The Disney character inspired by Ziggy Stardust
There is no mistaking that David Bowie certainly left his mark on the world of culture and entertainment. Throughout his career, he constantly reinvented himself, taking on new challenges and proving himself as one of the best songwriters of all time. His legacy is inescapable, and over the years, countless musicians, artists and writers have taken inspiration from his body of work. One place you may not expect to find him, however, is Disney.
Well, you would be dead wrong. Although the cartoon mouse-driven corporation now seems to be ever-present in day-to-day life, constantly swallowing up smaller companies and film franchises like the monster from The Blob, Disney still owes something to Bowie. The Brixton-born musician had a huge influence on one of their ever-growing cast of characters.
In the early 1980s, Disney released a sci-fi film called Tron. A departure from the kind of content you would usually expect from Disney, the film features a video game developer who gets trapped inside some software and must find a way out – there is not a princess or singing woodland animal to be found. Although the film was moderately successful upon release, it did not particularly fit in with the rest of Disney’s filmography and was subsequently forgotten about, aside from its cult status among some fans.
That was until Disney, ever the savvy businesspeople, noticed a trend of 1980s nostalgia cropping up in the noughties and chose to capitalise upon it by offering up a belated sequel to their cult sci-fi film. Released in 2010, Tron: Legacy was a huge success. A hit with fans as a result of the impressive visuals and a fantastic soundtrack provided by none other than Daft Punk, the film eclipsed its predecessor in many ways.
So, how does Bowie fit into the Tron story? Actor Michael Sheen, who delivered a notable performance in Tron: Legacy, took inspiration from the star when bringing his character to life. Despite the film being indebted to 1980s aesthetics, Sheen was more drawn to Bowie’s early 1970s period, in which he operated as the character Ziggy Stardust.
Speaking about his character in the film, Sheen explained: “I like the idea of thinking about, ‘If my character was a program, what sort of program would he be?’ and I like the idea of someone who assimilates everything around him and, a bit like a chameleon, is able to change in order to survive”. In that sense, it is easy to see why Bowie was chosen for inspiration, as he was famed for adapting to new characters and musical styles between albums.
“I like the idea of a kind of character where you hear bits of pop culture, bits of other characters, all coming out of this one character,” Sheen continued, “Again ‐ the idea of someone who’s a shape-shifter like Bowie. It sort of made me think, ‘If he’s a person, he’d be a bit like that.’”
Of course, Bowie had his own flirts with film. Famed for his role in Labyrinth, the musician also appeared in a variety of roles from Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence to The Last Temptation of Christ. Though his acting skills were a far cry from his songwriting abilities, Bowie was always drawn to the silver screen, so it seems fitting that he played a small role in the creation of Tron: Legacy.
