Disney and the TRON Franchise

I sincerely believe that Disney does not completely understand how to fully leverage the TRON franchise. Disney wants to make money as any corporation is inherently obligated to do. TRON is a powerhouse of marketing potential. But its earning power is not going to come from box-office sales. Neither will it sell toys like Star Wars or Marvel. What Disney doesn't seem to realize is that the primary target market for TRON is disenfranchised intellectual technophiles of all ages.

What is the plot of the 1982 TRON movie? A brilliant programmer without corporate ambition (a disenfranchised intellectual technophile) is bullied by a less talented technophile WITH corporate ambition and no scruples, so that the first guy is discredited and run out of the company. The underdog (relatable to members of the movie's target demographic) turns to hacking to find the proof he needs to get justice, which he does, in the end. (Oops. Spoiler!) On the way, philosophical concepts of creation, religion, morality, individual purpose, and the duty to the greater good (a free system) are discussed.

What is the plot of the 2010 TRON: Legacy movie? The same disenfranchised intellectual technophile from the first movie goes missing, and his son goes to find him, which he does. (Oops. Spoiler!) On the way, MORE philosophical concepts like: "What is a perfect system?", spontaneous life generation, free will, totalitarianism, fascism, family, and loyalty are considered. Very thought-provoking subjects, which make me deeply ponder these concepts when thinking about the movie.

What is the plot of the 2025 TRON: Ares movie? (Basic plot spoilers, but no major spoilers, I promise.) Many years after TRON: Legacy, the technology has advanced enough to bring the digital world into the real world for short amounts of time. The MacGuffin is the technology to eliminate that time limit. The ending is satisfying without feeling contrived. On the way, EVEN MORE philosophical concepts of permanance, personal loss, identity, free will versus given purpose, corporate ethics, and the cost of ambition are presented as food for thought. I was pleased to feel the same existential awareness that the other movies provoked as I pondered the message so entertainingly presented to me.

What I think Disney is not realizing is that the TRON series continuously presents an underlying philosophical discussion of "What is life?" and "What is our purpose?": subjects of never-ending debate since the dawn of rational thought. Sure, the movies are visually astounding, but their messages are deep. They are not mere mindless entertainment products meant to be rewatched for immediate gratification. Yes, there is potential to market and sell technologically amazing toys and products, but the scripts are primarily written to provoke introspection, not just to sell toys and products. (But that's where the most money is made for a franchise.)

There are two ways for Disney to pivot on the TRON franchise to make it the profit powerhouse that the shareholders demand of their board members: First, to dumb down the TRON scripts so that they become simplistic "good guys versus bad guys" action stories like Star Wars, Marvel, Transformers, and G.I. Joe were back in the 1980s. Those were the standout properties that figured out how to make half-hour-long commercials and feature-length movies to sell merchandise. This is the easiest and most likely course of action a profit-focused company would take in this situation. The other option is for Disney to fully recognize that most TRON fans are disenfranchised intellectual technophiles (like Kevin Flynn) yearning for Goodness and Justice to overcome the forces of destructive corporate greed, oppressive governance, and unethical personal ambition. The trick is how to monetize that realization. Then TRON could keep the philosophical roots that we disenfranchised intellectual technophiles prefer, rather than be turned into commonplace, simple action-adventure fare to reach a wider target demographic.

To that last point, I believe Disney is capable of sustaining and growing the TRON franchise financially and demographically while remaining true to the philosophical spirit of the previous installments. We've seen them do it with the Star Wars and Marvel franchises. Save the deep philosophy for big-screen movies and tell the stories of The Grid across multiple miniseries on Disney+.  These can be custom-made for various age groups as well. For instance, less heavy-handed subjects like cooperation, bravery, acceptance (of ISOs), and standing up for oneself could be presented to younger audience members while avoiding violent, graphic de-resolution as the default solution. Include a lot of vehicle chases and settings to seed the toy market with product ideas. Another series could be a (simplistic "good guys versus bad guys" action story) server-war between ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, both sides trying to hack the other for information and/or control. This would provide opportunities to introduce and develop new characters of all demographic types to which those people could relate. (And buy related merchandise.) And yes, also shore up the OG fanbase with some dark and brooding stories like TRON: Uprising to fill out the lore and fill in plotholes for us aging fans to hold on to. The younger generations will eventually understand and appreciate the concepts presented in those offerings as they mature, thus maintaining a loyal fanbase eager to share their interests with future generations.

-10/13/2025-