WATCH: ‘TRON: Uprising, Beck’s Beginning’ Online

Although it’s meant to make its online debut tomorrow, on the official Disney XD Facebook page, the 30+ minute prelude to the new ‘TRON: Uprising’ series, ‘Beck’s Beginning’ is now online for viewing on its YouTube channel. Having already seen the prelude twice, once as a screener a couple of days ago and once again today on Disney Channel on Demand, I don’t mind highly recommending viewing of the prelude by every one, even if they’ve never seen either film. It’s absolutely visually stunning and a great use of the medium for the series’ lore. I cannot wait for the series premiere on June 7.

Beck is a young mechanic living in Argon City, a growing metropolis in a far off corner of the grid that has just been occupied by General Tesler, a henchman of the notorious Clu. After his best friend Bodhi is ruthlessly derezzed by Clu’s army, Beck seeks justice for his lost friend and launches a crusade against the regime. His rebellion captures the attention of Tron, the greatest warrior The Grid has ever known, who sees the potential in Beck and trains him to be his successor. Labeled with the moniker of The Renegade, Beck sparks a revolution to fight for the freedom of The Grid.

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Note that the prelude is actually a string of all ten ‘microsodes’ that were meant to air individually, this is why it seems to go to a ‘commercial break’ every few minutes or so.

For those that don’t wish to watch it online, it is also available on iTunes (TRON: Uprising, Vol. 1 – TRON: Uprising) as a free download on Monday, May 14th and will premiere on television on Disney Channel on May 18 (with a re-air on Disney XD on May 21).

Recap: ‘TRON: Uprising’ Facebook Chat with Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz

Earlier this afternoon, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the screenwriters of TRON: Legacy sat down for a live Facebook interview moderated by IGN’s Eric Goldman, to talk about the upcoming animated series ‘TRON: Uprising,’ for which they serve as consulting producers. Throughout the half-hour talk, which featured a look at one of the ‘microsodes’ that compose the ‘Beck’s Beginning’ prelude, the team fielded questions from fans on Facebook. What follows is a bit of a recap from the event.

In terms of timeline, the series takes place between Clu’s overthrowing of Kevin Flynn and the appearance of Sam Flynn onto the Grid. It is essentially the story of how programs are coping with the transition between the freedom they had enjoyed under Kevin Flynn’s guidance and the oppression brought on by Clu. Although the Isomorphic Algorithms’ (ISOs) race has been effectively destroyed by the time the series starts, their story will be visited throughout the season.

The inspiration for the series came from the pair’s work on TRON: Legacy in which they felt the two hour or so limit of film wasn’t enough and they were curious about exploring other sectors on the Grid and to bring new worlds to life. When asked how the animation process varied from live-action in representing the TRON Universe, Kitsis explained that animation left them free to do things that they wouldn’t be able to do in the real world because they wouldn’t be financially or technologically possible.

The series focuses on the protagonist Beck (voiced by Elijah Wood), who is described as a mechanic program living in a coastal city on the Grid. Beck soon realizes that he’s outgrowing his programming and that there’s something special about him and is taken under the wing of Tron (voiced by Bruce Boxleitner) to train to fight Clu’s regime. Although Clu will be in the prelude and occasionally show up throughout the series, he will be taking a backseat to the series’ other villains such as General Tesler (voiced by Lance Henriksen) and his henchman Pavel (voiced by Paul Reuvens). In addition to the general cast, there will also be guest appearances such as by ‘Breaking Bad”s Aaron Paul.

The series will also have its share of new games, new vehicles and new worlds to show off, all carefully plotted along the TRON Universe timeline to fit in seamlessly. Vehicles mentioned include the Light Train — described as a subway train that can travel upside-down, the Light Snowmobile and others based on vehicles such as helicopters and ships.

‘TRON: Uprising, Beck’s Beginning’ will premiere on Disney Channel on May 18, followed by a rebroadcast on Disney XD on May 21. It will be available to Disney Channel On Demand subscribers beginning May 11. For more information, see our in-depth articles and sneak peeks here.