For the last four months, TRON Lightcycle Run has been launching guests into a Tron: Ares version of the high-speed, thrill ride that bends reality into the video game world. That will soon reach the ‘End of Line’ as the overlay permanently closes and the regular incarnation of the attraction returns.
Since mid-September, TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom and TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland have been celebrating the release of Tron: Ares film with an overlay on their attractions. The limited-time special edition of the attraction replaces the blue and orange hues of the ride, with vibrant red and orange light trails.
The red hues in Tron: Ares within the digital realm contrast sharply with the classic blue tones of the Grid. Adding to the immersive visuals, the industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails drive the ride’s energy, pushing your experience between the Grid and reality into an immersive and futuristic symphony of light, speed, and sound.
All of this will reach End of Line on January 19, 2026. That’s the final day of the Tron: Ares overlay of the attraction.
Starting January 20, 2026, the OG TRON Lightcycle Run returns, at least on the Magic Kingdom version of the roller coaster.
We never reviewed the Tron: Ares overlay of TRON Lightcycle Run, largely because it was pretty simple–consisting of audio and lighting changes, for the most part. Not something that really warrants a review, as virtually no one is going to ride or not ride on the basis of our words.
Nevertheless, we both liked the overlay for what it was. While the changes certainly weren’t enough to book a trip around, or anything that would significantly move the needle on guest satisfaction scores for the attraction among first-timers, the overlay was fun. It was the type of thing that’s perfect for regulars and repeat visitors, wanting a fresh way to experience a familiar favorite.
That’s basically what the overlay boiled down to, at least for me. I liked the new colors, and the lines about malicious code, as well as the NIN soundtrack. But honestly, I can’t say it was any better or worse than the OG TRON Lightcycle Run. It was something different, and sometimes different is sufficient!
What I’d really like to see is Walt Disney World program the canopy to have a wider range of colors, and rotate in the warm ones with greater regularity. It’s heavy on the blues and cool colors, with the oranges being rare and brief. It’s been a while since we’ve visited Shanghai Disneyland, but I could swear the version there has far greater variety (my night photos suggest it does).
This probably doesn’t matter to many/any of you, but it’s still a change Walt Disney World should make. I assume it’d be fairly easy to program, and warmer lighting would look better in phone photos posted to social media. (In general, whoever handles Walt Disney World’s lighting packages is a little too enamored with cool colors.)
The Tron: Ares overlay is exactly the type of thing I’d love to see Walt Disney World do more often. This type of ‘studio marketing budget’ limited-time offering has historically been Disneyland’s domain, and it’s really nice to see Walt Disney World get in on the fun.
We’ve been advocating for precisely this type of thing for a while. One premise of our article, Walt Disney World is Wrong About Ride Overlays, is that demographics have shifted a ton in the last couple of decades, to the point that WDW’s audience now resembles Disneyland’s more than its own from the 1990s.
This is thanks to a mix of Disney Vacation Club, Central Florida’s population explosion, the rise of Disney Adults, and out of state Annual Passholders.
Not only that, but there are times when it’s only upside to overlays. Ones that first-timers are unlikely to notice or be impacted by, but diehard fans will appreciate. This is a good example of that, as is the upcoming Soarin’ Across America.
Same goes for all of the Star Tours changes, or even (probably) the upcoming Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission. The same argument could probably be made for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, too.
Come to think of it, the last year or so of announcements has actually been an interesting one for Walt Disney World, as the parks are seemingly embracing this type of strategy, at least to some degree. (Only requires the ‘minor detail’ of looking past the Rivers of America and MuppetVision closures.) It’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues.
In case you missed it (and you probably did), Tron: Ares started streaming on Disney+ today, January 7, 2026. So you can celebrate this news by watching the movie for the first time, since 98% of you didn’t see it in theaters.
Directed by Joachim Rønning, the newest chapter in the TRON saga invites fans to experience a striking new world and high-velocity spectacle right from home. The edge-of-your-seat action thrusts audiences into a high-stakes clash between artificial intelligence and humanity, powered by cutting-edge visual effects and an electrifying original score by Nine Inch Nails.
Expanding upon the original Tron and Tron: Legacy film series, Tron: Ares bombed at the box office. It made something like $142 in theaters, which is approximately 3.5 tickets and a couple Cokes at the Disney Springs AMC. Okay, it actually made $142 million, which means it lost around $130 after taking its production budget and marketing costs into consideration. Still not as bad as Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the ultimate barometer of success!
Like the 98% of you, I haven’t seen Tron: Ares yet. The premise is intriguing, though.
When a highly sophisticated Program named Ares is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, it marks humankind’s first encounter with AI beings. Ares is a powerful and self-aware Program sent from the digital realm into the real world for a mission that could change both forever. Tron: Ares is a mind-bending collision of technology, identity, and reality.
Jeff Bridges returns to star in Tron: Ares alongside Jared Leto as Ares, with Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Cameron Monaghan. The film was directed by Joachim Rønning, known for helming Disney action-adventure hits like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
With Tron: Ares bombing, it means we won’t see another film in the franchise for another decade or so, until Disney forgets that it did poorly and needs another franchise to reboot. At that point, they’ll find an actor who is box office poison to star alongside Jeff Bridges, and another flop will be born. In all seriousness, I really hope one silver lining of Tron: Ares failing is that Hollywood stops subjecting us to Jared Leto.
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Your Thoughts
If you experienced it, what did you think about limited time Ares ride overlay on TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom? Did you even realize it was different? Looking forward to the OG ride returning? Want to see more overlays like this aimed at locals and repeat Walt Disney World visitors? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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