Cars (franchise)
Cars | |
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Created by | Pixar |
Films and television | |
Film(s) | |
Television series |
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Games | |
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Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) | |
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Short films |
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Spin-offs |
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Cars is a CGI animated film series and Disney media franchise that began with the 2006 film, Cars, produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was followed by a sequel in 2011, and an upcoming spin-off film, Planes, produced by DisneyToon Studios in 2013. The first two films were directed by John Lasseter, the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. Cars is considered to be Pixar's "anniversary" franchise as both films marked Pixar's 20th and 25th anniversaries respectively.[according to whom?] Together, the two films have accrued over $1 billion in box office revenue worldwide.
Film series
Cars (2006)
Cars is the seventh Pixar film. The story is about rookie racecar, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who gets lost on the way to California for a tiebreaker race in the Piston Cup,a famous race worldwide, and ends up in a little town called Radiator Springs on Route 66, that had since been forgotten because the Interstate was built. He accidentally wrecks the road and is sentenced to fix it. During his time, he goes tractor tipping with his new best friend Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and goes on a drive with his future girlfriend Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt). After McQueen fixes the road, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) no longer wants him in town, so he calls the news crew to take McQueen to Los Angeles, but it doesn't take long for Doc to realize how much he's helped Radiator Springs, so he goes back to being the Hudson Hornet and becomes McQueen's crew chief, while most of the Radiator Springs folks become his pit crew. McQueen is about to win the race, but helps The King (Richard Petty) cross the finish line after Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) crashes him and wins the Piston Cup after being in third on the last lap, but is booed by everyone as comeuppance. Despite his loss, Lightning is offered to be the new face of Dinoco, but he decides to stay with Rusteze. He does, however, arrange for Mater to ride in the Dinoco helicopter just like McQueen promised. The film ends with McQueen setting up his racing headquarters in Radiator Springs, thereby putting it back on the map.
Cars 2 (2011)
Cars 2 is the twelfth film from Pixar. The story is about Lightning McQueen competing in the first World Grand Prix, a three-part race set in Japan, Italy and England that'll determine the world's fastest racecar. His rival in the race is Italian Formula One car, Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). Along the way, Mater is mistaken for a spy by British spycar, Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and falls in love with McMissile's assistant Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). The three of them uncover a plot to sabotage the race led by Professor Zündapp (Thomas Kretschmann) and a group of lemon cars, including Grem (Joe Mantegna) and Acer (Peter Jacobson). When the race reaches its conclusion in England, Mater figures out that Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) is the mastermind behind the plot to sabotage the race, since he started it in the first place and had intended for cars everywhere to run on oil as revenge for the lemons' reputation as being "history's biggest loser cars," implying that Axlerod is also a lemon. With the plot foiled and the villains defeated, Mater is knighted by the Queen of England (Vanessa Redgrave) and a new race is held in Radiator Springs. Mater is offered to join McMissile and Shiftwell on another mission, but he chooses to stay. He does, however, get to keep the rocket engines he acquired as the two agents take off in Siddeley (Jason Isaacs), the British spy jet.
Television series
Mater's Tall Tales
Mater's Tall Tales is a series of short animated films or Cars Toons featuring the characters Mater and Lightning McQueen from the film Cars. The first three shorts premiered in 2008 on Toon Disney.[1] Not exclusive to television, the episodes have also premiered on DVDs/Blu-rays, or as a theatrical short. A total of 11 episodes have been released, with "Time Travel Mater" (2012) being the latest.[2]
All shorts in the series follow the same tall tale formula: Mater tells a story of something he has done in the past. When Lightning questions Mater over whether the events in the story actually occurred (or, in some episodes, asks him what he did next), Mater always claimed that Lightning was also involved, and continues the story including McQueen's sudden (and usually unwilling) participation. The shorts end with Mater leaving the scene, often followed by characters or references to the story that was being told, suggesting the story might be real.
