Tron (1982)
 Arguably the most experimental movie ever given the green-light
by a major studio, Tron was a true milestone in movie
special effects, paving the way for every film with a
computer-animated or CGI component.
Its ambition is inestimable and its visual style incomparable -
there is literally nothing else like it on the planet.
Unfortunately, its groundbreaking, envelope-pushing special
effects served a fairly standard anti-authoritarian narrative.
Kevin Flynn is a video-game programmer who becomes a prisoner
in a computerised world where survival rests on his mastery of
deadly electronic games.
Flynn's designs had been stolen by the
underhanded schemer Ed Dillinger.
Dillinger used the stolen designs to make a fortune for
computer corporation Encom, ascending to the position of Senior
Executive.
Flynn now works as an arcade owner, spending his off
hours trying to hack into Encom's files to prove Dillinger's
guilt.
In every attempt, Flynn is thwarted by the Master Control
Program, or MCP (voiced by Warner), a sentient program with
designs on world domination. Flynn teams up with Encom employees
Alan and Lora to break into Encom and tap into the MCP.
In doing so, Flynn is zapped by a special ray, separated into
individual molecules, and sucked into the world of the computer.
Inside the computer, the MCP rules, with Sark ('Warner again)
as its chief lieutenant. Flynn is sent into gladiatorial combat,
facing off against computerised opponents in a video-game-like
setting. Among the gladiators is a program called Tron, created by
Alan to defeat the MCP.
The two join up with a program called RAM and Tron's
"girlfriend" Yori, break out during a light cycle
competition, and mount a quest to communicate with Tron's
"User", Alan-1, at the I/O port.
 With the information gained from Alan-1, Tron and company set
out to defeat Sark and the dreaded MCP itself, restoring balance
to both the digital and fleshy worlds.
This was the first cyberspace movie, and even beat William
Gibson to the punch as far as exploring the concept of physically
entering a computer generated environment.
Tron proved that
Disney could do more than make cartoons about fairy tales and
stupid mice.
It also briefly revived Disneyland's antique Tomorrowland ride,
The People Mover, by adding a journey into Tron's Game Grid, where
a room-sized curved screen projected scenes from the movie all
around you.
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