Will we be seeing Tron sets?

[Ignited_Impulse]

Been thinking with Lego and Disney teaming up for so many of their feature films (Prince of Persia, Toy Story 3, Pirates) is there hope of Tron sets in 2011? The thought of lego lightcycles and tron minifigs is too much not to hope for.

[the enigma that is badger]

As a TRON fan who decades ago wore out the clam shell VHS my family once had, I'd frankly LOVE to see a line based on TRON. That said, I'm not sure it would necessarily be as popular with the core audience of LEGO.

If it happens, I'll be certain to collect them, but I won't be holding my breath.

[Flare]

I love Tron, and with the release of the new Tron movie later this year it could be possible... but as we have not heard any reports of them yet I sort of doubt it.

[Cutty]

Well "Tron" is not that killer-franchise devoted fans make it out to be. Most members of TLC's target audience might not even KNOW "Tron" simply because they'd be most likely to young to have seen it. And, and this is speaking for german television only, the movie doesn't get the love and reruns as I would like it to have.

And one should not overestimate AFOLs' sense for nostalgia! Especially if a potential first wave of a "Tron"-line is centered around a new movie coming out, which works with updated visuals and characters. Who of the old fans would buy these? Kids who like the new film might get off on those, though!

If TLC released "Tron"-sets based on the old movie, yeah. That'd be even me walking into the store getting me some lightcycles and tanks and whatnot...

And on an entirely different subject: I really do doubt the aesthetics of either incarnation of "Tron" would transport well into the brick medium. Many people tried their hands on custom figures for the line. And in my very humble opinion, not even ONE of them got it right.

And then there's this whole "two worlds" conundrum. Would you release an equal amount of sets for "real world" and the "computer world"? Or focus on the latter, leaving out some chief-characters altogether?

I think well-accepted franchises like POTC transfer better into desirable sets than "Tron".

My two €-cents...

Edited August 22, 2010 by Cutty

[natelite]

tron's not popular enough, i would think. lego has more chance of introducing gitd parts with the POTC license than tron. i.e. ghostly pirates almost like what playmo did with its own pirates theme recently.

[Solscud007]

I dont know about these responses. I am merely comparing Price of Persia to Tron. I think Tron is more popular. Granted im thinking of the original.

Tron is big enough that Disney pulled all the stops to continue the story. As opposed to re-doing Tron. Like so many other movies like "Flight of the Phoenix" and other awful remakes of good movies.

Im unsure as to which side pitches the ideas for Lego sets. Is it Disney who asks lego, or the other way around?

Given the popularity of Lego Toy Story, and the fact that they made sets for POP (prince of persia) I wouldnt put it past Disney to make tron sets. However the fact that we havent heard anything is dissapointing.

How much time was there between POP the movie and the Lego sets being announced? I just joined the Lego online community so I dont know what happened last year or earlier this year when the movie came out or prior to that event in regards to any announcements of the lego sets.

oh yeah dont forget the 4th Disney licensed product line, Pixar Cars duplo sets. I am a little curious as to the reasoning behind the late release of Cars Duplo. Obviously Megablock got the license first. Strike while the iron is hot. Some legal issues came up, im assuming, and Disney now has Lego making Cars Duplo.

However how is it that Pixar Cars toys are sustainable? Do kids still like cars? The movie is 4 years old.

On a side note. I do have Tron Kubricks, the closest thing to Tron legos.

Edited August 22, 2010 by Solscud007

[Ignited_Impulse]

Yes the old Tron is unlikely to see any sets released. This new film, however, is being marketed to a wide demographic. With these types of blockbusters always getting merchandise out the wahzoo I found it completely reasonable that Lego and Disney would get on it. I'm also aware any sets in 2010 aren't going to happen but with the film not due til November we could see a Jan. release or maybe a June release to coincide with the DVD release? Here's hoping Tron does get a line as opposed to PoP which hasn't had a good game since 2005 (although the movie the sets were based on wasn't too bad).

[Oky]

When has there ever been a set release tied to a DVD release? Just face it, dude, it's not gonna happen, at least not anytime soon. If this sequel does well and Disney goes ahead with their plans of a third movie, then maybe, but not before that.

[Blondie-Wan]

I dont know about these responses. I am merely comparing Price of Persia to Tron. I think Tron is more popular. Granted im thinking of the original.

I'm sure Tron is indeed more popular than the Prince of Persia movie (or at least will be shown to be over time, but TLG didn't know how well the movie would be received when they acquired the license, a year or two before the movie came out. Obviously they hoped it would do better (though for all I know, the sets may have done reasonably well anyway, regardless of how well the movie has).

oh yeah dont forget the 4th Disney licensed product line, Pixar Cars duplo sets. I am a little curious as to the reasoning behind the late release of Cars Duplo. Obviously Megablock got the license first. Strike while the iron is hot. Some legal issues came up, im assuming, and Disney now has Lego making Cars Duplo.