Tales from Radiator Springs
Tales from Radiator Springs is a series of two-minute short animated films or Cars Toons. The first three episodes - "Hiccups", "Bugged" and "Spinning" premiered on March 22, 2013, on Disney Channel, and have been available online since March 24, 2013.[3]
Short films
Mater and the Ghostlight
Mater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer-animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006.[4] The short, set in the Cars world, tells a story of Mater being haunted by a mysterious blue light.
Spin-offs
DisneyToon Studios, Pixar's sister company, is working on spin-off films set in the Cars world, featuring other type of vehicles. Beside the Planes trilogy,[5] they are also developing spin-offs featuring boats and trains, which may go into production if Planes are well received.[6][7]
Planes
DisneyToon Studios is producing a computer animated Cars spin-off film titled Planes. The first film in the trilogy,[5] where the main characters are planes, is scheduled to be released in theaters by Walt Disney Pictures on August 9, 2013.[8] The film is being directed by Klay Hall and produced by John Lasseter.[9]
Planes: Fire & Rescue
A sequel, titled Planes: Fire & Rescue, is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 18, 2014.[10]
Reception
Box office performance
In its opening weekend, the original Cars earned $60,119,509 in 3,985 theaters in the United States, ranking number one at the box office. In the United States, the film held onto the #1 spot for two weeks before being surpassed by Click, and then by Superman Returns the following weekend. It went on to gross $461,983,149 worldwide (ranking number 6 in 2006 films) and $244,082,982 in the United States (the third highest-grossing film of 2006 in the country, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Night at the Museum). It was the highest-grossing animated film of 2006 in the United States, but lost to Ice Age: The Meltdown in worldwide totals.[11]
Cars 2 has earned $191,452,396 in the USA and Canada, and $368,400,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $559,852,396.[12] Worldwide on its opening weekend it made $109.0 million, marking the largest opening weekend for a 2011 animated title.[13]
Film | Release date | Revenue | Rank | Budget | Reference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Foreign | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | ||||
Cars | June 9, 2006 | $244,082,982 | $217,900,167 | $461,983,149 | #74 #181(A) |
#121 | $120,000,000 | [11] |
Cars 2 | June 24, 2011 | $191,452,396 | $368,400,000 | $559,852,396 | #136 | #82 | $200,000,000 | [14] |
Total | $435535378 | $586300167 | $1021835545 | — | — | $320,000,000 | — | |
List indicator(s) (A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (calculated by Box Office Mojo). |
Critical reception
Both installments of the Cars series have generally received more criticism than other Pixar films. Even though Cars still received mostly positive reviews (but still less than usual for Pixar), Cars 2 received generally mixed reviews, a first for the studio.
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Cars | 74% (194 reviews)[15] | 73 (39 reviews)[16] |
Cars 2 | 39% (202 reviews)[17] | 57 (38 reviews)[18] |
Average ratings | 57% | 65% |
Awards and nominations
Cars had a highly successful run during the 2006 awards season. Many film critic associations such as the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review named it the best Animated Feature Film of 2006. Cars also received the title of Best Reviewed Animated Feature of 2006 from Rotten Tomatoes. Randy Newman and James Taylor received a Grammy Award for the song "Our Town," which later went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song (an award it lost to "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth). The film also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, but it lost to Happy Feet. Cars was also selected as the Favorite Family Movie at the 33rd People's Choice Awards. Perhaps the most prestigious award that Cars received was the inaugural Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Cars also won the highest award for animation in 2006, the Best Animated Feature Annie Award. The film was also nominated for AFI's 10 Top 10 in the "Animation" genre.[19]
Cast and characters
Film series
This is a list of characters from the 2006 film, Cars and its 2011 sequel, Cars 2.
