by Joe Tracy, editor of Theme Park Magazine
Today Walt Disney World announced that it is opening TRON: Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom on April 4, 2023. In honor of that announcement, we are looking at the original TRON roller coaster – TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland.
TRON Lightcycle Power Run Video
TRON Lightcycle Power Run is a TRON-themed roller coaster that originally opened in Shanghai Disneyland on June 16, 2016. Guests board a lightcycle and take off on an adventure of survival on the grid. Theme Park Review uploaded the following ride video on YouTube:
History of TRON Lightcycle Power Run
Located at Shanghai Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, TRON Lightcycle Power Run is a steel roller coaster created to allow guests to experience the famous cycle grid chases in the movie TRON and TRON: Legacy. When guests board the coaster, they sit on a Lightcycle, leaning forward and gripping handlebars like on a motorbike.
Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, TRON Lightcycle Power Run was an opening day attraction when Shanghai Disneyland opened on June 16, 2016. Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma created the steel coaster.
Shanghai Disneyland was first announced in 2010, the same year TRON: Legacy hit movie theaters. The groundbreaking took place on April 8, 2011. The park would cost more than $5 billion to build and would be vastly different than any other Disney theme park. To start, rides found at multiple other parks (i.e., it’s a small world, Space Mountain, etc.) would be nowhere to be found at Shanghai Disneyland. For the Shanghai experience, more than 80% of the rides, including TRON Lightcycle Power Run, would be unique to Shanghai Disneyland. Less than a decade later, that uniqueness is fading as top rides in Shanghai look to make appearances at other Disney parks.
At the D23 Expo in July 2017, Disney announced that TRON Lightcycle Power Run would also be built at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It will open on April 4, 2023, as TRON Lightcycle / Run.
TRON Lightcycle Power Run Ride Info
Year Opened: 2016
Ride Time: Just over 90 seconds
Ride Type: Roller coaster
Capacity: 14 riders per coaster
Creators: Walt Disney Imagineering and Vekoma
Explore More (Videos)
ABC News Previews TRON Lightcycle Power Run before its opening in Shanghai Disneyland
TRON Lightcycle Power Run Queue Video at Shanghai Disneyland.
Grimshaw: Shanghai Disney Resort Tomorrowland
Disney Parks TRON Lightcycle Power Run Explanation Video
Teaser: Walt Disney World Announces Opening Date for TRON Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom.
Take a look at this real-life Lightcycle!
Explore More (Resources)
- Web Page: TRON Lightcycle Power Run (Shanghai Disneyland)
- Web Page: TRON Lightcycle / Run (Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom)
- YouTube Channel: Theme Park Review
