TRON: Lightcycle Power Run
Adapting the cult sci-fi franchise from the screen, to the immersive environment TRON Lightcycle Power Run was designed to be the marquee opening attraction of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016 — one of the fastest, largest coasters in Disney's global portfolio to date. The storyline feeds through the entire queue experience, building anticipation until guests arrive at the climax of the pre-boarding journey: the lightcycle loading room.
01_The Challenge
We're building a real, fictional worldPerhaps the most fundamental building block that defines the TRON universe is its use of light as a design element. Everything in it glows, pulsates and hums with vibrant energy. From the moment guests enter the line queue, they leave a world constructed from concrete and viscous paints, to one that is suspended within a web of emitted light.
02_The Strategy
There is something deeply tactile about TRON’s use of light. As if the boundary between a light beam and a shard of glass gets skewed, and it becomes difficult to perceive whether a TRON lightcycle weighs 2 tons, or 2 ounces. That mystery is what makes this immersive world so intriguing. By adding layer upon layer of textural complexity to our expressions of light, we began to re-define the physics of illumination, and carry guests one step further from their reality.
03_The Work
A motion-first brand system built for projectionStarting from an existing vector shape and preliminary motion studies, I worked within the constraints of emitted light to develop the final design and animation of the TRON logo — the anchor moment of the loading room experience. From there, I created additional distinct brand and animation moments to support the narrative.
Logo design & animationHeads up display design and animationExploded view callout animation