CARS?

Originally Posted By Santa Monica

The article makes me really really excited for Cars.

Here are some highlights for those who don't want to read through the whole thing:

He hasn't directed a film since "Toy Story 2" in 1999, but the idea for "Cars" has been percolating in Lasseter for years.

"This is a very personal story," he said. "It's about a character that discovers that the journey in life is the reward. It's about growing up."

The theme emerged during a cross-country road trip Lasseter took with his wife and five sons in the summer of 2000.

"From 1990 to 1999, I worked straight through," he said. "Things had gotten out of balance in my life."

For two months, Lasseter and his family drove from the west to the east coast, veering off the interstates into small towns and soaking up the ambience of rural America.

He became fascinated with the legendary stretch of road known as Route 66, the main artery through the heartland until the big highways were built in the 1950s.

The towns along Route 66, with their kitschy diners and wigwam-shaped motels, had faded into obscurity. Lasseter decided that one of those places, the mythical town of Radiator Springs, would become the setting for "Cars."

It's the saga of Lightning McQueen, a hot-shot animated stock-car voiced by actor Owen Wilson. En route to a big race, the cocky McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family.

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"The cars are alive," Lasseter said. "There're no humans in this world. We took a dive into the culture of the '50s, when you could do anything you wanted in a car."

His characters see the world through their "eyes" in the windshield -- rock formations resemble hood ornaments, clouds look like auto parts, a butte jutting up in the desert is shaped like a giant radiator.

"A gas station to a car is like a restaurant to us," Lasseter said. "The mechanic is the doctor, and the tire store is like a shoe store."

"Cars" includes breathtaking sequences of NASCAR races and poignant moments set at dusk in the desert. There's action, adventure and plenty of laughs in McQueen's encounters with the colorful residents of Radiator Springs.

And whether it's the roar of the engines at the track or the texture of the rust on an old tow truck, the Pixar animators strove for absolute authenticity.

"Even though they are cartoon characters come to life, the car aficionados will know that we did our homework," Lasseter said.

----

His obsessive attention to detail is apparent when he critiques hand-drawn sketches of scenes from "Cars." So far, animators have created more than 43,000 of them.

"Sometimes there's no better way than the old way," he said. "This is the exact same process Walt Disney used."

The sound of every car in the film was recorded and replicated. The color of the peeling paint on old buildings on Route 66 was matched. Even the reflections on the animated cars will be the same as if they actually existed.

"I tell people that the eye just isn't going to notice it, but they're going to feel it," he said. "They're going to notice it if it wasn't there. It won't feel real."

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Lasseter's journey, for now, is all about "Cars." The movie promises to be a celebration of four-wheeled transportation and a cinematic homage to cars of the past and the way of life they represented.

"I want to make this so cool that every kid who sees this is going to want to visit Radiator Springs," he said.

"Hopefully it'll get them out on car trips and trying to find these great places."

It's that child-like sense of wonder that Pixar has tapped into with classics such as "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo."

And in the cutthroat, competitive arena of the international auto industry, a little wide-eyed optimism sounds pretty refreshing.

"Once the lights dim, you get swept away with watching these characters and get carried away in this world," Lasseter said. "It's a blast and they make you laugh and there's a heart, and that's so important."

If there's a message in "Cars," it's a simple one.

"I just want everybody to know," Lasseter said, "that it's our love letter to the car."

 

Originally Posted By narkspud

>>when you could do anything you wanted in a car.<<

Hmmmmmmmmm . . .

 

Originally Posted By ni_teach

>I haven't seen the trailer

you can watch it on line at:
<a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/trailers/</a>

 

Originally Posted By Imagineer This

Any more news on "Cars"?

 

Originally Posted By mapleservo

There's a NEW Cars trailer here!

<a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/cars/" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/trailers/
disney/cars/</a>

I loved this one...although your mileage may vary...

 

Originally Posted By JeffG

Although I've found the trailers to be a bit underwhelming (this one is better than the earlier one, though), I still have very positive expectations for the film based on everything I know about it.

-Jeff

 

Originally Posted By Imagineer This

I hope CARS will be a nice surprise and a nice last movie if Pixar does not come back. Do you think Pixar will?

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

The buzz on Nemo was notmuch different than that on Cars -- and concerns about a film ' under water' etc. -- i think Cars will do fine but I also believe a new agreement between PIXAR and DIsney will be reached before Spring, and before the next big PIXAR project starts

 

Originally Posted By Imagineer This

I hope there will be more buzz on Cars in 2006. We still don't know much about the characters or the plot? If this is Pixars last movie for Disney I hope they go out with another hit.

 

Originally Posted By DDMAN26

Cars got a nice reaction when I saw Narnia. It was nothing like the reaction to Pirates, but you could see nods of approval when the trailer came up.

 

Originally Posted By disneyfreaksk

^Happy Birthday Disneyland!
Come on-It's Pixar. It will be a blockbuster!
I remember the trailer to Toy Story 2 when they played the song, "The Boys are Back in Town!"
Can't wait for Pixarland! Hope they build it in AZ!
Yo Ho

 

Originally Posted By JohnS1

Sorry for being such a dunce, but when does this movie come out?

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

June 9th.

 

Originally Posted By mickey_ring

So after reading post 41, Cars is like "Robots"? Search for something and find friendship is a better reward.

Here's a title: AutoBiography.

 

Originally Posted By JeffG

>> "So after reading post 41, Cars is like "Robots"? Search for something and find friendship is a better reward." <<

That describes a pretty large percentage of movie stories...

From what I know about the film, I doubt the story will resemble "Robots" much at all. I have heard that the plot is very similar to the Michael J. Fox movie "Doc Hollywood" in many ways, though.

-Jeff

 

Originally Posted By Santa Monica

<<Cars got a nice reaction when I saw Narnia. It was nothing like the reaction to Pirates, but you could see nods of approval when the trailer came up.>>

Was this the trailer that's like a new car commercial? If so, I love that trailer.

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

The trailer I just saw with Narnia had the cars talking to each other -- like a VM microbus being told that the 60's were not kind to him...it got a nice reception --( but yes the pirates trailer got long applause )

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

The Cars trailer tells nothing about the story... it merely shows some cute cars that talk. For that reason alone, it wouldn't elicit much of a response. Pirates on the other hand was a major hit, so much of the audience already knows something about it, and are looking forward to the next installment.

 

Originally Posted By electra

>>>The trailer I just saw with Narnia had the cars talking to each other -- like a VM microbus being told that the 60's were not kind to him...<<<


see this is the problem I have with the concept of the movie. Supposedly its set in a world where only cars exist. So, what exactly would the "60's" be in reference to? was there an automobile hippy counterculture movment? What were these cars rebelling against? who exactly makes the gas stations they use to fill up their tanks? Who built the roads, the cars themselves? How?

Ok I know the movie hasn't come out yet & that Im probably putting too much thought into what's just supposed to be a fun animated flick but still...the whole concept is gonna be a bit hard for me to get into...we'll see.