Licenses expire, and aren't always renewed. Sometimes, one toy company may pick up a license for a given property, make toys based on it for a while, stop doing them when the license expires, and then another company picks up the rights and makes their own toys, which might be of a similar kind or type to the first company's (construction toys, for example, or action figures or whatever).

There have actually been several different movie / TV properties that both LEGO and Mega Bloks have made sets from, at different times:

Cars

Dora the Explorer

Pirates of the Caribbean (LEGO sets coming next year)

Spider-Man (movies only - LEGO for first two movies in series, MB for 3rd, as well as original comics)

Thomas the Tank Engine

There may be one or two I'm forgetting, but this is already a pretty substantial number of properties that got construction toy treatment first from one company and then the other.

However how is it that Pixar Cars toys are sustainable? Do kids still like cars? The movie is 4 years old.

Are you kidding? Kids love Cars - lots of them do, anyway (and so do more than one or two parents). Plenty of people are fond of just plain toy cars, anyway, and plenty love Pixar's movies and characters; the point where the two cross over would naturally tend to have the potential to have huge, broad appeal, and that's the way it's worked out. Kids who were just being born around the time the movie came out are now just old enough to start to appreciate the movie, while many older kids who liked it then still like it now, and it enjoys continued popularity on DVD. As far as the toys go, it turns out to have become Pixar's top creation when it comes to merchandising. The line of diecast Cars cars that started when the movie was released has continued right up to the present time, with no sign of going away anytime soon, and there's plenty of other Cars merchandise out there as well. All the Pixar movies have their own toys and other merchandise when those movies come out, but Cars is the one Pixar movie or series that has the most ongoing, long-lived appeal beyond big key marketing opportunities like new movie releases.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Blondie-Wan

[Dunjohn]

Cars' enduring popularity has surprised me, given that it's the least popular Pixar in terms of critical reception (unless Ratatouille surpassed it). 'Course, that only shows what critics know. I loved Cars. There's even a new sticker collection out for them, nothing to do with next summer's sequel, just more stickers because the popularity must be there. Heck, Nemo is still beloved and that's even older than Cars.

Arguments that Tron is more popular than Prince of Persia are suffering from a huge blind spot. Moviewise, sure, the original Tron is an enduring classic, even if most kids have never heard of it, and PoP obviously has no classic movie. But PoP has a massive presence in computer game land. And not just in the distant past, like Tron, which it also incidently happens to have, but also in the last decade or so since Sands of Time on the PS2. It's an A-list license. That sort of background far outweighs anything Tron can lay claim to, particularly within LEGO's core market. Don't underestimate the number of adults that play those games too, not to mention the retroheads who remember the Apple II original. That demographic alone easily rivals Tron's adult fandom.

Tron would be a cool license but without having seen some sign by now, it's not happening, at least for this iteration.

[Blondie-Wan]

Cars' enduring popularity has surprised me, given that it's the least popular Pixar in terms of critical reception (unless Ratatouille surpassed it). 'Course, that only shows what critics know. I loved Cars. There's even a new sticker collection out for them, nothing to do with next summer's sequel, just more stickers because the popularity must be there. Heck, Nemo is still beloved and that's even older than Cars.

I'm not sure I get what you were saying about Ratatouille; "surpassed" to me implies "was better received than," but the way you used it here it seems to mean "wasn't as well received as." It actually did indeed garner better reviews than Cars, as did all other Pixar movies, though Cars still got mostly quite good reviews - it fared "poorly" with critics only when compared to the rest of Pixar's output, which is a pretty darn tough standard.

I do get why critics weren't as impressed with Cars as with other Pixar movies, though I personally agree with the majority of them that still found it a delightful movie; I actually personally enjoy it more than Finding Nemo (not that I dislike Nemo; I just like Cars more). Ratatouille is one of my absolute favorites, though, and the one I saw most in theaters (nine times), in addition to lots of video viewings.

Arguments that Tron is more popular than Prince of Persia are suffering from a huge blind spot. Moviewise, sure, the original Tron is an enduring classic, even if most kids have never heard of it, and PoP obviously has no classic movie. But PoP has a massive presence in computer game land. And not just in the distant past, like Tron, which it also incidently happens to have, but also in the last decade or so since Sands of Time on the PS2. It's an A-list license. That sort of background far outweighs anything Tron can lay claim to, particularly within LEGO's core market. Don't underestimate the number of adults that play those games too, not to mention the retroheads who remember the Apple II original. That demographic alone easily rivals Tron's adult fandom.

