The TRON experience in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland is officially entering a new chapter.
Disney’s efforts to reinvigorate the TRON franchise have quietly shifted gears, with signs appearing both on Disney+ and across Walt Disney World’s theme parks. At the heart of this recalibration is 2025’s TRON: Ares, the long-awaited sequel intended to reignite interest in the neon-soaked sci-fi universe. Despite a star-studded cast and a major marketing push, the film struggled at the box office, failing to recoup its blockbuster-level budget and receiving a lukewarm response from critics and audiences.
Disney has since moved TRON: Ares to streaming, where it arrived on Disney+ on January 7, 2026. The film joins the original TRON (1982), TRON: Legacy, and TRON: Uprising, consolidating the franchise in a single digital home while leaving its broader future in question.
That uncertainty has also been visible in Tomorrowland. Disney has quietly reduced TRON-related offerings, with the TRON Identity Program—the paid interactive experience that allowed guests to design custom TRON-style action figures—being the most prominent closure.
After months of discounted pricing and diminishing demand, the program officially ended at the close of 2025. Signage, merchandise, and its online presence were removed without fanfare, marking the end of an experiment that never fully connected with audiences. While TRON Lightcycle / Run remains operational, the Identity Program’s shutdown signals a reassessment of how much park space Disney wants to dedicate to the franchise.
TRON Lightcycle / Run itself has been in a temporary transformation. Since September 2025, the ride has featured a limited-time TRON: Ares overlay, changing its signature blue-white aesthetic to a more intense red-and-black palette. New lighting effects, reworked on-ride audio scored by Nine Inch Nails, and updated narration tied to the film reframed the attraction as a promotional extension of TRON: Ares.
Guest reactions were split—some embraced the darker, more intense tone, while others preferred the original futuristic optimism. Cast member chatter suggested the overlay would conclude in January 2026, restoring the ride’s classic look.
This has now been confirmed: the TRON: Ares attraction will close on January 20, 2026, with the final day for guests to experience the altered ride on January 19, 2026, as reported on social media.
The original TRON Lightcycle / Run debuted in Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, quickly gaining attention for its canopy-covered launch and motorcycle-style ride vehicles. After years of anticipation, delays, and pandemic-related setbacks, the Magic Kingdom version opened in April 2023, becoming one of the park’s most technologically advanced attractions and a key feature for Tomorrowland’s future.
Taken together—the box-office struggles, the shuttered upcharge experience, and the temporary overlay’s end—the signs point to a strategic pause rather than an outright abandonment. Disney appears to be testing what resonates with guests and what doesn’t. Whether this marks a temporary slowdown or the start of a longer re-evaluation remains uncertain.
For now, the Grid continues to glow.
How do you feel about this TRON attraction closure? Let us know in the comments down below!
