Cars 2 Fan Club Archives

Walk Through a Cars 2 Car Show With Me

June 30, 2011 by Momstart 12 Comments

After watching Cars 2 at the El Capitan you have the opportunity to go into the “after party” scene, Cars 2 World Grand Prix. There is over 3 1/2 hours of fun inside the Cars 2 World Grand Prix. It’s like stepping into a carnival made for cars. One of my favorite parts was the Car Show.

All the above photos were taken by me. When you’re at the Cars 2 World Grand Prix you have the opportunity to have your photo taken with the stars of the movie while you’re there. I love looking at cars so much, I wanted to include more cars that inspired the movie Cars 2. These photos are used on behalf of Disney and were taken at the annual Motorama.

Pixar Animation Studios hosted its 11^th annual Motorama on June 24^th on its Emeryville, Calif., grounds as its 12^th full-length feature “Cars 2” raced into theaters nationwide. The four-wheeled comedy adventure’s anticipated opening aptly coincided with the much celebrated employee car show this year, which showcases the team’s love of cars, featuring a variety of special vehicles owned by employees, celebrities and auto manufacturers alike, as well as life-size, remote-controlled cars modeled after car characters from the film. Hosted by director and car enthusiast John Lasseter and “Cars” franchise guardian Jay Ward, Motorama is what many call the “coolest day of the year” at the Northern California Studio.

Featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer and John Turturro, Disney•Pixar’s “Cars 2” is in theaters now, and is presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.

Most Photos provided by Disney the rest were taken by me, my trip and all expenses were paid for by Disney. I didn’t attend the Motorama.

Inside Cars 2 Who’s Mater & Larry The Cable Guy

June 24, 2011 by Momstart 6 Comments

I had no idea what to expect when meeting Mater the undeniable star of Cars 2, Larry the Cable Guy met and exceeded all of my expectations. I was surprised to find that Larry the Cable Guy doesn’t change his voice at all, he is Mater. Listening to him, I could picture Mater driving around and getting into trouble. Also, Larry the Cable Guy is true to himself. He dresses like he wants to, he’s comfortable, and arrives on the Red Carpet in shorts and a button up shirt. So I decided the best way to discover who Mater really is, go to the source, Larry The Cable Guy.

When Larry the Cable Guy was asked, What do you think it is about Mater that is so endearing to children, that is so iconic? He said, “Aw, he’s just a good guy. He’s just a fun little animated character. He’s nice, he’s funny, you know. Uh, everybody wants to hang around with him. He’s a faithful friend. You know, plus he’s funny. He says funny things and he does fun things. Kids like that. Well, Adults like it too. So I think that’s pretty much what it is.”

We’ve all known from the very first movie that Mater has a lot of heart. He cares about his friends and we discover just how far he’ll go for his friends in Cars 2. Mater even puts his own life on the line to save Lightening McQueen. The bad guys put a bomb inside Mater, and once Mater realizes it he does everything he can to get away. But that’s not all he does to show his huge heart. He develops feelings for Holly too! Even Larry was quite impressed with how Cars 2 kept Mater true to his character from Cars 1, “they kept the relationship, the friendship factor in it. They kept everything in it. They just added a ton of action.” Mater is the star of Cars 2 and he managed to not let it get to his head. He is all the action behind Cars 2, he and Holly both were thrown into being spies.

What was Larry’s favorite scene in the movie Cars 2 you might ask?

“Uh, in the, I like the part were Mater, uh, eats the Wasabi [UNINTELLIGIBLE UNDER LAUGHTER] More of that Ice Cream! Boy, come on, it’s free, ain’t it? I get some. I do. Let’s go, it’s free. Move on there! Get her done. That’s, I like that part, you know.” He later said that was something he would do himself. Like I said, Larry the Cable Guy is Mater.

Photos by Disney used with permission. My Trip and expenses were provided by Disney.

Meet the Man Behind Cars 2 John Lasseter

June 24, 2011 by Momstart 2 Comments

John Lasseter has my dream job. Honestly, the intern that works as the bottom tier of Pixar has my dream job. Yes since Pixar released their very first movie all I could dream about was working at Pixar as a computer animator. John Lasseter is a family man with five boys and a very sweet wife. I briefly met her before the Hollywood premiere and she doted on my dress, which was so very kind of her.

When we interviewed John he wasn’t sporting his usual Hawaiian shirt, he was wearing a custom made Hawaiian Cars 2 shirt. From everything I learned about John Lasseter, I learned that he’s very passionate about his work. As a team they research every detail for their movies. Take for instance the cities, they spent time in each city making sure they were quite accurate. The cars well here’s what John had to say about researching and naming the cars:

“we go to the car company to ask their permission. But there’s a lot of things were people’s kind of names and if there’s a big advert on the — advertisement on the side of one of the double-decker buses in London that’s Callahan’s and that’s Sharon Callahan, our lighting lead.”

