by Savas Abadsidis
FLYNN LIVES!
In an awesome display of PR prowess, Disney pulled out all the stops last night at WonderCon in San Francisco last night to promote "Tron Legacy."
First, in a truly dazzling mock press conference, Encom officials -- played by actors Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan -- appeared as Alan Bradey and Lora Baines to give a speech to the throngs gathered in the convention hall. In character, Boxleitner talked about the tragic and sad story of the disappearance of Encom founder Kevin Flynn and about the future of the company without him, all whilst promoting a new version of "Space Paranoids" a re-envisioning of the hit game from the original "Tron."
After a delay and some "technical problems" protesters stormed the stage holding "Flynn Lives" signs, denouncing Encom and insisting that the video game pioneer Flynn was still alive. Just then a helicopter swooped in over everyone, surprising and shocking the crowd. The chopper was adorned with a glowing Encom logo in the style of the original "Tron."
As it passed the second time, the chopper ascended and a parachute jumper emerged, surprising the fans below. The jumper glided over the crowd and landed safely in the square, despite blustery weather conditions.
What was truly impressive is that this was pulled off so convincingly that even die-hard fans got into the spirit of the publicity stunt. All while windy, rainy weather made the unfolding spectacle feel fraught with danger.
Disney has been doing a masterful job of plugging "Legacy" beginning last summer at Comic-Con in San Diego, where they had an arcade version of the original "Tron" video game that was a hit.
"Tron Legacy." hits theatres in December.
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