Is Disney Scared To Release 'TRON' On Blu-Ray?

TRON: Legacy is now just under two months away. With October 28 being "TRON Night" across the country, as multiple IMAX screens screen 20 minutes of the new film, it seems like a good time to ask, "Where's the inevitable Blu-ray release of the original TRON?" There was once talk of not only a Blu-ray release but maybe even a small theatrical re-release timed with TRON: Legacy's December 17 opening. Time is now running short, though, and it seems like even with all the money being spent on creating and marketing this new version of TRON, the original is kind of getting the shaft. And guess what? It might be our fault. Blue Sky Disney posted a thought provoking editorial on this very subject. In their piece, they report that earlier this year the original 1982 film directed by Steven Lisberger played at a Disney theme park. Apparently, at this screening the audience was laughing hysterically at the dated special effects and costumes, some of which are currently more associated with well-known spoofs (like South Park or Tron guy) rather than their original incarnations. This, reportedly, scared the crap out of many of the executives in attendance and they decided to push back the Blu-ray release of the original film until TRON: Legacy had finished its run at the box office and, itself, was ready for the home market.

As crazy as this may sound, it makes a lot of sense. Even though TRON was incredibly groundbreaking almost 30 years ago, today, the effects look horribly dated and watching them in high definition on Blu-ray probably just makes them look even worse. Imagine a 40 year old man, who loves the original movie, popping in a crisp new Blu-ray for his 10 year old son, so used to Avatar, Toy Story and The Phantom Menace. There's a chance that, within seconds, the kid could totally dismiss the franchise and then just blab to all of his friends about dumb it looks. And with all the events, toys, comics, theme parks, reshoots, banners, posters, trailers and more than Disney has footed the bill for in regards to TRON: Legacy, any little chink in the armor could result in a very expensive house of cards coming tumbling down.

Do you think this story is plausible or do you feel like the filmmakers just wanted to concentrate on the new film before going back and revisiting the old one? Either way, it doesn't look like you'll be able to watch TRON on Blu-ray before heading out to see TRON: Legacy.