And the cities that he found most glamorous, “I kept going to Japan and the UK and Italy and France and Germany and all these places that have their own car cultures and great cars and amazing roads and very different than here. and I thought it be really fun to take our characters to these places so kind of those ideas and spy movies, you know, travel around the world, you know, in these glamorous places. And I thought this is gonna be really fun and it satisfied me for wanting to do something that’s really different than the original movie.”

I’ve seen the movie twice and the second time I noticed much more than I did the first. For instance, the second time I watched the movie I noticed how accurate Paris was to my memory. John noted that there are so many details in Cars 2 that every time you watch it you’ll notice something else. “You’re going to have to single frame some of this stuff but it’s hilarious.”

When making a movie, it’s the story that’s most important. It’s important to John Lasseter that every character is appealing and tells a story. “You have to tell a compelling story that keeps people on the edge of their seat where they can’t wait to see what happens next and it works for adults as well as kids. You populate that story with really memorable characters, uh, and appealing characters. That’s really the important thing for me. Even the bad guy should be appealing that you enjoy watching and you put those characters in that story in a believable world. Not realistic but believable for the story you’re telling.”

Cars 2 is a great family film with action suspense and lots of heart. I found all of the characters, even the bad guys believable and realistic. Cars 2 transports you into the middle of their lives and you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next.

My Trip and all expenses were provided by Disney

Cars 2 In Theaters Friday June 24th

June 21, 2011 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Cars 2 is a great movie for ages 7-12. My kids 3, and 4 went to the early screening with their dad and my daughter said it was too scary, and my son loved it The only negative thing was that all day all they could say to each other was die, kill, shoot and their normal car toy playtime was much more violent that it usually is. So it’s a bit on the violent side for the much younger audiences. As an adult, I loved it. I usually watch children’s movies thinking what will my kids think of this movie? How will they enjoy it? Will they think that’s funny? I watched the movie all the way though and never thought of my kids. You see, the 3D looks so natural, that you’re transported into their world. It was amazing down to every detail of the cities they visited. In Paris, you could see how dirty the streets were and that there was trash everywhere. Having visited Paris, I loved that they didn’t glamourize the city. Most movies seem to have scrubbed the streets before they started filming. My husband watched it and said that it’s the first movie he’s seen in 3D that actually makes sense in 3D. He even said, they looked like real pictures of the cities, and he had a hard time believing that they were generated by a computer because they looked so real.

Cars 2 enters theaters this Friday June 24th promising to entertain all ages with the newest installment of Lightening McQueen and Mater, but what a surprise it packs as it’s not just another car movie, it’s a spy spectacular action filled film. Summer begins for Mater the minute Lightening gets home from a season of racing and winning his 4th Piston (renamed to Doc Hudson Cup). Their plans quickly change as Mater ends up on the phone with Francesco Bernoulli telling him that his friend Lightening is the fastest car around, and well, they end up in a world race trying to prove that very fact. That’s when the action begins, because little did anyone know, they were all in the middle of the biggest oil conspiracy ever.

I should back up just a bit, and let you guys know that the movie actually begins with Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) pulling off a Mission Impossible/James Bond move gathering intel on a missing agent. He finds that a well known bad guy Professor Z is behind some kind of evil plan involving a video camera, and Finn was discovered before he was able to find out all the details so he had to flee for his life.

I really find myself feeling for Mater at the pre-party. He’s just being himself but he ends up embarrassing Lightening quite a bit. While Mater is trying to clean himself up, he’s mistaken for an American Spy that’s supposed to have all the answers to the espionage going on in Finn’s life, this is when we meet Holly Shiftwell. Holly has to step into the role of a field agent, because Finn can’t blow his cover. While Holly is talking spy talk to Mater, he ends up believing that he’s got a date!

This movie is all about Mater. As he enters the spy world all he can think about is how he’s disappointed Lightening McQueen. He wants to help Finn and does everything he can, until he finds out that even Finn sees him as a bumbling idiot. Mater learns that he is who he is and finds in the end that he’s happy that way. He loves his life and everyone loves him for who he is. Even Lightening wants Mater to be who he is because that’s who is best friend is.

Of course I left a lot of the details of the movie out, you need to go watch it yourself. There’s twists and turns and even eco friendly fuel brought to you by Sir Miles Axelrod (Eddie Izzard). You’ll feel like you’ve been transported right into a world of adventure and not even realize that almost 2 hours went by.

