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Cars (film)

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Cars
File:Cars High-Rez Final Poster.jpg
Promotional poster for Cars
Directed byJohn Lasseter
co-directed by Joe Ranft
Written bystory by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubien; screenplay by Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, Jorgen Klubien
Produced byDarla K. Anderson
StarringOwen Wilson
Paul Newman
Bonnie Hunt
Larry the Cable Guy
Cheech Marin
Tony Shalhoub
Guido Quaroni
Jenifer Lewis
Paul Dooley
Michael Wallis
George Carlin
Katherine Helmond
John Ratzenberger
Joe Ranft
Michael Keaton
CinematographyJeremy Lasky, Jean-Claude Kalache
Edited byKen Schretzmann
Music byRandy Newman
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Release dates
June 9, 2006 (U.S.); (July 28, 2006 (U.K.)
Running time
116 minutes; 121 minutes (U.K.)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$120 million [1]

Cars is an animated feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Its release date was June 9 in the US, 2006 and will be released on July 28, 2006 in the UK. This movie is the seventh Disney/Pixar feature film.

Directed by John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2), the film is set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphized cars and other vehicles, and features the voices of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, John Ratzenberger, George Carlin, Larry the Cable Guy, Richard Petty, and Darrell Waltrip. The film was rated G by the MPAA.

The film premiered on May 26, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, with 30,000 tickets sold.


Plot

Template:Spoiler

File:Cars image 2.JPG
Chick Hicks, Lightning McQueen and The King racing in the film.

The 2005 Piston Cup race is the only thing that has been on Lightning McQueen's mind for his entire life. Lightning McQueen is a rookie to the race track, and is as arrogant and overconfident as they come. Believing he is a one man show, despite his pit crew changes his tires and gas, he's fired four crew chiefs during the season. His only interest is owning the Piston Cup, and being the first rookie to do so. However, due to a complication, McQueen barely finishes the race, which ends in a three-way tie between the rookie, the cheater Chick Hicks, and a veteran, The King.

After the race, Lightning and his transport truck buddy, seemingly his only real friend, Mack, begin a journey across the country to California, where the tie-breaker race will be held. Wanting to get to California first in order to practice on the track and hang with Dinoco, currently the prestigious sponsor of the retiring King, Lightning refuses to let Mack stop for a rest at a nearby truck stop. With each mile Mack gets even more tired, eventually dozing off on the road completely. Four custom import racers have fun with the sleeping rig, causing a toy in the trailer to hit the button which opens the back of the trailer, and a bump in the road causes a sleeping Lightning to roll onto the interstate highway. After a hair-raising escape of the highway, Lightning attempts to find Mack, but instead mistakenly chases a Peterbilt, and is left alone on the road. Attempting to make it back to the interstate without headlights, Lightning finds himself on Route 66. Zipping by a billboard, Lightning finds himself being followed by the town sheriff of Radiator Springs, who was hiding behind the board. A pursuit ensues, and causes the hot rod to tear up the main street of Radiator Springs and Lightning to be caught up in some telephone wires. Lightning awakens to find himself impounded, and after talking with Mater, is taken to court. At first, the local judge and doctor, Doc Hudson, dismisses the case upon seeing the racecar, and demands that Lightning get out of town immediately, but then Sally, a 2002 Porsche enters and convinces the town to make the race car stay and repair the road. With Doc's mind changed for him, he sets Lightning up to Bessie, the asphalt machine.

File:Mcqueenandhudson.jpg
Doc Hudson (left) and Lightning McQueen (right)

In the beginning, Lightning McQueen remains self-centered, obsessed with only leaving the town to make it to his race. After an escape attempt and a desperate failure at fixing the road, Doc Hudson challenges Lightning to a desert race at Willy's Butte. If Lightning wins, he leaves town and Doc fixes the road. If Doc wins, Lightning fixes the road Doc's way. At the race, Doc is left in Lightning's dust as the hot rod roars off at the start of the race. Doc remains at the starting line, before requesting Mater's help as they slowly go down the road. As Doc expected, Lightning overshoots a tight turn in the dirt, and winds up off a cliff in a cactus patch. Doc wins the race as Mater fishes McQueen out of the patch.