- Note: A grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales
Character | Mater's Tall Tales | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | |||||||||
Rescue Squad Mater | Mater The Greater | El Materdor | Unidentified Flying Mater | Tokyo Mater | Monster Truck Mater | Heavy Metal Mater | Moon Mater | Mater Private Eye | Air Mater | Time Travel Mater | |
Tow Mater | Larry the Cable Guy | ||||||||||
Lightning McQueen | Keith Ferguson | ||||||||||
Luigi | Silent Cameo | Tony Shalhoub | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | ||||||
Guido | Silent Cameo | Guido Quaroni | Guido Quaroni | Silent Cameo | |||||||
Ramone | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | |||||||
Flo | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | ||||||||
Sarge | Silent Cameo | Silent Cameo | |||||||||
Fillmore | Silent Cameo | George Carlin (archival recording) |
Silent Cameo | ||||||||
Sheriff | Michael Wallis | ||||||||||
Red | Silent Cameo | ||||||||||
Lizzie | Katherine Helmond | ||||||||||
Stanley | John Michael Higgins | ||||||||||
DJ | E.J. Holowicki | ||||||||||
Wingo | Adrian Ochoa | ||||||||||
Boost | Jonas Rivera | ||||||||||
Kabuto | Tony Kobayashi | ||||||||||
Ito-San | Robert Ito | ||||||||||
Mia | Lindsey Collins | Silent Cameo | Lindsey Collins | Silent Cameo | Lindsey Collins | ||||||
Tia | Elissa Knight | Silent Cameo | Elissa Knight |
- Note: A grey cell indicates the character was not in the series.
Other media
Video games
In May 2007, the Cars video game was announced to be a "Platinum Hit" on the Xbox, "Greatest Hit" on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, and "Player's Choice" on the Nintendo GameCube. Two sequels were released, "Cars Mater-National Championship" being the first one and "Cars Race-O-Rama". A video game based on Cars 2 was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC and Nintendo DS on June 21, 2011.[24] The PlayStation 3 version of the game was reported to be compatible with stereoscopic 3D gameplay.[25]
Video game | Date released | Game system compatible |
---|---|---|
Cars | Xbox 360 | |
Wii | ||
PS2, PSP, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS | ||
Windows, Xbox | ||
Mac | ||
Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures | Windows, Mac | |
Cars Mater-National Championship | Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, PS2, Windows | |
Cars Race-O-Rama | Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
The World of Cars Online | Windows, Mac | |
Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales | Wii | |
Cars 2 | Mac, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, iOS, Windows, Xbox 360 | |
Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure[26] | Xbox 360 | |
Disney Infinity[27] | Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Windows | |
Similar films
Marcus Aurelius Canônico of Folha de S. Paulo described The Little Cars series (Os Carrinhos in Portuguese), a Brazilian computer graphics film series, as a derivative of Cars. Canônico discussed whether lawsuits from Pixar would appear. The Brazilian Ministry of Culture posted Marcus Aurelius Canônico's article on its website.[28]
It has also been noted that the plot of Cars bears a striking resemblance to that of Doc Hollywood, the 1991 romantic comedy which stars Michael J. Fox as a hotshot young doctor, who, after causing a traffic accident in a small town, is sentenced to work at the town hospital, falls in love with a local law student and eventually acquires an appreciation for small town values.[29]
Merchandising
The Mattel-produced 1/55 scale Toy Cars were some of the most popular toys of the 2006 Summer Season.[citation needed] Dozens of characters are represented, with some having multiple versions available. Several stores had trouble keeping the toys in stock, and some models are still difficult to find[citation needed] because of being shipped in lower numbers than other characters.[citation needed] Some online Disney enthusiasts are comparing it to the same shortage that Mattel faced with its Toy Story line in 1995.[citation needed] On August 14, 2007, the die-cast Sarge car, made between May and July 2007, was recalled due to "impermissible levels of lead" used in the paint.[30] Another Cars product which followed the Disney-Pixar Cars Die-Cast Line were miniature versions of the characters which were painted in different colors to represent different events. These are called Cars Toons. Also, Lego will make some sets for the sequel. On June 22, 2006 Disney Consumer Products announced that Cars merchandise broke records for retail sales based on a Disney-Pixar product, recording 10-to-1 more volume than Finding Nemo.[31] DCP reports that product expansion will take place in the fall alongside the DVD release of the film. Mattel has announced that Cars toys will continue through 2008 with the release of at least 80 new vehicles. A 36 car pack called "Motor Speedway of the South" will feature most of the race cars seen during the opening race sequence of the film. (This is also the name for the track race in the film) Estimates from the New York Daily News indicate that sales of Cars merchandise two weeks out from the release of the film amounted to US$600 million. Estimates put out in November by the Walt Disney Company peg total sales for the brand at around $1 billion.[32]
