We
speak with Donald Kushner, who produced the original 1982 classic TRON and
is executive producer of this new release . . .
What is it about the first TRON that made it such a
cult favorite throughout the years?
It was the first film to make extensive use of CGI
technology and more importantly, it foretold the future of the dominance
of the personal computer versus the main frame computer. It also predicted
the identity (life) that we all have inside the computer via social
networking sites like Facebook.
The original movie wasn't much of a box office
success back then - any ideas on why that was the case?
It was ahead of its time.
Is it true that many people in Disney were opposed to
the original movie back then because it involved computers?
No, not true. They were only skeptical about whether we
could deliver the effects.
Any thoughts on why the original movie isn't being
re-released on DVD or Blu-ray to coincide with TRON LEGACY? (It seems that
the movie is only available second hand on DVD for anything between $80 to
$180.)
I think they wanted to focus on marketing the Tron
Legacy film and not confuse it with the first one.
Except for new special effects, how is the new
version different from the old one?
It’s not that different. There are two distinct worlds
(the real world and the electronic world) and many of the same characters
in both films.
What are your final thoughts / opinions on TRON and
TRON LEGACY? Are you happy how they turned out?
Yes, I am happy with how both films turned out. The
electronic worlds in both films are amazing!
Any chance of a TRON LEGACY sequel if it does well?
Is there scope for it?
If it does well there will be a sequel.