After the race, McQueen fixes half the road, amazing the townsfolk with its paved smoothness. Since he had ran out of Asphalt, the Sheriff allows him to try to make the turn again, but he continues to fail. Doc hints that he is to use the opposite lock steering, but Lightning ignores his elder. After a time, he finds out Doc's biggest secret, that he was the famous Piston Cup racer, the Hudson Hornet, winner of three consecutive trophies. Angered, Doc forces him out of the clinic's garage. He also reveals that his career ended prematurely because of a devastating crash. When he was fixed back up, no one would accept him for his team. Sally finally decides to take him for a drive through Route 66, ending at Wheel Well Hotel, an old hotel located at the top of a bluff overlooking the entire town and landscape. At the top, McQueen learns that the town once thrived, before being destroyed by the constrution of Interstate 40 decades ago. As time goes on, McQueen understands their troubles, and becomes friends with all of the residents. Doc tips off to the media that McQueen is in their town after McQueen helps everyone out, and he is wisked away with Mack and a slew of public reporters towards the race.

File:Cars.png
The Cars logo.

At the race in California, Lightning can focus on nothing else but Sally and Radiator Springs. Lacking behind lap after lap, Lightning finally revitalizes after he finds half of Radiator Springs become his pit crew, making it to the race, with Doc as the crew chief. On the last lap, Chick Hicks takes a desperate resort to come in second place, and rear-ends King, sending him into the air, ending in a horrific wreck. Lightning, almost about to win, sees the screen and the wreck, and hits his brakes a foot from the finishing line. He sits there until Chick passes, before going back and pushing the King to the line to finish his career with dignity, knowing that he didn't want the fate that Doc was doomed to happen to the King as well. Chick wins the Piston Cup, but is completely ignored as everyone admires the King and Lightning. McQueen is offered the Dinoco endorsement, but turns it down to remain with his original sponsor, Rust-Eze, and move to Radiator Springs with his new headquarters. Thanks to McQueen, Radiator Springs gets their old boost of tourism again, saving the town.

Template:Endspoiler

Critical reaction

Initial critical reaction was generally positive. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars (out of a possible four) and said, "The movie is great to look at and a lot of fun, but somehow lacks the extra push of the other Pixar films."[2] Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post called the film "great fun" and gave it four stars (out of a possible four).[3] However, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times reviewed the film unfavorably, criticizing its emphasis on mechanical characters and landscape and lack of living creatures.[4] In her review, Christy Lemire of the Associated Press remarked extensively on the plot's striking similarity to 1991's Doc Hollywood.[5] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly also commented on this similarity in her review, however she was more positive and gave the film an A-.[6] Although the film acquired the lowest percentage thus far for a Pixar animated feature, it still boasts a "certified fresh" 76% rating at RottenTomatoes (as of June 15, 2006), with a 78% rating from the "Cream of the Crop" reviewers.[7]

Vehicles and voice cast

File:Cars image.JPG
Mater and Lightning McQueen in a screenshot from the original teaser trailer

The vehicle characters seen throughout the movie and the actors that were used for their voices are:

