Safety

1983:

Who would have thought that a Disney movie targeted at children would see so many riders on motorcycles sans helmet? Sure, they're computer programs, not real people, and the rider is entirely encapsulated within the lightcycle. But other than the cycle bar, you go in with what you're wearing.

2010:

How things have changed! Not only are these guys wearing helmets, but they're wearing full face helmets and what looks like the head-to-toe recommendations of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Helmet, padded gloves, over-the-ankle boots, eye protection, a body suit with pads on the shoulders, elbows and knees. Additionally, the suit lights up for maximum visibility whenever you're on the cycle. Other safety features include a nice bright headlight on the front of the cycle. There's a light on the back, but as with the original, close-up viewing can be terminal.

Acceleration and Power Curve

1983:

The original lightcycles seem to have a drive system that delivers power directly to the ground without the wheels acting as mediators, causing instantaneous forward momentum. You grab the cycle bars, get down into position and you're off like a shot without the need to accelerate over time. You can go faster than this, but you already start a good clip.

2010:

You can form your lightcycle in mid-air, but the trailer shows the lightcycle hitting the ground rear wheel first with a bounce. This indicates a nod to real-world physics, in terms of the power being delivered to the rear wheel, driving the cycle forward. It seems as though you can get a boost of speed by changing the cycle's configuration on the fly into a longer, lower machine. This is the only lightcycle indication of something analogous to shifting a real motorcycle. There's a simple click, but once the cycle is down you can power into what looks like the next-highest gear.

Turning

1983:

When the lightcycles are on the game grid, it's nothing but forward velocity and right-angle turns. From the sound they make, it seems as though while no momentum is lost in the turn, the engine slows down a touch to let you power out of the turn, with the sound of the engine rising. When the lightcycles are out of the game grid, they can turn at much softer angles, but it's a slower motion that seems gimballed.

2010:

Unfortunately, we don't see these cycles on the game grid in existing footage. However, they turn like real motorcycles in a non-grid scenario. It's standard look-press-roll on these turns, and we even get to see a little textbook swerving out of these machines, pressing on the handles while keeping the body independent of cycle lean.

Braking

1983:

Braking really isn't a feature of the original lightcycles, other than to proceed to a stop so you can pull your form out of the cycle itself.

2010:

The new lightcycles feature a retractable 'wind brake' that appears to slow the cycle in record time. Unlike a real cycle, it doesn't seem to be linked to any kind of front-brake/rear-brake combination motion, but it's possible that the activation of the wind brake is automatically tied to a succession of downshifts for engine braking.

The Verdict

Whether you ride a dual-sport, cruiser, sport or touring bike, the 2010 Tron Legacy Lightcycle is sure to keep you stable on twisty roads and tear down the highway in relative safety. While not yet approved for emissions standards in the state of California, you can still experience the thrill of riding this awesome machine in a theater near you next winter, regardless of icy road conditions.

2010 Tron Legacy Lightcycle
PROS: Enhanced safety features, far superior handling options and ambient lighting for better visibility.
CONS: More efficient 'Master Control Program' could lead to unexpected changes in group riding situations.

High-res version of Tron Legacy billboard artwork, via Stitch Kingdom.

Disney shared this image with a handful of lucky fans who registered via Tron's Facebook page, and presumably it'll be zooming over freeway overpasses at some point in the next few months. Bigger version at the link. [StitchKingdom]

We'll go into more detail tomorrow, but for the moment, feast your eyes on the replicated arcade below, as well as some exclusive sketches of the light cycle followed by the two-wheeled wonder itself. For more on the light cycle, head on over to Jalopnik.

Additional reporting and photography by Julia Carusillo.

Serinda Swan says that she, Beau Garrett (Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer) and two other actresses play "temptresses from inside the computer world." She explains:

We're sort of the main guy's go-to girls. There are lights actually sewn into our wardrobe, so it's like nothing you've seen before!

By the "main guy," does she mean Kevin Flynn's evil cyber-self, or someone else? And whom exactly are these "temptresses" trying to tempt? Sean Flynn, Kevin's son? This could get ooky pretty quick.

Meanwhile, Swan, who plays Zatanna in tonight's Smallville, says she actually played her spells backwards on her ipod so she could memorize those lines backwards — when you replay her dialogue backwards, it'll sound intelligible, she promises. And Clark's mysterious wish is one that "turns him upside down." Also, she wants to find the spell-book to bring back her father, Zatara, because he died protecting her. The episode leaves the door open for her to return.

[TV Guide]

Ain't It Cool News got the scoop from a source on the movie's Vancouver lot. Apparently it starts out in 1989, where Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has created a ton of best-selling games based on his Game Grid challenges, from the first film. He's marketed everything he saw in there, as toys and action figures. Then Flynn disappears, leaving behind his seven-year-old son Sean. Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) takes over Flynn's company.

Then we jump forward to the present day, and Sean is now a twentysomething. Bradley gives Sean info that causes him to search for his dad, and the search leads him to Flynn's old arcade, and inside the computer world. Sean meets the CLU character (Flynn's computer avatar in the first movie). Flynn programmed the CLU to make the computer world a better place, but the CLU got corrupted and is creating its own interpretation of "improving the world." CLU is trying to eradicate a type of program called ISOs, and the ISOs believe Sean Flynn will save them from the CLU's attacks.

And somewhere, out there, the real Kevin Flynn is whizzing around on a classic lightcycle. Sean has to find his real dad and enlist his aid against his preternaturally young computer avatar. There's a light cycle versus light jet duel, with both the cycle and the jet creating light walls. And a huge disc battle.

It sounds like fun, and the possibilities of the two generations of Flynns teaming up against the computer image of Flynn, frozen in youth, sound almost endless. Here's hoping! Oh, and supposedly the actual title will be "Tron" plus something after a colon.

After last year's amazing Tron 2.0 test footage premiered at San Diego's Comic Con we were all left stunned. "What, old barefoot Flynn is watching young Flynn destroy some poor blue program? FANTASTIC, and whoa evil beard." While many of you have debated the evilness of Bridges' beard, and the plot summary reveals that there is some rebellion going on against a corrupt cyber-entity which may or may not be Bridges (he could be the rebellion's leader for all we know). But what we've heard a report about how they're going to do it.

A source reveals to io9 that Jeff Bridges has been sent up to Canada to be digitized. A plaster cast has been created of Bridges.

Our tipster tells us that:

They will then take that 3D model and make him younger and then slap it on a body double in post.
As this is only one cog in the machine, I can't give a whole lot of detail. Canada scans actors and props to be used for various projects. These are very high resolution scans that pick up every wrinkle, face lift and scar on the actors body.

If this is true, it totally explains how there can be two Jeff Bridges in the shot together: the real Jeff, and his digitized, younger 3-D clone. Here's hoping it looks as cool as it sounds.

[Tron Sector via The New Cafe (Racer) Society]