Tron would be a cool license but without having seen some sign by now, it's not happening, at least for this iteration.

Agreed. Sets would be out in stores by October or November if they were doing Tron, and we'd have already known about them months ago if they were going to be out that soon.

Ah, well. Perhaps it's just as well. I wouldn't ever want TLG to become too dependent upon licenses, and they've already got several going, though I do agree Tron would've been a cool one.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Blondie-Wan

[Ignited_Impulse]

When has there ever been a set release tied to a DVD release? Just face it, dude, it's not gonna happen, at least not anytime soon. If this sequel does well and Disney goes ahead with their plans of a third movie, then maybe, but not before that.

"Sir, incoming hope"

"Intensify forward batteries!"

*hope shot down*

[Omicron]

Are you kidding? Kids love Cars - lots of them do, anyway (and so do more than one or two parents). Plenty of people are fond of just plain toy cars, anyway, and plenty love Pixar's movies and characters; the point where the two cross over would naturally tend to have the potential to have huge, broad appeal, and that's the way it's worked out. Kids who were just being born around the time the movie came out are now just old enough to start to appreciate the movie, while many older kids who liked it then still like it now, and it enjoys continued popularity on DVD. As far as the toys go, it turns out to have become Pixar's top creation when it comes to merchandising. The line of diecast Cars cars that started when the movie was released has continued right up to the present time, with no sign of going away anytime soon, and there's plenty of other Cars merchandise out there as well. All the Pixar movies have their own toys and other merchandise when those movies come out, but Cars is the one Pixar movie or series that has the most ongoing, long-lived appeal beyond big key marketing opportunities like new movie releases.

And also Cars 2 will be coming out next year.

-Omi

[Oky]

"Sir, incoming hope"

"Intensify forward batteries!"

*hope shot down*

Sorry. But someone had to say it.

[pbk420]

Would be hard to makes sets but a Lego Tron game would rock

[Ignited_Impulse]

Sorry. But someone had to say it.

You're not invited to my threads any more

In reality I know we are unlikely to see sets come forth any time soon (if ever) but found the idea intriguing enough to discuss.

[Dunjohn]

If Tron manages to penetrate the Transformers/Clone Wars/Harry Potter crowd and produces a sequel, there's always hope for sets then. Right now, it feels a bit nerdy. But then, so did Transformers and Star Wars before their second comings.

[Omicron]

If Tron manages to penetrate the Transformers/Clone Wars/Harry Potter crowd and produces a sequel, there's always hope for sets then. Right now, it feels a bit nerdy. But then, so did Transformers and Star Wars before their second comings.

Not sure where you been but said sequel is coming out this year in December.

-Omi

[Dunjohn]

Not sure where you been but said sequel is coming out this year in December.

-Omi

What? Of course I mean a sequel to the December movie. Did you really think I'd be in this thread without knowing the movie existed? Or that I thought the first movie would appeal to kids by itself? Please read my post again. We're all grateful for your frequent corrections in this thread but we'd probably prefer a little contribution too.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Dunjohn

[Omicron]

we'd probably prefer a little contribution too.

Nothing really to contribute considering we don't know that ahead. But I'll contribute to what everyone else is saying:

ZOMG I would love to see Tron sets.

-Omi

[the enigma that is badger]

Given TRON sets aren't that likely from LEGO and Will Chapman's also a huge fan of that film, here's something cool that TRON fans might dig in the absence of actual LEGO product:

[M'Kyuun]

"Sir, incoming hope"

"Intensify forward batteries!"

*hope shot down*

LOL, sad but true.

TRON did see a small resurgence with the PC game Tron 2.0 a few years back. I think hopes were high back then that the game would spark off a movie. I never played it, but I don't believe it was as successful as expected.

I agree that the options for sets are pretty much limited to computer-world vehicles, for the most part, but a well done light-cycle would be pretty cool, not to mention some well done minifigs with glowing circuitry. I'd definitely pick up a few sets. Hopefully the sequel will be excellent, spawning yet another, and TLG will take the plunge. At that point, they'll have material from 3 movies to inspire sets.

I'd also like to point out that not every license gets a large compliment of sets, i.e. Avatar: The Last Airbender, which could have spawned a lot more sets, but topped out at 3.

Slightly OT, but it's a shame that Disney doesn't make a lot of sci-fi like they did in the 70's and early 80's. Tron, The Black Hole, C.H.O.M.P.S., Flight of the Navigator, etc. Granted, like a lot of stuff back then, they were cheesy movies, but they also had some cool ideas. The source and condition of Dr. Reinhardt's crew (Black Hole) is particularly dark for a Disney movie, and very cool.