5. The Wizard Of Tron
Tron can be compared to the 1939 motion picture The Wizard of Oz in a number of ways. The Wizard of Oz follows its protagonist Dorothy and her dog Toto into a magical other world, a setting full of unexplainable objects and characters. Where Kevin Flynn is taken into the mainframe involuntarily by the magical laser beam/proverbial rabbit hole, Dorothy is taken to Oz also involuntarily by a hurricane. Flynn befriends the programs Tron and Yori, humanised likenesses of his real world friends Alan and Lora. Equally, Dorothy befriends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion; each respectively representing the real world farm hands Hunk, Hickory and Zeke. The Wicked Witch of the West also has parallels within Tron. Where the Wicked Witch sees all with her crystal ball, so the Master Control Program can track the whereabouts of Flynn within the mainframe; where the Wicked Witch sends her flying monkeys to interfere with Dorothy, so the Master Control Program sends the humming Recognizer craft to track down Flynn. And where Dorothy has a high-speed motorcycle chase, Flynn wait no, forget that one. Lastly, the titular character of the Wizard of Oz, the Wizard, has many representations within Tron. One representation can be the towering and flaming head of the Wizard, sinister and imposing; reflected in Tron as the huge spinning face of the Master Control Program. Alternatively, the friendly reality of the Wizard, revealed as good-intentioned, frail, elderly Professor Marvel, can be seen in Tron through the character of Dumont the guardian, another frail elderly professor of sorts. Where Dumont the guardian provides the protagonists of Tron the means to freedom with a Solar Sailer. Marvel gives Dorothy the opportunity to get to the warmth and comfort of her hurricane-shattered home by means of a hot air balloon. Personally I think he was full of hot air. Ahem, moving on