work with Daft Punk?

TRAPANESE: They’re consummate artists, they’re brilliant musicians, and they’re dedicated to their craft. A lot of time on TRON: Legacy was spent locked away in a studio with them, experimenting and finding out new ways to put together classic elements of film scoring that would work for the film. They’re really dedicated, and that’s inspiring to someone like me, who’s younger and still at the beginning of their work. It’s inspiring to work with people who are that dedicated.

Did you get your own helmet, when you finished working with them?

TRAPANESE: No. Believe me, I tried.

As a composer, how do you think scoring has evolved?

TRAPANESE: Well, I feel so lucky to be at a point where I can sit in front of a computer and really get close to the sound that I have in my head, musically speaking. For me, I try not to make any boundaries. I try to let all art influence me. If someone pulls out a new synthesizer and says, “Oh, this is going to be the best thing ever,” and it does nothing for me and conveys no emotion, then it’s really not useful. I’m interested in finding sounds and ideas that help bring the audience into the world that we’re all trying to create. Sometimes that’s with synthesizers, and sometimes that’s with French horns. I love using all of them, depending on the scenario.

Is this a mixture of synthesizer and orchestra?

TRAPANESE: Yeah. That combination goes back and forth. It’s like being a chef. Some dishes are going to be a little salty. Some dishes are going to be centered around fish. With music, some cues are going to be more orchestral than others and some cues are going to be more electronic. The precise combination of the two layers will really determine the kind of flavor and tone it has. What I love about film scoring is that all the answers are in the story. You just need to get in tune with the story and realize it musically.

What is your composing process like? Do you watch the project and hear sounds in your head, or do you experiment with a lot of stuff?

TRAPANESE: It’s a little bit of both. I was lucky, on the show, that we started even before the film came out. We had a good year and a half or so, of just coming up with sonic ideas and textures and themes, so that, by the time I got to sit down with an episode, a lot of the groundwork was already done. That being said, I’ll generally watch the episode once or twice, just listening to the voices to figure out what they’re trying to convey, as well as the temporary sound effects. I also meet with Charlie, who is the creative executive and director of this show, to determine what exactly he’s trying to convey to the audience.

Once I sit down with it, because we have such limited time on each episode and I’m writing the music in four or five days, or even less, I’ll try to break things down. I’ll start sketching at a piano to get some ideas down, and then I’ll start bringing in the orchestra. I might also spend a day just working with synthesizers and finding cool and unique and interesting sounds that I can record into the computer, and those become additional layers.

That’s what I love about film scoring. Every situation is new. Every show is a new adventure. We’ll bring in some new musical elements, and it’s exciting for me to use those elements in the TRON world and figure out how to adapt them and mix them in, in a way that still feels very much a part of the TRON history, but it’s a brand new musical element.

Do you like to have themes for the characters?

TRAPANESE: Yeah, I’m old-fashioned, in that way. But, a lot of modern film scoring is about a lack of themes, so I try to find ways of using music that doesn’t necessarily have thematic material in it to make the points when there is thematic material even stronger. It’s cool to be able to combine old and new.


Is it important for you to know where the story is going?

TRAPANESE: It’s a real battle with yourself. The composer for Lost wouldn’t watch a whole episode at once. He would score the episode, as he watched it. He would only watch what he was working on, so that he could react to it like an audience member. So, there are times that I’ve seen a little bit more than I’ve wanted to, and I have to put myself back in the audience’s shoes and figure out what they would know and not know. But, there are also times when I do know what’s coming up and I maybe need to hint at it, though not in a big way. It’s a little bit of both. It’s an interesting tightrope to walk.

Do you like to give input to the director, as far as where to put music?

TRAPANESE: It’s a little bit of both. I try to talk as little as possible, unless I see something that I might disagree with. But, a lot of the time, it’s about me listening to the director. For me, when I watch something without music, I’m instantly thinking, “Okay, what am I going to do here? How am I going to convey this?” I take notes and really think about that. At the same time, in those meeting, I listen to the director tell me about how he feels about the emotion he captured on screen, and asks about what kind of emotional elements I want to add. A lot of it is about communicating both ways, but a little bit less so from me. If we disagree, I’ll chime in and explain why I think one way might be better, and we’ll come to a conclusion. It’s a cool and interesting business.

After doing such cool collaborations with Draft Punk for TRON: Legacy and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park for The Raid: Redemption, is there a dream collaboration you’d still love to do?

