Found another copy of the TR2N teaser trailer. It’s back up on the original post until the lawyers request that copy be removed too. It’s really not fair for Disney to show the trailer to an open event and not expect others to want to see it.

Update: The Vimeo video is down, but it’s back up on youtube, which will no doubt go down shortly after I post this (*waves to Disney lawyers!*). Yes, it’s not the best quality video, but it was publicly released, so Disney should expect it to be shared online. If they don’t like the quality, the way to fix that is easy. Release a better version. I promise to embed it.

As far as I know the TR2N (aka Tron 2.0) teaser trailer hasn’t officially been released by Disney other than that screening at SDCC. So here is a slightly blurry, zoomed in and adjusted, video of the trailer taken from someone in the audience. It’s the best I’ve seen so far. See it now before Disney legal sics their dogs.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see this right now. I hope it gets the IMAX treatement as well as Digital 3-D. Can you imagine?

Previously: Tron 2.0 Trailer debuts at SDCC – TR2N.

[ hat tip: Tron 2.0 Trailer blog ]

Update: Found a videocam’d version of the tr2n trailer. Don’t know how long it will last. It’s fuzzy quality, but totally worth checking out.

Oh my. I’m 3000 miles away from San Diego and I can still feel the excitement from the surprise release of a new preview for Disney’s sequel to TRON. Yep, we had heard that the film was greenlit, but had no idea that production was under way, let alone casting finished and filming commenced.

Yet, as evidenced by the scene played for attendees of the “Race to Witch Mountain” panel Disney hosted at San Diego Comic-Con, Tron 2.0, or TR2N as the teaser title called it, is well under way. However, attendees were told that it would be about a year before more footage was revealed.

Adam Quigley from /film describes the teaser:

The teaser starts off with the camera panning through a strange stylized landscape. At this point, nobody knew what we were watching, so only silence filled the hall. And then, two blue/yellow suit-wearing motorcyclists burst into frame, engaged in a frenzy of a race. Audiences erupted in applause.

The race continues to grow heated between the two players until the yellow guy finds a way to swerve in front of the blue, leaving his yellow race trail behind him. The blue guy smashes into it and causes sort of an electric ripple, launching him over the edge of the track. He grabs on a ledge, just barely holding on.

Apparently Jeff Bridges makes an appearance as well. I like that Quigley feels the graphics and feel of the movie make it obvious this isn’t just another cash-grab sequel from the Mouse House, but a serious attempt at a revisiting the universe of TRON.

The 1982 original was a seminal moment in film making. Now that we’ve had 26 years to reflect on it, Tron is to CGI animation as Snow White has been to traditional feature length animation. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it definitely helped inspire the techies and animators who launched Pixar. So we owe the original Tron creators for that at least.

Also see: Ain’t It Cool News (warning:some bad language) and Geeks of Doom’s coverage.

Update: FirstShowing has some great coverage. I’m still looking for actual video of the teaser… anyone have it?

This is some amazing piece of film work by the brothers Hueon. It remakes the classic light-cycle duel from Disney’s 1982 classic film TRON, but with a twist. That twist is stop motion animation using paper and cardboard to recreate the duel. It’s also a fine demonstration of paper craft and film-making technique.

It’s not TRON 2.0, but maybe it will inspire the powers that be to greenlight that project.

• Kevin Yee has a new column up with a long list covering most of the rumors, changes, and announced projects expected at Walt Disney World. Let nobody say Disney is resting on their laurels right now.
• Via Upcoming Pixar we learn that Jared’s wife crafted up a Remy the Rat needled felt doll. Very cute!
• Disney will make presentations on WALL-E and Prince Caspian at the San Diego ComicCon on July 28th. They’ll be handing out an exclusive Prince Caspian poster, as if you needed any more incentive.
• Color me surprised. ABC has decided on a second run for National Bingo Night with Ed Sanders (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) as the host. Seems like the advertisers were happy with the value, especially when you count the number of bingo cards downloaded (more than 3 million). This time they’ll be trying a five-night run approach, more like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire did at it’s start. That just might work.
• Cypress Gardens has announced that all the computer systems are a ‘go’ and that the grand opening for the re-dedicated Classic Florida Roller Coaster, The Starliner, is set for this Thursday at 10:30AM. Additionally on Saturday, guests will have the opportunity to ride with 17-year old Disney Channel star Cody Linley.
• John Knoll, visual effects supervisor at ILM, chats with Computerworld about how movies like Tron influenced his career. Monday was the 25th anniversary of Tron’s release. Man I feel old.

Hong Kong Disneyland officially opens September 12th. But via the magic of the internet here’s a quick pointer to some great merchandise from the park. LaughingPlace.com has managed to secure availability of some souveniers and pins that are exclusive to the new theme park. I’m thinking of getting this Stitch Mug myself.

Update: I forgot to mention that this merchandise is only available for a limited time through The Laughing Place Store.

[ttags: disney, disneyana, shopping, laugingplace, hongkongdisneyland, hong+kong+disneyland, disneyland, hkdl ]

This has to be the worse rumor I’ve heard in a long time. Imagineer and creative force behind many current Disney Attractions, Bruce Gordon, has been let go from Walt Disney Imagineering. Even worse, this may signal the impending layoffs of most of WDI. So says Kevin Yee of MiceAge and so says at least a few other sources.

If this rumor is true, and most say it is, laying off Bruce Gordon, one of the very few left with direct ties to the original generation of Imagineers, is like saying you’re no longer conerned with maintaining any ties with Disney’s past. I dearly hope to hear this rumor isn’t true. Say it ain’t so Bob Iger. Tell us you have no intention of decimating another division that provides an important anchor to what it means to be the Walt Disney Company.

[ttags: disney, disneyland, bruce+gordon, brucegordon, wdi, imagineer, imaginerring, iger ]

Correction: I knew this was Ward Kimball… don’t know why I posted it as Tom Oreb… oy… my bad.

Via BoingBoing we find this delicious collection of stills from Tom Oreb’s work on Mars & Beyond. To that I add this interesting tidbit for those who are venturing to Walt Disney World in the near future, make sure to dine at the Sci-Fi Drive in, you’ll see the Mars & Beyond short as part of the ‘drive-in’ movies they play there.

(more Oreb sketches via CartoonBrew and still shots of Oreb’s Melody Time at Ward-o-Matic)