Character Vehicle Likeness Actor
Lightning McQueen Pixar: "A hybrid between a stock car and a more curvaceous LeMans endurance racer (like Lolas and the Ford GT40").[8]. Owen Wilson
Mater 1955 Chevrolet One-Ton Wrecker Tow Truck Larry the Cable Guy
Sally Carrera 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera (Type 996) Bonnie Hunt
Doc Hudson 1951 Fabulous Hudson Hornet Paul Newman
Ramone 1959 Chevy Impala lowrider Cheech Marin
"The King" Strip Weathers Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird, #43 Richard Petty
Fillmore 1960 VW Bus George Carlin
Sarge 1946 Willys CJ-2A, mistakenly described as a 1942 Willys MB (Lacks tool indents; 9-slot grill/slat grill) Paul Dooley
Luigi 1959 Fiat 500 Tony Shalhoub
Guido Pixar custom forklift, resembles an Isetta model Guido Quaroni
Chick Hicks Pixar: "a stock 1980s American car", most likely a Buick GNX or a Chevrolet Monte Carlo Michael Keaton
Sheriff 1949 Mercury Cruiser Michael Wallis
Mack 1985 Mack Super-Liner John Ratzenberger
Lizzie 1913 Ford Model T Katherine Helmond
Flo 1957 Motorama show car Jenifer Lewis
Red 1960s style fire truck (resembles American-LaFrance models) Joe Ranft
Peterbilt Peterbilt model 362 truck Joe Ranft
Harv (not shown) Jeremy Piven / Jeremy Clarkson (UK)
Darrell Cartrip 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Darrell Waltrip
Bob Cutlass 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora Bob Costas
Mrs. The King 1970 Mercury Colony Park Lynda Petty
Rusty Rust-Eze 1963 Dodge A100 van Tom "Car Talk" Magliozzi
Dusty Rust-Eze 1963 Dodge Dart V1.0 Ray "Car Talk" Magliozzi
Tex 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler
Jay Limo 1990s Lincoln Town Car Limousine Jay Leno
Fred the rusty car 1962 Rambler Ambassador Andrew Stanton
Junior 2002 NASCAR standard body stocker Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mario Andretti 1967 Ford Fairlane Daytona 500 winner Mario Andretti
Michael Schumacher Ferrari F430 Michael Schumacher
Cars accompanying Michael Schumacher 2004 Maserati Quattroporte No voice-over used
Motor home Doug "Mater" Keever
2nd Motor home 1978 Class A Motor home Larry Benton
Wingo 2000 Nissan Silvia tuner Adrian Ochoa
Boost 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse Jonas Rivera
Snot Rod 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda Lou Romano
DJ 2004 Toyota Scion xB E.J. Holowicki Kenny G
Tia 1990 Mazda Miata Elissa Knight
Mia 1990 Mazda Miata Lindsey Collins
Not Chuck forklift Mike Nelson
Minny 1995 Ford Windstar minivan Edie McClurg
Van 2003 Mazda MPV LX minivan img Richard Kind
Governator Hummer H1 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Woody Ford Woody wagon Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear Toy Spaceship Car Tim Allen
Flik 1966 Volkswagen "Bug" Dave Foley
Mike Wazowski Isetta Billy Crystal
Sulley Monster Truck John Goodman
Poser "never been off road" SUV Hummer H1 wagon with H2 style spinners unknown
Helicopter upsized Bell 222 unknown
Kori Turbowitz Ford Taurus Sarah Clark
Frank the bull "Kubota orange" combine harvester unknown
Cows American 1950s chewall tractors none
Lightyear Blimp Goodyear blimp none
Bessie asphalt machine none
Chuck Maniford 4-door unknown
Chibi Japanese news woman Japanese 4-door unknown
Stanley Ford Model T truck none
Train EMD F7A and B diesel locomotive none

Video game adaption / follow-up

Template:Spoiler The Cars video game features a story written by Pixar (with the late Joe Ranft as the Script/Story Lead) and the return of the majority of the voice cast. The game was developed by Rainbow Studios, THQ and Buena Vista Games with heavy involvement by Pixar, as it continues the story set forth in the movie through Lightning McQueen's second Piston Cup season. Despite heavy interference from Chick Hicks, Lightning wins the Piston Cup at the end of his second season after a grand prix is held in Radiator Springs. He leaves Radiator Springs on a celebratory cross-country trip with Sally and Mater, leaving his Piston Cup trophy alongside Doc Hudson's three trophies. Template:Endspoiler

Merchandising

Several companies released promotional products related to the movie. Kellogg's released an Cars-themed cereal, as well as promotional fruit snacks.

Furthermore, in the weeks before the movie's opening, there were also promotional tie-ins with AT&T [formerly SBC Communications] (using four cars to promote the diversity of its AT&T services), State Farm Insurance, The Hertz Corporation, and McDonald's.

File:Apoopfaceisunderway.jpg
Another promotional poster

The Mattel-produced diecast cars are some of the most popular toys of the summer. Several stores are having trouble keeping the toys in stock, and some are rarer such as the "Lizzie" diecast model. Some online Disney-enthusiats are comparing it to the same shortage that Mattel faced with Toy Story in 1995. Because of this most of the die-cast cars are only available on Ebay.