TRAPANESE: I have some artists I can name, but I love artists making cool music, regardless of the style. I might say, “I would love to work with Kanye [West],” but Kanye is just another artist making great, bold, interesting music. There are a lot of them. So, if a country artist making really cool music came along and asked me to work with them, I just might say yes, even though I’m not super-knowledgeable about country, like I am about hip-hop. I might do that because the idea is so interesting. When a musician is conveying that fresh feeling, that’s what appeals to me, even more so than the style.

TRON: Uprising will air on Thursdays on Disney XD, starting on June 7th.

For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interviews with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Bruce Boxleitner and Paul Reubens.

 

[nogap87]

Why is the animation so choppy and cheap looking?

I don't think it looks cheap but it's definitely the choppiest cartoon I've seen in recent memory. Either way, the show has found a home on my DVR.

 

[Clu]

Downtown Disney June 3-7th will have this bad boy. Anaheim, California

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...y-district-at-the-disneyland-resort-june-3-7/

 

[MOVIELORD101]

looks like they jumped the episodes from 10 to 18.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054368?refCatId=14

and shows the target audience is 6-14

6-14 age group? That CAN'T be right. I've seen "Beck's Beginning", and I can tell you right now that this show is for a slightly older audience, probably 15 and older. Besides, an animated show aimed a 6-year olds that BRUTALLY KILLS OFF CHARACTERS?! That makes no sense.

 

[Lencho01]

It sounds right to me. They are the ones they want to sell toys to and have the greatest potential to be lifelong fans.

The violence isn't that bad compared to other cartoons. And it helps that we aren't dealing with humans.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/lance-henriksen-tron-uprising-millennium-interview/169537/

Lance Henriksen Talks TRON: UPRISING and the “Big Push” for a MILLENNIUM Movie

by Christina Radish Posted:June 2nd, 2012 at 3:03 pm

The animated series TRON: Uprising, 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 a press day for the show, actor Lance Henriksen – who voices General Tesler, the eccentric power hungry dictator that is Clu’s main henchman, tasked with bringing order to Argon City and taking down The Renegade, aka Beck – talked about what he likes best about this animated series, what he enjoys about bringing such a villain to life, whether he likes playing the hero or the villain more, the voice-over work he does in video games, and whether there could ever be a Millennium movie. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Question: What do you like about this animated series?

LANCE HENRIKSEN: What I like the most about it is that I’m computer illiterate, but I get it. Charles Bean is a brilliant director. I come in with an idea and try to do it, but I fall on my face. And then, he says, “Wait a minute, there was a little moment in there. Let’s try that moment and expand in that direction.” Because I’ve done a lot of theater, I know what power is and how megalomaniacs are, since I’ve certainly played some. That opened it up and expanded it. When you get into TRON, you have a very fundamental story. I’m not saying it’s Red Riding Hood, but it’s as fundamental. It’s power, it’s rebellion, and metaphorically it’s like what people are doing in America right now, with getting mad at the government and the bankers.

I find that Tesler is so frustrated and twisted about the power that he wants and what he’s willing to do to get it. It’s very much like a megalomaniac politician. So, the details of the world started resonating. I don’t change any narrative. That’s written in stone. They’ve got the formula. But, in order to personalize it, I just have to give it the energy it needs. Clu is really Tesler’s enemy, but it’s the unspoken enemy. Tesler would never relay that to Paige because that would be his undoing. He’d get deres-ed, like anybody else. There are also very strong women in this. Usually the male control and domination that tends to be in our genes gets around a powerful woman who has the ability to make choices different from guys, it throws you off and you get frustrated. I’ve done a lot of video games and stuff, and I’m getting better and better at it. I don’t have a prejudice about it being a different medium.

What’s it like to bring a character to life by yourself, in the recording booth?

HENRIKSEN: Nobody does this alone. Charles Bean made the experience for me. I was very happy to keep coming back to do more. There’s a pathetic nature to Tesler, too. He can’t do everything. He would love to be a real good fighter, but he’s only got a couple of tricks and, once you get on to them, they’re not as successful.

Is Tesler just a pure villain, or is there a level of heart?

HENRIKSEN: Not a drop. Not even for himself. That’s what makes him a tragic figure. There’s something weird about Tesler. If the series goes on, I will have no input. There’s not a word they want to hear from me. There’s nothing more terrifying than an actor who comes with an idea. It’s fine when it’s intimate and you’re in the booth, working the narrative. But, I love doing it. My daughter says that Tesler has got the best wardrobe because he has a cape. That makes him capable.

