Want the lowdown on the cool and crazy characters of TRON: Uprising ? Want to uncover some sizzling insider secrets on how the animation is made? We head behind the camera to catch up with the cast and crew to uncover the truth behind the magic…
TRON: UPRISING PREMIERES ON DISNEY XD ON 10 SEPTEMBER
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Disney XD’s ace new animated series follows the heroic journey of a character called Beck (voiced by Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood). Beck is a young mechanic who becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution inside the computer world of The Grid!
GRID LOCKED…
Beck launches a revolution against an evil ruler called Clu – but the young mechanic’s rebellion captures the attention of Tron, the greatest warrior The Grid has ever known! Tron sees the potential in Beck and trains the young hero to be his successor.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION…
“It’s taken more than two years to create the animated action of TRON: Uprising and we’re really thrilled with the results,” admits executive producer and director Charlie Bean. “The stories are exciting, the action is intense and we hope that audiences around the world will be blown away by the animation.”
HURRAY FOR HEROES…
“It’s thrilling to be part of the TRON universe,” chuckles Elijah. “I love my character, Beck, because he’s someone who you would never think of becoming a hero – but that’s exactly what he is. Beck is really cool!”
ACT AWAY…
Alongside Elijah Wood, a talented bunch of actors lend their voices to the animation including Tangled star Mandy Moore and acclaimed actor Bruce Boxleitner. “It was really fun to work with Mandy Moore,” admits Elijah. “We worked together when we were much younger, so it was cool to be on the same project again. It was also amazing to work on a project with Bruce Boxleitner because he was Tron in the original TRON movies!”
VOICE UP…
“This is my first animated project and it took me a while to get used to acting with just my voice,” admits voice actor Nate Corddry. “You only have one tool you can use and that’s it. It’s like working a muscle that never gets worked! I was really impressed when I saw the finished show for the first time, though. I’ve never been involved in anything as spectacular as this, so it’s really, really exciting for me.”
SOLO STAR…
“I’ve done a lot of voice acting work before, so I didn’t find it nerve-wracking to walk into the sound booth,” reveals voice actress Emmanuelle Chriqui. “You just have to focus on what the director tells you. The toughest part is when you have a scene where your character is fighting. You have to grunt and gasp like you’re physically fighting someone – but you’re just standing in a sound booth alone!”
THE CLOCK’S TICKING…
“The amount of time, effort and creativity that’s gone into the creation of this animated world is mind-blowing,” enthuses Nate Corddry. “It usually takes eight days to shoot an episode of a live-action television series; it takes about three months to shoot a big film – but they’ve been working on TRON: Uprising for more than two years! You can clearly see all the hard work they’ve put in. It’s amazing.”
MOVIE MANIA…
“I was really excited when I heard Disney XD were hoping to create an animated series in the TRON universe,” adds Elijah Wood. “The original TRON movie was made many years ago, but the sequel – TRON: Legacy – was released in 2010. The story of TRON: Uprising takes place between the two movies, which is a really cool idea.”
FEELIN’ SPECIAL…
“The same people who worked on TRON: Legacy also worked on our animation, so it’s great to be part of something so special,” continues Elijah. “There are TRON fans all over the world, which is amazing.”
IT’S A SECRET…
“What insider secrets can I share with you?” ponders Charlie Bean. “You’ve all seen the awesome light cycles of TRON . Well, there are some amazing new vehicles in the show. I don’t want to give away too much – but some of the action takes place on the coast, which is where you’ll be able to see some very cool light boats!”
A ROLE TO REMEMBER…
“When I signed up for the role, I saw images of what Beck would look like and I saw some rough animation, but I had no idea it would turn the way it has,” admits Elijah. “This show is amazing! The animation is awesome and the writing is really good. It’s been so much fun to watch this cool character come to life in front of my eyes.”
PEEPER PATROL…
Want to know more about upcoming plots and stories from the show? Well, keep your eyes peeled to Disney XD because there are tons of surprises in store for TRON fans. “There will be some very interesting cameos in the series,” reveals Charlie Bean. “I can’t say anything about them yet, but they will be very fun to see. Watch this space… You won’t be disappointed!”
SUB-HEAD: MEET THE GANG!
Meet the quirky characters from the show, and the actors behind the voices…
BECK
“Beck is a mechanic who works in a place called Argon City,” reveals Elijah Wood. “He’s a hero, but he doesn’t know it yet. He rebels against the evil rulers of The Grid and that’s when he gets to meet Tron. The action all starts from there!”
TRON
“Tron is a hero of the video game world,” explains Bruce Boxleitner. “He is a very wise guy who wants to see the evil leaders of The Grid overturned. That’s why he decides to train Beck and teach him some new tricks.”
ZED
“Zed is a mechanic who works alongside Beck,” says Nate Corddry. “Zed provides a lot of the comic relief in the show, so he’s a lot of fun to play. He has a huge crush on Mandy Moore’s character, Mara!”
MARA
“Mara works alongside Beck and Zed in the mechanic’s shop, so she’s just like one of the guys,” chuckles Mandy Moore. “Beck, Zed and Mara are a trio of best friends because there aren’t any families on The Grid. Mara is strong, confident and she’s very loyal.”
PAIGE
“Paige is a very interesting female character,” admits Emmanuelle Chriqui. “She’s very driven, very smart and she’s very strong, both mentally and physically. She’s a villain in the show because she works for the bad guys – but I think she’s just misguided. She’s a really fun character to play!”
ABLE
“Able owns the mechanic shop where Beck, Zed and Mara work,” reveals Reginald VelJohnson. “He is like a father figure to the youngsters because they all live together above his shop. He’s like a mentor and a teacher to them.”
TRON: UPRISING PREMIERES ON DISNEY XD ON 10 SEPTEMBER