On June 22nd, 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[9]. DCP reports that product expansion will take place in the fall alongisde the DVD release of the film.

Estimates from the New York Daily News indicate that sales of Cars merchandise two weeks out from the release of the film amassed to $600 million USD.

Kelley Blue Book, the de facto resource for apprasing 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.

Box office performance

The movie opened up strongly with $60.1M, making it the #1 movie on its debut weekend (June 9-11, 2006), and continuing Pixar's streak of #1 debuts for each of the company's feature films. It earned as much in its first weekend as the total domestic gross of Disney's earlier NASCAR movie Herbie: Fully Loaded. However, the film's performance was less than the previous two Pixar movies, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo which both managed to make over $70 million each their opening weekends, and this caused Disney's stock price to drop slightly.

In its second box office weekend, Cars again attained the #1 spot, earning approx. $33.7 million (a 43.9% drop from the previous week), beating out two debuting films that were competing for the youth audience, Nacho Libre and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties. Comparatively, the previous Pixar film, The Incredibles, fell 28.7% its second weekend in November of 2004 and the previous Pixar Summer release, Finding Nemo dropped 33.7% in June of 2003.

In the third week, Cars dropped to #2 behind the Adam Sandler comedy Click, pulling in $23.3 million, a 31% drop from the previous week. The film's total earnings currently stand at around $156 million. Cars is keeping up pace with previous Pixar blockbuster Monsters Inc., which also took in $156 million by the same point of release.

To date, Cars has spent 13 days (non-consecutive) as the #1 movie in the domestic box office.

Awards

Cars was recognized by the Heartland Film Festival with the Truly Moving Picture award. [10]

Director John Lasseter won the 2006 Will Rogers Award[11] for the positive influence the film has had on Route 66.

DVD extras

The DVD release is planned for the 2006 holiday season. According to interviews with John Lasseter and Larry the Cable Guy, it will contain a short film (5 min) called Mater and the Ghostlight.[12][13]

Trivia

  • The film was originally going to be released on November 4, 2005, but soon after the trailer's release in late 2004, the movie's release date was changed to June 9 2006 so it could receive a summer release and so that the DVD would be sold just in time for the holidays of 2006. Chicken Little was instead released on November 4.
  • Cars is the last film made by the late Joe Ranft; the film was dedicated to his memory.
  • Some of the sponsors of the Piston Cup include:
    • Dinoco (primary sponsor of #43 Strip "The King" Weathers), from Toy Story,
    • Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment -Rear End Formula (primary sponsor of #95 Lightning McQueen),
    • Hostile Takeover Bank (#86 Chick Hicks),
    • Apple Computer, (#84),
    • Lightyear Buzzard Tires,
    • Lil' Torquey Pistons,
    • Leak Less Adult Drip Pans, (#52 car)
    • RPM, (#64 car)
    • Trunkin' Fresh,
    • Retread Tire Deodorant (Roll-on),
    • Clutch Aid,
    • Nitroade Hi-Energy Drink, (#28 car)
    • Mood Springs (#33 Car),
    • ReVolting Alternator Repair, (#79 car)
    • Octane Gain Turbo Vitamins, (#58 car)
    • No Stall, (#123)car
    • Vitoline (For Older Active Cars),
    • Gasprin - Hood Ache Relief, (#70 car)
    • Creme-Filled Gask-its, (#80 car)
    • Easy Idle,
    • and previous Pixar movies are also on sponsor stickers
  • The original script was written in 1998 and the producers agreed that Cars would be the next movie after A Bugs Life, but that movie was scrapped and the production of Toy Story 2 took place. It was originally intended to be released in Spring 1999.
  • The idea for that movie took place from a childrens book entitled "Vroom Vroom Chugga Vroom Vroom

Individual characters

The name of the main character, Lightning McQueen, is a tribute to Glenn McQueen, a Pixar animator who died in 2002. The name also is of an actor Steve McQueen who was famous for some of the greatest car and racing movies, including Bullitt and Le Mans, and topic of a Sheryl Crow hit video. Lightning McQueen's number is 95, the year Toy Story was released.