Kelley Blue Book, a resource for appraising values of vehicles, has humorously "appraised" four of the cars, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Carrera, and Doc Hudson according to their make/model and personalities.[33] The United States Department of Transportation has used scenes from the movie in a commercial regarding the Click It or Ticket campaign. In conjunction with the film's release, a chocolate ice cream on a stick resembling a car tire was released in Australia. These ice creams were called "Burnouts". The naming of the particular product sparked controversy as the name "Burnouts" was believed to have encouraged street racing and committing burnouts. These acts are illegal and heavy fines and convictions are issued to those committing these acts in Australia. It is unknown as to whether the products have been discontinued. In Norway, the candy company Nidar produced candy with the characters on the outer packaging and pictures of the characters on the packaging of the assorted candy on the inside. These bags also came with Cars themed tattoos. In the U.S., an animated Wal-Mart truck can be seen on a Wal-Mart advertisements for Cars. In the Wal-Mart TV commercial the Wal-Mart truck was talking to Mater. In South Africa, Italy, and several other countries where Opel is present (or with Opel models under Chevrolet and Vauxhall brand), GM has a campaign featuring an General Motors Astra, an Opel Meriva, and a General Motors Zafira as characters in the world of Cars, including TV ads made by Pixar, with the Opel models interacting with Lightning McQueen, Mater and Ramone.[34] The first ad involved the Opels coming to Radiator Springs as tourists. The second involved their failed attempts at auditioning for Mater. In the end the Opels lost the part to the real Mater. In July 2006, greeting card giant Hallmark Cards unveiled its line of 2006 Keepsake Christmas ornaments. Among the collection was an ornament featuring Lightning McQueen and Mater. There is also a Cars children's clothing line, which produces various T-shirts and shorts.
In Japan, Disney Japan and Toyota backed racing team Cars Racing replaced its racing car "Toy Story apr MR-S" and introduced the "Lightning McQueen apr MR-S" for the 2008 Super GT season. The car was based on the Toyota MR-S and the externals of the car were modeled on its of McQueen as much as possible.[35] This include their number change from their original No.101 to McQueen's #95. They won in Race 3 that season.
Theme park attractions
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2011) |
A Cars-based attraction opened at Walt Disney Studios Paris (France) in 2007 and a Cars-based land opened in Disney California Adventure Park in June 2012.
Cars Land
Cars Land is a 12-acre land located at the Disney California Adventure Park which contains an entire interactive replica of the town of Radiator Springs from the Cars franchise. The land includes several restaurants and three rides: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Casa De la Tires, and finally the main "E-Ticket" attraction, Radiator Springs Racers. This ride is one of the most expensive rides Disney has ever built; at a cost of over $200 million. Radiator Springs Racers lets guests race against each other around Ornament Valley while riding on their favorite Cars characters. Cars Land opened on June 15, 2012 with the completion of Disney California Adventure Park's expansion along with Buena Vista Street.
Cars Quatre Roues Rallye
Cars Quatre Roues Rallye, or Cars Race Rally, is an attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée. The attraction opened on June 9, 2007 as part of the park's expansion land, Toon Studio. The ride opened one year after Cars showed its first screening. The attraction's setting is the small town of Radiator Springs (located in Toon Studio). The attraction's station is themed to a car service station located in the desert. The attraction is surrounded by boulders which imitates the rocky formations of the Grand Canyon. The ride system is actually a highly themed Zamperla Demolition Derby.