What are you working on now, video game wise?

HENRIKSEN: I’ve been working on Mass Effect lately. They redid the end because a lot of people were upset that it ended so abruptly. I’ve already been in the booth, so they could work their way out of that. I did a big monologue about something.

Is there any chance of their ever being a Millennium movie?

HENRIKSEN: There’s a big push on it, right now. They’ve written a book with interviews from everybody that was on the show, including [Frank] Spotnitz and me. That show was awhile ago. Ever since 9/11, the world has changed so radically that, if Millennium was made today with those characters, it would be a far more interesting show than the limited palate they had with serial killers. I love the idea of a non-judgmental character like Frank Black. He wanted to know why and how all these things happened, but he knew that judging someone for what they’d done was just going to get in the way of finding out things. Imagine that kind of morality and focus, like a master chess player, able to draw in details like beads on a string. It would be much more interesting now than it was then. I loved doing that show. The most important relationship in the show, for me, was between Frank and his daughter, and that actress is getting married now. I think it’s going to happen. I really do. I believe that. I would do it. There’s no reason not to.

What would you want to see happen?

HENRIKSEN: I want to keep moving the pressure in on Frank Black, in regard to a terrorist plot that keeps building and building and building. You’ll be gasping for air, wondering what the hell is going to happen to this guy. I’m looking forward to it. It’s crazy, if they don’t give it a shot. It doesn’t have to be a $30 million movie. There’s a lot of fans out there, in 65 countries, just pounding on the door. I can’t go to any country without them wanting to know when the movie is going to be made. It doesn’t matter where I am.

Which do you find more fun to play, the hero or the villain?

HENRIKSEN: It depends on the material and the narrative, and what they’ve done and what they’re after. I just read a script that I’m probably going to do in England, called The Fifth Girl. It’s incredibly complex. Sometimes they hire me because they think everybody is going to believe that I’m the bad guy in the story, but it ends up that I’m the good guy and you just didn’t get it. They did that on purpose in Jennifer 8. Or, I am the bad guy. It really depends on the script. The Fifth Girl is a knock-out because it doesn’t use any of those cheap shots. It’s more of a psychological drama, so it allows you to go over the terrain of the movie, never knowing until the very end, how it all adds up. It’s really good.

I really like playing good guys, of course. Although, people make mistakes in their lives, and you could say that the mistakes make us who we are, by how we respond to them. I just don’t want to play boring good guys, but I don’t have that problem, anyway. I’m not Tom Cruise. I don’t have to look that good. I’m always going to have a problem because I’m thought of as someone edgy, but I’m not. I’m a cupcake.

TRON: Uprising will air on Thursdays on Disney XD, starting on June 7th.
For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interviews with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Bruce Boxleitner, Paul Reubens and music composer Joe Trapanese.

 

[MOVIELORD101]

It sounds right to me. They are the ones they want to sell toys to and have the greatest potential to be lifelong fans.

The violence isn't that bad compared to other cartoons. And it helps that we aren't dealing with humans.

Even so, it's a little too dark for 6-years olds IMO. Doesn't mean the show sucks, though. I'm loving it so far!

 

[Destructus86]

can't wait to watch this...waiting for it to hit amazon.

 

[Lencho01]

Even so, it's a little too dark for 6-years olds IMO. Doesn't mean the show sucks, though. I'm loving it so far!

I don't see it as too dark for kids at that age. The same things were pretty much seen in Legacy and that was PG if I remember correctly.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/tricia-helfer-tron-uprising-interview/169552/

Tricia Helfer Talks TRON: UPRISING and Her TNT Pilot SCENT OF THE MISSING

by Christina Radish Posted:June 4th, 2012 at 1:25 pm

The animated series TRON: Uprising, 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 a press day for the show, actress Tricia Helfer, who lends her voice to the digital utopia The Grid, talked about how much she knew about the TRON universe before signing on, how she enjoys the sci-fi genre, putting a voice to something like The Grid, what she thinks of the look of the animation, doing voice-over work for video games, her dream project, and the fact that she’d like to return to series television and is waiting on word for a pilot she did for TNT. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Question: What did you know about the TRON universe, prior to doing this show?

