"Tron: Uprising" is a TV Show meant to fill in the gap between the original "Tron", and the sequel "Tron Legacy." It focuses on the rise of Clu's tyrannic regime across the Grid, a virtual world filled with sentient programs. During the beginning of Clu's oppression, a revolution begins to grow, starting with the rogue program, Beck, a simple mechanic who decides to take on the identity of Tron.
From the very first episode, "Tron: Uprising" feels like an energetic mix between the Batman cartoons and "The Legend of Korra," with one of the most creative styles of animation I have seen, and a technologic score and soundtrack that just hums with the sounds of a virtual city. Character designs are mostly angular and artistic, and backgrounds are mostly geometric. The color palette is limited to mostly blues and oranges. The style is simply amazing, and I cannot believe that Disney only approved of a single season.
This show is also not entirely for children. There are adult concepts of forced memory loss, untrustworthy governments, blind devotion, mass genocide of a race, torture, and public execution. And though there is no blood in the show, they manage to get away with a lot of gore by making the "blood" into pixels. Many characters will brutally be crushed into tiny cubes on screen.
"Tron: Uprising" also has great conflict in it, as you are watching other characters reactions to Beck's secret identity of Tron. Some people are glad he is taking action against Clu's Commanders, Paige and Pavel, and the Supreme General Tesler, while others are afraid his actions will result in more oppression to the people of the Grid. For a TV Show that could so easily be a Good Vs. Evil tale, but it gives every character many layers. Good guys will lie and not apologize for certain actions, and bad guys will believe that they are truly doing the right thing for the citizens. Sometimes, main villains even have bad "dreams" of their own defeat. Almost every primary character has an arc that either ends, or would have ended if only another season was approved.
In my opinion, if this series had gone past one season, I believe this could have been the next "Avatar: The Last Airbender." It holds a special place in my heart. Even though this show ended abruptly, the cliff-hanger ending almost feels as if you can interpret what may tragically happen in the future to nearly all of these characters. It is on Disney Plus right now, and I implore you to watch it with an open mind. I would recommend you watch both of the Tron films before this, but in my opinion, it is better than both. This is in my personal top 5 tv shows of all time (though I am a bit biased).
