Today at Destination D23, Disney announced plans for a ride overlay at Tron attractions in Walt Disney World and Shanghai Disneyland. The new overlay will coincide with Tron: Ares coming to theaters. In this post, we’ll share the details of the ride overlay before adding our own commentary to the end of the post. Let’s get to the news!

The next time you step into the digital frontier with TRON Lightcycle / Run, you’ll launch into a Tron: Ares version of the high-speed, adrenaline-pumping ride that bends reality into the video game world.  

Yvette Nicole Brown announced today at the Walt Disney Studios showcase at Destination D23 that TRON Lightcycle/Run presented by Enterprise at Walt Disney World Resort and TRON Lightcycle Power Run presented by Chevrolet at Shanghai Disney Resort will be celebrating the release of the new Tron: Ares film with a brand-new overlay on their attractions. 

Replacing the blue and orange hues of the ride, riders will weave through twisting tunnels of vibrant red and orange light trails, feeling the rush of wind and the surge of acceleration as you compete in a dazzling Lightcycle race.   

The striking red hues in Tron: Ares within the digital realm contrast sharply with the classic blue tones of the Grid. Adding to the immersive visuals, the pulsating industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails will drive the ride’s energy, pushing your experience between the Grid and reality into a fully immersive, futuristic symphony of light, speed, and sound.

Experience the new Tron: Ares ride overlay for a limited time at Magic Kingdom starting September 15 and Shanghai Disneyland starting September 16.

Tron: Ares releases in theaters Oct. 10, 2025, the third film and next installment in Disney’s iconic Tron sci-fi franchise. Ares is a powerful and self-aware program sent from the digital realm into the real world for a mission that could change both forever. Tron: Ares is a mind-bending collision of technology, identity, and reality.   

Jeff Bridges returns to star in Tron: Ares alongside Jared Leto as Ares, with Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Cameron Monaghan. The film was directed by Joachim Rønning, known for helming Disney action-adventure hits like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. 

As announced at D23 last year, Industrial rock band, Nine Inch Nails is adding its signature ambient grit to the Tron universe.   

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails previously worked with Disney/Pixar to score dark and dreamy beats for afterlife scenes in the 2020 Disney/Pixar Animation, Soul. Those hypnotic rhythms contrasted John Batista’s lilting jazz compositions which layered Soul’s New York City scenes. It’s that dichotomy of worlds that brought Nine Inch Nails to Tron: Ares.  

As Tron: Ares explores crossing from the Grid to the real world, Nine Inch Nails is incorporating pulsating synths, distorted textures and haunting melodies that rewire the TRON universe from the inside out. The first track from the film has already been released, As Alive as You Need Me to Be, giving fans a pulse-pounding preview of what’s to come.

Commentary

This is going to be a relatively quiet Destination D23 it seems but I’m pleasantly surprised by this news. We were just talking with friends a few days ago about how Walt Disney World doesn’t receive many layovers these days. I’m happy to see that they get this one, even if it’s in the name of corporate synergy.

I like Tron Lightcycle Run quite a bit, specifically the aesthetic of it. The blue lit canopy with the bikes zipping through the night sky adds a great energy to Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. Seeing that canopy turn red for a few months will be exciting and interesting.

I guess I shouldn’t say a few months as we don’t know how long the overlay will last, just a ‘limited time’ so far. An educated guess has me thinking that this layover will come out of the film’s marketing budget. If that’s the case then the layover probably won’t last too long.

On the flip side, this seems to be an easy layover to put in place. Tron Lightcycle Run will receive new lighting and music it sounds like. There shouldn’t be a lot of physical set changes as there’s just not much in the way of physical sets on the ride.

I don’t expect the ride’s story to change much, more that the attraction will just have a different color palette. I’m eager to hear the Nine Inch Nails song added to the ride and if it will be a noticeable difference. Trent Reznor is one of my favorites when it comes to film scores so having that in a theme park attraction should add great energy to the ride.

Ultimately, a Tron Lightcycle Run overlay is a nice bonus for Walt Disney World and Shanghai. It’s not likely to blow anyone away but will be fun to look at and a nice change for locals who frequent the park. This also won’t be a dramatic enough change to make first time guests feel like they’re missing out on the original ride. In other words, a win for everyone!

Are you excited for a Tron Lightcycle Run overlay? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it