TRICIA HELFER: I definitely have to admit that I am fairly ignorant, not just to TRON, but almost any pop culture thing that I should know, at my age. I grew up without a television and rarely got to see a movie, so I didn’t really see any of that stuff, and I haven’t been able to catch up since. So, really, my first experience with TRON was seeing commercials for the last movie that came out. I came into The Grid not really knowing anything. The first voice session, I had everyone explain to me exactly what it was, and I still am a little confused.

Did they approach you about doing a voice for this because they were fans of yours from Battlestar Galactica?

HELFER: I’ve started getting into quite a bit of voice work, definitely from Battlestar. A lot of people that not only watch and play video games, and watch animated shows like TRON, were either fans of Battlestar or fans of the genre. I started with voice work in video games because of someone who was a fan of Battlestar. Since then, I’ve developed relationships and done some other things aside from the sci-fi realm. But definitely, I probably wouldn’t have had the career I’ve had so far in voice-over, if I hadn’t done Battlestar.

Do you personally enjoy the sci-fi genre?

HELFER: I do! As an actor, if I just did sci-fi, I think it would get limiting, like if you just play lawyers or doctors, over and over. It’s a lot more fun, if you get to play lots of different types of characters. You can literally go from playing The Grid to playing a serial killer to playing an attorney. That keeps it fresh and you also get to learn a lot more. If you’re doing live-action, you have to learn how to actually do whatever it is that you’re doing. If you’re doing voice-over, you can fake it.

What’s it like to voice something like The Grid?

HELFER: I rely heavily on the writers and the producers and the voice director in the room. TRON is a little bit different because, when I record, they always have a little bit of video. Lately, I’ve been doing the, “Previously on . . .” for the episodes, to catch people up, in case they miss the previous episode. They’ll have the images for me to look at, and I can see what’s going on. But, most of the time, with voice-overs, you’re recording before they’ve got the graphics, and you also don’t get a whole script. I don’t get the whole TRON episode. I get my lines, as I show up that day. You don’t know what the rest of the story is, so you really rely on the people in the room that you’re working with, so they can fill you in on what’s going on, right around your particular lines. I wish sometimes that I could know more. Sometimes the first time I read the line, I’m saying it out loud and it’s being recorded.

For characters like Tron and Beck and Paige, who are physically doing things and having emotional connections, that takes longer to do because you have to try it different ways and try different levels. But, with The Grid, it was the first session where we tried it a little bit more sultry, a little bit more straight and even, and a little bit more pleasant and OnStar-ish. It was really in the first recording session that we narrowed down what they wanted for the voice of The Grid. Now, when I go in to record, I just listen to what I recorded the last time. There’s really not too many ways I can do it differently, especially when they want to keep it as a very pleasant voice, regardless of what’s happening. The Grid takes on a personality by how even she is.

At this point in your career, what’s a dream project for you?

HELFER: Oh, lots of things. I’ve only been acting for 10 years, so I feel like I’ve got a lot that I want to do yet. One of my favorite books is The First Stone, and I would have loved to have played Lisa in that, but the character ends up at the age I’m at now, so it would be a little rough to try to play her as a teenager. But, if age wasn’t involved, that would be one of my dream roles.

Would you go back to series TV?

HELFER: Oh, absolutely, yeah! I’m still waiting to hear about a pilot I did, called Scent of the Missing, about K-9 search and rescue, for TNT. We’re hoping to hear soon. It’s a character I haven’t played before. She’s the head of a K-9 search and rescue unit, who’s a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. There’s a lot of animal lovers out there, and there are a lot of great stories that we could tell. They fly all over the country, and it’s pretty much all volunteer run. They put up their own money.

TRON is set in a video game world, and you’ve done voices for video games. Do you play video games, at all?

HELFER: I wish I played them more often. I do voice them a lot, so I feel like a bit of a hypocrite that I don’t play them as much. I’m an actor, so I enjoy that part of it more than actually playing them. But, I do take them to my nephews and say, “Okay, find auntie.” I’m a bit of a tech idiot, so I would never get to the level to hear everything I’ve done in the games. They’re very excited about some of the games I’ve done.

What do you think of the look of the animated series?

HELFER: That was one of the things that drew me in, in the beginning. I was like, “Wow, for TV, this is amazing,” and they’re keeping that up. It’s fascinating to see, and I was really drawn in by it. I imagine the fans are going to be, as well.

TRON: Uprising will air on Thursdays on Disney XD, starting on June 7th.
For more on TRON: Uprising, here’s our interviews with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Bruce Boxleitner, Paul Reubens, Lance Henriksen and music composer Joe Trapanese.