Joachim Rønning Discusses the Technological Breakthroughs and Pulsating Soundtrack of ‘TRON: Ares’
After 13 years of waiting, fans will finally have the opportunity to return to the Grid when TRON: Ares speeds into theaters tomorrow.
Unlike the first two films in the franchise, Ares will not see humanity entering the digital realm. This time around, artificial intelligence is making its way into the real world.
Photo: Disney
“Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world,” the film’s synopsis reads.
A Heart of Humanity
While TRON: Ares tells a story that focuses on cutting-edge technology, the digital world, and artificial intelligence, humanity is at the heart of the film.
Photo: Disney
“For me, it’s the human factor and it’s about Ares and his journey and discovering what it means and what it takes to be human,” director Joachim Rønning explained. “That’s the heart of the film.”
As the TRON franchise has always lived at the intersection of storytelling and technological innovation, Ares continues to push boundaries while also propelling the franchise forward.
Photo: Disney
“You have to find that line,” Rønning said. “You have to keep the soul of [the franchise] intact and bring back some of the beloved things in the previous films. And then at the same time, you also need to elevate it. You have to bring it to the next chapter. And that’s what we did.”
Partnering With Disney
To bring TRON: Ares to life, Rønning and his team blended practical effects with cutting-edge digital artistry.
Photo: Disney
Thankfully, Disney was the perfect place for such an endeavor.
“You can actually go out and do this [when] you have some of the best crew, film crews, and people in the industry and the designers and the technical crews, that they can make it happen,” he says.
Walt Disney Company
Working with Disney also meant that Rønning had the opportunity to collaborate with ILM.
“Working with ILM is a lifelong dream,” Rønning shared. “It was such a privilege to have that expertise in our film and to blend the practical effects with the CG [computer generated] effects… There’s still 2,000 VFX shots in the film. So, it’s very massive, but it’s all about the story.”
Photo: Disney
The Soundtrack
As with past TRON films, Ares relies on music to complete its story.
This time around, Rønning and his team turned to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails.
“I think that they are two of the best movie composers of our time,” Rønning said. “They did this under the Nine Inch Nails banner. It’s their band, so I was very respectful of that… I also wanted to have this be their voice. That was very important for me.”
Made To Be Seen in Theaters
When discussing the upcoming film, Rønning confirmed that Ares was created to be seen on the big screen.
Photo: Disney
“Cinema is my art form. And I think why I keep coming back to these big movies is that they… have a real chance of seeing the insides of a theater. Because that’s where I want my films to be seen,” Rønning said.
“When it comes to TRON, it’s such a cinematic universe and it lends itself to the big screen, and the bigger the better. And the sound and the music and all of that comes together. Also, just the sheer technical quality of it is something that belongs on the big screen. It’s very, very immersive.”
Photo: Disney
TRON: Ares will hit theaters on October 10.
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