Lightning is no car in particular, but has elements of many sports cars. His headlights are stickers, like in NASCAR. Pixar was shown a Corvette by GM, which is what his nose and some reviews think he looks like. His overall profile was inspired, says Pixar, by the Ford GT40. His tail looks like a Viper, while the tail lenses and roof are consistent with a Ford Mustang. The full size tour car is based on a Firebird. His custom two-tone paint and tires are from a 50s Corvette. Modern NASCAR bodies must all have nearly the same shape, differentiated mainly by the painting of headlights and grille. The Piston cup features cars based on various NASCAR racers since the 1970s.

Sally, the romantic interest is a stock Porsche Carrera. A Carrera's tail will pop up at highway speeds, but it can also be raised by the driver manually, and it was raised when she showed a little striping. Pixar originally wanted a classic model, but Porsche persuaded them to use a 2002 model. A Carrera would be a typical car for a high profile Los Angeles lawyer.

Richard Petty's Superbird at the Petty Museum

The King, voiced by Richard Petty, is Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird, in "Petty Blue" with his number 43. The Superbird was a stock Plymouth Roadrunner with added aerodynamic features designed by Chrysler engineers from NASA projects (American Muscle Car TV series). The goalpost wing and shark nose were so fast that they were effectively banned in 1971, starting a trend of slowing cars down to speeds below 200 MPH. The King's crash in the film is a recreation of Petty's crash in the 1988 Daytona 500. Petty was known as the King on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit. When John Lasseter asked Petty if he wanted to be in a movie he initially refused saying "I want to drive a race car." He said yes when told it was an animated film.[1]

Villain Chick Hicks is 86, a reference to Luxo Jr., released in 1986. Chick's body closely resembles the Quaker State Buick Regal that Ricky Rudd drove in the 1980s, though Pixar animators have said the character is a generic 1980's stock car. Michael Keaton was also in Herbie Fully Loaded, another NASCAR-themed Disney movie.

Rusty & Dusty Rust-eze (the cars seen in front of McQueen's trailer after the race) are direct parodies of Click & Clack, The Tappet Brothers from the radio show Car Talk. They even say their trademark phrase used to end their show, "Don't drive like my brother!" as Mack is leaving the track. They are also voiced by the Tappet Brothers themselves: Ray & Tom Magliozzi. The characters were also originally named Clink and Clunk. Dusty, the character voiced by Ray Magliozzi, is a 1963 Dodge Dart, a car Ray often reminisces about semi-fondly on Car Talk.

Former champion Doc Hudson's plate is "51HHMD," which stands for "1951 Hudson Hornet, M.D." His record of 27 wins in a single season is the same as that of the 1952 Fabulous Hudson Hornet racing team,[14] and his championships are the same years as the Hudson team.[15]

The sheriff is voiced by Michael Wallis, renowned author of The Mother Road series of books about historic Route 66.

Fillmore, the VW Bus voiced by George Carlin, has license plate "51237" representing Carlin's birth date: May 12, 1937. His license plate dangles below his front bumper, forming a goatee typical of the 1960s hippies which the car represents. Fillmore's character is actually an impression of Tommy Chong's hippie of the Cheech and Chong comedy record duo. The name Fillmore is a reference to Fillmore East and West - the concert hall where many artists during the 1960's and 1970's performed. The Fillmore is located in San Francisco which was considered a hippy haven in the 60's. Pixar missed an opportunity to get Cheech and Chong together, but Cheech in a recent review said he didn't want to do that team again.

Darrell Cartrip is played by Darrell Waltrip, a retired race car who does race commentary for the FOX network. He raced a 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo with stacked headlights. He often raced with the number 17. Darrell is fond of colorful flame paint schemes. "Boogity boogity boogity!" is what Waltrip utters at the start of every NASCAR race and during some restarts.

The #58 "Octane Gain" racecar in the film's first race appears to be a Toyota Camry, which NASCAR will start using in 2007.

The character Sarge is a possible reference to Sarge, the commander of the army men in -Toy Story.