Disney paid for all expenses for me to attend the Red Carpet Premiere of Cars 2 in Hollywood.

Top Ten Cars 2 Toys

June 18, 2011 by Momstart 5 Comments

With the Cars 2 Movie coming out within the next week, there are many many really cool Cars 2 toys that should be on this list, but with any top ten list only ten can make the cut. So here is the Top Ten Cars 2 Toy List.

1. Cars 2 Lightning McQueen Learning Laptop by VTech

Revved for fun, the Lightning McQueen Learning Laptop features fifteen activities that teach letters, words, math and logic. It comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, LCD screen, fun tire-shaped mouse and three Cars character buttons. Geared for ages 4+ your kids will learn while enjoying the fun of Lightning McQueen.

2. Cars 2 Operation

Our kids love to play Operation and Cars 2 is sure to ignite a love for Operation in yours. Be sure to use a steady hand. If the tweezers touch the tow truck, warning noises will sound. The cars crew shifts into gear for another high-octane adventure in 2011 with Cars 2. Recommended age 6 and up. Players 1 or more

3. Cars 2 Monopoly Race Track Game

My husband and I are HUGE monopoly fans, we’re collectors actually and the Cars 2 Monopoly looks like a fine addition. Monopoly Cars 2 Edition is new and unlike any monopoly game seen yet. The game board has been made into a round racetrack that also serves as the game dice in this exciting take on the classic game. This child-friendly Cars 2 edition of Monopoly gives the younger real estate moguls in training a chance to face off and race to the finish line by outsmarting and out-bidding opponents. Recommended age 5 and up, players 2 to 8.

4. Cars 2 Grand Prix Microphone

Level 2 Grand Prix Microphone, the cordless Mic with built-in speakers allows you to Hear McQueen and Car Sound Effects. By age 3, toddlers have begun to imitate the words and tunes of familiar songs, learning through rhyme and repetition. Open-ended toys encourage imaginative, creative play.

5. Cars 2 Spy Shifters Transforming Finn McMissile

Spy Shifters Finn McMissile is ready for any secret mission! Press once and he will transform for action with his pop-open Tail Gun, and Top Missiles! Press again and his weapons go back undercover! Collect them all! Kids will love reenacting their favorite scenes from the movie with the Cars 2 Spy Shifters Transforming Finn Mc Missile.

6. Lights and Sounds Die-Cast Assortment Cars

Lights and Sounds Die-Cast Assortment Cars 2 Target Exclusive set is sure to be on my children’s wish list.

7. Disney Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix RIDEMAKERZ Lightning McQueen Custom Kit 12 Pieces

For the full RIDEMAKERZ experience you need to head out to your local Disney Store. Ridemakerz offers kids the opportunity to customize and "trick out" their very own Cars 2 ride! Disney Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix Lightning McQueen Custom Kit Includes: Body, 1 Spoiler, 4 Racing Slicks Tires, 4 Red 8-Barrel Rims, 1 Vented Dual Hood and Scoop. 2 Flamin’ Side Pipes 1 Decal Sheet.

8. LEGO Cars Mater’s Spy Zone 8424

Team up for a top secret spy mission! Holley Shiftwell and Mater are setting out on a super secret spy mission. Help Holley to equip Mater with brand new spy gear before they set out for adventure! Complete the mission together and make it back to the spy lab safe and sound!

9. Cars 2 Lightning McQueen Alive

Fans will be in awe to see Lightning McQueen’s big personality captured in a small package as he drives around by himself both forward and backward and in complete 360s, moves his eyes, shrugs his shoulders and moves his life-like mouth to speak signature phrases voiced by actor Owen Wilson (SRP $59.99, available Fall 2011

10.Cars 2: The Video Game

Cars 2: The Video Game lets players jump into the Cars 2 universe with some of their favorite Cars personalities such as Mater, Lightning McQueen and the newly introduced Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell in exotic locations around the globe. Fans can train to become world-class spies at the international training center for CHROME (Command Headquarters for Recon Operations and Motorized Espionage) and take on dangerous missions, compete to become the fastest racecar in the world, or use their spy skills in exciting, action-packed combat racing and battle arenas. Players can race against friends and family in either single or multiplayer modes with up to four players to unlock challenging new tracks, characters, events and thrilling spy missions.

Of course, there are many many more toys to choose from in the Cars 2 Toy Line. These are a few of the toys that I’ve actually seen, read about myself or held in my own hands. I received a few of the toys listed above on the Disney Dream Works Blogger Event.