ROCK ‘N ROLL! Move over, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Sorry, Cosmic Rewind. We’re jamming out to NIN (Nine Inch Nails) on another roller coaster in Disney World. Any guesses? Hint: we’re entering the Grid.

It’s time to lock in, people. We’re going to TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom for a NEW ride experience in honor of the Tron: Ares movie coming soon to theaters. That’s right — TRON is going RED, and our reality is about to look a little different.

We visited Magic Kingdom bright and early on September 15th to be among the first to see the new Tron: Ares ride overlay. Unsurprisingly, the line was long when Magic Kingdom opened. TRON Lightcycle / Run was posting a 70-minute wait time when Magic Kingdom opened for all guests at 9 AM.

So, what’s new with this version of the ride? Well, Disney is giving TRON a whole new hue — everything is RED (instead of the classic blue), and Disney teased “the pulsating industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails,” as you zoom through the course. Wanna hear a little taste of the NIN soundtrack? This ought to pump you up for a ride on the Lightcycle, right?

Of course, we had to take the new overlay for a spin! The music isn’t blasting, and it ends up being more ambient. You can clearly hear the voice over the music that is urging you to “Keep going!” or that you just have “three more gates” to beat the orange team. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting a Nine Inch Nails concert while riding this overlay. The music leans more ambient, industrial, and techno tinged. 

Instead of the blue and orange color scheme of the ride, we’re blasting through tunnels of red and orange light trails. We could see the red on the wheels of the bikes and we could see a bit of the red in the canopy of the ride. However, the colors will look even better at night! The launch room is the first time you experience the red while you are in the preshow that overlooks it. Otherwise, the rest of the queue is still blue, so you won’t notice any changes until the preshow.

It is still pretty cool to see in the day as well but just imagine how striking it is going to look when it is dark out! Of course, we will be back later tonight to take a peek at the overlay again.

Even the ride photo is getting a makeover! Make sure to strike a pose — the ride photo comes with a VIDEO that has some sweet slow-motion action going on as you zoom through the ride.

Fun fact! There’s a TRON Lightcycle / Run in Shanghai Disneyland, too, and the Shanghai version of the ride is getting the same makeover starting September 16th. Disney confirmed that this ride change is only available for a limited time, but we don’t know how long the overlay will stick around.

Of course, this ride will REALLY come to life at night, and you know we had to come back and check it out.

It doesn’t stay on red but transitions between blue and red, creating a beautiful combination of both styles.

Once you’re inside the dome, it’s even more magical!

We loved it during the day, but we REALLY loved it at night. If you don’t mind waiting till it’s dark, this is really where the magic shone through, and we felt like it was an entirely different ride.

We love it when Disney tweaks its rides for special occasions — it’s fun to see our old favorite rides change and evolve with the seasons. Over in EPCOT, for example, you can catch a special Food and Wine Festival overlay at the Living with the Land attraction.

Don’t want to go through all of the stress of booking your Disney World trip alone? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts, and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation.

In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

A MAJOR Ride Change Happens in EPCOT Next Week

What’s your favorite ride in Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!