A truck with a black and pink camper-trailer resembling Elvis Presley appears twice in the movie, in the RV park at the beginning, and behind the announcers at the Piston Cup Finale. On its side is "Elvis RV Cab"

Cultural diversity

Some cars are cast by their owners, others by their nation of manufacture.

The character Mater at different points in the movie says "Git R Done" and "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there," both catchphrases of Larry the Cable Guy, who voices the character in the sterotypical drawl of an American Hillbilly. Mater is named after Douglas "Mater" Keever, whom John Lasseter met at Lowe's Motor Speedway.[16] His character is comparable to Gilligan—not bright enough to pass any government-administered proficiency test, but possesses a heart of gold.

Den mother Flo appears to be inspired by three early- to mid-fifties show cars: the 1951 Buick LeSabre (front-end lines, the basic hood shape, lights mounted near the corners, and front-quarter trim), the 1951 Buick XP-300 (side trim), and the 1956 Dodge Dart (cockpit, deck lid, and tailfins). Flo is subtly played by Jenifer Lewis who is often cast as an African American mother figure.

Ramone is voiced by Cheech Marin. He is a lowrider; a creation popular among Latinos. He is Pixar's first Latino character.

Luigi is a Fiat 500 with an Italian accent provided by Tony Shalhoub. Shalhoub uses the same accent he used for the lead character, Primo, in the 1996 film Big Night. By coincidence, the Fiat 500 is the same kind of car used by Lupin III, the protagonist of the Lupin III series and movies. Hayao Miyazaki, a good friend of John Lasseter, worked on two of the Lupin TV series and directed the Lupin III movie The Castle of Cagliostro. Lasseter said in an interview he did not intend for the reference to be there, although Cagliostro is still one of his favorite films. [17]

Mario Andretti voices a 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 stock car, painted blue and gold with the number #11. Mario Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500 with a car of the same appearance prepared by Holman-Moody.

Three of the Import scene cars are Japanese and the groupie twins are Miatas. Orange is the color of Japanese tractor maker Kubota. There is a Japanese woman on the world news, but there are no Asian American cast voices.

Setting

The landscape in the distance behind Radiator Springs is made up of rock formations intentionally reminiscent of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

The Flo's V8 Cafe logo is similar to that used by the '32 Ford V8, the first V8 for mass marketed cars. This retro logo also appears on late model Ford Explorers (and other Ford trucks whose owners get the part and put it on their vehicles). Flathead also refers to this Ford V8, and was popular with hot rods. The neon spark plugs on the canopy flash in the right firing order.

The name of the Piston Cup racing series is a spoof of the Winston Cup, the premiere series in NASCAR (now known as the Nextel Cup).

The track that the opening race takes place on is actually an enlarged version of Bristol Motor Speedway. The track used for the Piston Cup Championship race is a clever knock-off of the Pasadena Rose Bowl as well as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and (possibly) the Daytona International Speedway, the track that hosts season-opening races in several racing series.

The film features mostly American cars from the 50s and 60s, but also some Japanese tuner and American muscle cars from the 70s, K's from the 80s and minvans and Miatas from the 90s.

At one point in the movie, when many places are shutting down in anticipation of a big race, a sign can be read for a brief moment that reads: "City of Emeryville - Closed." This is a reference to Emeryville, California, where the Pixar studio is located.

References to previous Pixar movies

Many of the sponsors on the sides of the cars are references to past Pixar films or as puns on real-life automotive-related companies. Here's a brief list of them:

  • The number "2319" visible on a car is a reference to "23-19," the code used by the Child Detection Agency in Monsters, Inc. when a sock was found clinging to a monster's fur.
  • The King's sponsor is Dinoco, the gas station from Toy Story, which itself is a pun on Sunoco, though the logo is closer to petroleum company Sinclair which features a dinosaur on its logo.
  • Some of the racing cars in the teaser trailer have Toy Story 2 and A Bug's Life logos on the side as well as "JLP" for John Lasseter, the director, and CDA (Child Detection Agency from Monsters, Inc.).
  • During the scene when Lightning is going to his trailer after the first race, the Apple Computer logo is seen on one of the trailers in the back. The logo also appears on a car in the race. The car's number is 84, a reference to the Macintosh computer's 1984 introduction.
  • The birds from the Pixar short For the Birds can briefly be seen and heard on a telephone wire in the "Life is a Highway" sequence. (It's difficult to see since the screen passes them quickly.)
  • The jackalope from Boundin' is depicted on the back of a motor home. One of Fillmore's bumper stickers reads "I brake for jackalopes"; another is "Save 2D Animation."
  • Radiator Spring's founder Stanley is actually the same car seen in the Pixar short Boundin'.
  • The Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story with a rocket on the roof can be seen at the entrance to the stadium in the final race sequence.
  • When Mack is driving by the truck stop, one of the trucks' logos is "i, Inc." This is a reference to The Incredibles (the "i" is Mr. Incredible's monogram).
  • There is a motor home in the second Piston Cup race at the end and he is surrounded by flamingos and a pool in reference to the short Knick Knack.
  • The railway train's number which almost crashed into Lightning McQueen when he was on his way to Radiator Springs is A113, a recurring inside joke in several animated shows and films, referring to the classroom number used by animation students at CalArts. Mater's license plate has the same number.
  • During the end credits, scenes from previous Pixar films are re-enacted with cars. There is a scene from Toy Car Story featuring Tom Hanks (as a Ford Woodie) and Tim Allen, one from Monster Trucks, Inc. featuring John Goodman and Billy Crystal, and one from A Bug's Life featuring Dave Foley. John Ratzenberger is also featured in all three scenes, and his Cars character Mack comments on the recurrence, from supportive at first to disgust.
  • The opening music in the original teaser trailer is from A Bug's Life.
  • A highway sign in the interstate sequence reads "Andy's House", a reference to the child from Toy Story.

References to other movies

Route 66

File:Route66cars.jpg
Route 66

Many characters and places in the movie are directly inspired on real Route 66 places and people.

To quote the Pixar crew:

As we traveled on Route 66, we were privileged to visit many places and to meet a number of people who live and work alongside "The Mother Road." The following is a list of the places and people we wanted to honor by including their names in our "Special Thanks" credits at the end of the film.

The soundtrack had the classic blues piece "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" twice, once by Chuck Berry and a new version recorded specifically for the film's credits performed by John Mayer.


See also

References

  1. ^ Boxoffice Mojo Profile for Cars
  2. ^ Cars review by Roger Ebert at rogerebert.com
  3. ^ "Young and Fuelish" by Stephen Hunter, Washington Post, June 9, 2006 (free registration required)
  4. ^ "'Cars' Is a Drive Down a Lonely Highway" by Manohla Dargis, The New York Times June 9, 2006 (free registration required)
  5. ^ "Pixar's automotive tale drives a lot like 'Doc Hollywood'" by Christy Lemire, Associated Press, June 9, 2006
  6. ^ Cars review by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly, June 7, 2006
  7. ^ RottenTomatoes Cars rating
  8. ^ "Car Dreams" by Dan Neil, Morning Call Online, June 8, 2006
  9. ^ " Disney Shows Muscle with Boys Properties" press release at Disney Consumer Products, June 22, 2006
  10. ^ "Truly Moving Picture" award page for Cars, created June 8, 2006
  11. ^ "Cars" director John Lasseter wins Will Rogers Award, June 24, 2006
  12. ^ "Pixar Mastermind John Lasseter" by Edward Douglas, June 3, 2006
  13. ^ "Exclusive: Larry the Cable Guy " by Edward Douglas, June 5, 2006
  14. ^ "Hudson Hornet" by Jack Nerad, Driving Today, June 5, 2000
  15. ^ "NASCAR champ Hudson Hornet now star of film" by Dan Jedlicka, Chicago Sun-Times, June 12, 2006
  16. ^ "Speedway guy gains fame at Pixar" by Joe Marusak, The Charlotte Observer, March 9, 2006
  17. ^ "Red Carpet interview with John Lasseter" by Michael Howe, Jim Hill Media, May 29, 2006

External links

Template:Pixar films