Disney XD airs decent Tron continuation

To be fair to the reader, this is most likely the most obscure and niche article I’ve written about television these past few weeks.  And that is precisely the reason I’ve decided to make the Disney XD animated series “Tron: Uprising” the focus of this week’s edition of “Stay Tuned.”

Every now and then a new television show comes along that is both very unique in style and very innovate in design. Quite often these series turn out to be wild success stories, such was the case with the highly cinematic quality of shows like “LOST” and “The Sopranos.” However, it is even more common to see spectacular unique projects fail as evidenced by shows such as the cult phenomena “Firefly” and the ill-fated yet brilliant animated series “The Spectacular Spiderman.”  These shows may gather acclaim by those who have actually viewed them but that’s the problem.  These shows bomb in the ratings and that is why they are cancelled. To television executives, low ratings are low ratings after, regardless of whether they are due to a lack of a show’s promotion, or timeslot scheduling.

For this reason I would like to call into attention the Disney XD series “Tron: Uprising.”  The animated series is set in-between the events of the 1982 film “Tron” and the 2010 sequel “Tron: Legacy.” The world of Tron is set inside the realm of the computer, as fans of the films know.  Computer programs appear in form as humans and act accordingly.  With the exception of the titicular character of Tron himself, other major characters from the films play minor roles in the series.  A side story of sorts unrelated to the tale of Kevin Flynn from the films, “Uprising” follows the tale of an Engineer named Beck as he becomes the protégé of the legendary warrior Tron himself.  Assuming the identity of “The Renegade,” Beck attempts to incite a revolution to rise up against the oppressive rule of evil programs led by Clu.  The series features some serious big name voice talent with the likes of Elijah Wood, the voice of Beck, and Mandy Moore lending their voices to major characters.  Even bigger names rank amongst the series guest stars including Olivia Wilde who reprises her role as “Quorra” from “Tron Legacy” and Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) who voices an original character.  Most notably however is the involvement of Bruce Boxleitner who voices “Tron” himself, reprising the role he played in the two live action “Tron” films.

“Tron Uprising’s” biggest asset however is its spectacular visuals and action scenes.  The animation is unlike anything seen before and is presented in what can only be described as “2.5D.”  From lighcycle racing to hand to hand disc combat, Uprising is full of nonstop action which all takes place in a fantastical fantasy realm of fictionalized digital space.

Unfortunately ratings for Tron Uprising have been dismal to say the least.  The series has averaged less than 400 thousand viewers for a majority of its episodes (of which only 9 have aired so far), with no signs of improvement showing.  

If you enjoy quality action animation television there is no reason to not be watching this show right now, get out the word and tune into “Tron Uprising” on Disney XD. New episodes air Fridays at 7:30PM EST.