Riders begin the attraction by sitting down in one of the generic car-shaped vehicles. The vehicles are located on one of the four spinning plateaus. The attraction's layout is similar to "Francis' Ladybug Boogie" attraction at Disney California Adventure Park and the "Whirlpool" at Tokyo DisneySea, as the vehicles automatically change from one spinning plateau to the next. The vehicles change plateaus while carrying out the rotation inversion of eight separate vehicles. Cars Race Rally was the first operating Disney ride themed to the Cars franchise.
References
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (September 26, 2008). "Mater Stars in Own Mini-Show on Disney". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ Weiner, David (August 17, 2011). "ET Exclusive: 'Air Mater' Takes Flight". ET Online. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ Rizvi, Samad (March 22, 2013). "Three 'Cars' Shorty Shorts Debut Tonight On Disney Channel". The Pixar Times. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ "SMASH HIT #1 ANIMATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR!" (Press release). Pixar. August 10, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Josh (March 1, 2013). "Planes trilogy confirmed; Cryer's recasting discussed". Animated Views. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Ethan (June 20, 2011). "Disney's 'Cars 2' a Hit Already—in Stores". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
Mr. Lasseter, who also oversees DisneyToon, said that if "Planes" is successful, he may build additional titles around boats, trains and other vehicles.
- ^ Armstrong, Josh (March 5, 2012). "Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir on the Rise and Fall of Disney's Circle 7 Animation". Animated Views. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ "Disney Sets Cars Spinoff Planes for a Theatrical Release". ComingSoon.net. December 21, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
- ^ DeMott, Rick (August 23, 2011). "Jon Cryer Leads Voice Cast For DisneyToon's Planes". DisneyToon Studio via Animation World Network. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Fleming, Mike (June 13, 2013). "More Disney Release Dates: Two New Marvel Pics, 'Alexander', 'Hundred-Foot Journey', 'Into The Woods', 'Planes' Sequel Slotted". Deadline. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "Cars (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 2, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "BOM" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Cars 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "WORLDWIDE OPENINGS". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ "Cars 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ "Cars (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Cars". Metacritic. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Cars 2 (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Cars 2". Metacritic. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Official Ballot" (PDF). AFI. p. 8. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ Dan Neil (June 4, 2006). "A grease geek will guide you: Cars decoded". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ Michael Wallis (2006). The Art of Cars. Chronicle Books. p. 4.
In Galena, Kansas, we found a lonely old tow truck that most folks would pass by without a second glance. Our Head of Story Joe Ranft, however, saw beyond the rust and broken-down parts — he saw the inspiration for the character Mater.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Melba Rigg (October 30, 2008). "Tow Mater from Cars Movie". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Ann Job (May 7, 2006). "New movie rekindles love affair with cars". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006.
- ^ "Disney Pixar's Cars 2: The Video Game Revving Up for Release Summer 2011". IGN. February 14, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ "Cars 2 Playstation 3 Game Will Be 3D". BSCKiDS. April 6, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ Narcisse, Evan (December 8, 2011). "Pixar Teams Up With Microsoft For Kinect Rush". Kotaku. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ Lang, Derrik J. (15 January 2013). "Disney unveils own 'Skylanders'-like franchise". Businessweek. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Vídeo Brinquedo faz sucesso com desenhos como "Os Carrinhos" e "Ratatoing"" (in Portuguese). Ministry of Culture.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (June 7, 2006). "Cars rolls along like an animated Doc Hollywood". CTV.ca. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ "Pixar Cars Sarge Lead Paint Hazard Recall". Mattel Consumer Relations Answer Center. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ^ "Disney Shows Muscle with Boys Properties" (PDF). Disney. June 22, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ Katie Marsal (November 10, 2006). "Disney sells 5 million copies of Pixar's Cars in two days". AppleInsider. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ^ "'CARS' Lightning McQueen Reported to Have $1.5 Million Blue Book Value". Kelley Blue Book. June 8, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- ^ Nunez, Alex (July 21, 2006). "Opels brought to life by Pixar". Autoblog. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ "【SUPER GT】「カーズ」レーシングチーム始動!" (in Japanese). response.jp. March 3, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.