When all is said and done Tron: Legacy is going to be the movie of the year for me, regardless of whether or not it lives up to its boundless potential or the exciting previews that have been trickling out of the Mouse House’s mighty marketing division.

The original 1982 Tron is one of my personal favorite films of all time; I love just about everything about it, from the performances to the snappy writing to the musical score by Wendy Carlos (with awesome contributions from Journey) to the spectacular visual effects which gave the film a look that has and always be ahead of its time.

There’s a timeless, ethereal beauty to the computerized world of Tron that could never be dated in my mind and only grows as a cinematic work of art with each passing year as most video game-based and influenced films seem to embrace a grittier look deprived of any sense of wonder or imagination. It’s an absolutely perfect film to me so the idea of a sequel emerging nearly three decades after the release of the original both excites me and fills me with dread.

Be sure to click over to get a little taste of Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy score!

As a longtime fan of the original 1982 Tron, I was extremely excited to welcome a return to the Tron universe with Disney’s Tron Legacy panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Moderator Patton Oswalt greeted attendees with a rousing “Welcome, Furries!” and reminded us that this is the third year Tron Legacy has been at Comic-Con, and joked that the plan is to show Tron Legacy in 5 minute increments at Comic-Con for the next 25 years. The footage started with a mini-documentary highlighting the cultural impact of Tron over the course of the last 27 years (including, incredulously, Tron on ice!).

Patton then introduced the panel: Director Joe Kosinski, producer Sean Bailey, original Tron creator Steven Lisberger, and stars Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and original Tron stars Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges. Kosinski talked about his personal nostalgia with the original film, and the daunting challenge of producing a sequel.