User:TravisBernard/Cars 2

Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, racecar Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and tow truck Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage. The film is directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Brad Lewis, written by Ben Queen, and produced by Denise Ream. Cars 2 is also the first movie John Lasseter has directed since the release of the original Cars in 2006.

The film is being distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and will be released in the United States on June 24, 2011 and the United Kingdom on July 22, 2011. The movie will be presented in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, as well as traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats. The film was first announced in 2008, along side Up, Newt, and Brave (previously known as The Bear and the Bow), and it is the 12th animated film from Pixar Animation Studios.

Plot
Racecar Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater embark on a journey to Europe and Japan to compete in the first World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. During the adventure, Mater becomes sidetracked by international espionage, while Lightning McQueen continues his pursuit to win the World Grand Prix. Mater is torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the World Grand Prix and helping with a top-secret spy mission. Through the journey, Mater and Lightning McQueen meet a new cast of friends and enemies, including Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine), Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro), and Holley Shiftwell (voiced by Emily Mortimer).

Voice cast

 * Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen
 * Larry the Cable Guy as Mater
 * Michael Caine as Finn McMissile
 * Emily Mortimer as Holley Shiftwell
 * Eddie Izzard as Miles Axlerod
 * Jason Isaacs as Siddeley
 * Thomas Kretschmann as Professor Zündapp
 * Joe Mantegna as Grem
 * Peter Jacobson as Acer
 * Tony Shalhoub as Luigi
 * Guido Quaroni as Guido
 * Paul Dooley as Sarge
 * John Ratzenberger as Mack
 * John Turturro as Francesco Bernoulli
 * Jeff Gordon as Jeff Gorvette
 * Lewis Hamilton as Lewis Hamilton
 * Darrell Waltrip as Darrell Cartrip
 * Brent Musburger as Brent Mustangburger
 * David Hobbs as David Hobbscap
 * Bruce Campbell as Rod "Torque" Redline
 * John Lasseter as John Lassetire
 * Franco Nero as Uncle Topolino
 * Vanessa Redgrave as Mama Topolino /The Queen of England
 * Michel Michelis as Tomber
 * Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera
 * Cheech Marin as Ramone
 * Jenifer Lewis as Flo
 * Michael Wallis as Sheriff
 * Mark Winterbottom as Frosty (Australian release only)
 * Lloyd Sherr as Fillmore
 * Sig Hansen as Crabby the boat.
 * Katherine Helmond as Lizzie

Development
Cars is the second Pixar film, after Toy Story, to have a sequel. John Lasseter, the director of the film, said that he was convinced of the sequel's story while traveling around the world promoting the first film. He said:

"I kept looking out thinking, 'What would Mater do in this situation, you know?' I could imagine him driving around on the wrong side of the road in the UK, going around in big, giant traveling circles in Paris, on the autobahn in Germany, dealing with the motor scooters in Italy, trying to figure out road signs in Japan."

Cars 2 was originally scheduled for a summer 2012 release, but Pixar moved the release up by a year. No explanation for the shift in release dates has been publicly announced.

In 2009, Disney registered several domain names, hinting to audiences that the title and theme of the film would be in relation to a World Grand Prix.

On March 2011, Jake Mandeville-Anthony, a U.K. screenwriter, sued Disney and Pixar alleging copyright infringement and breach of implied contract. In his complaint he alleged that Cars and Cars 2 are based in part on work that he had submitted early in the 1990s and he sought an injunction to stop the release of Cars 2 and requested actual or statutory damages. On May 13, 2011 Disney responded to the lawsuit, denying "each and every one of Plaintiff's legal claims concerning the purported copyright infringement and substantial similarity of the parties' respective works."

Casting
In November 2010, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, and Thomas Kretschmann were confirmed as the voice talent featured in the film. From November 2010 until May 2011, Disney released information about the other voice talent, including Jenifer Lewis, Katherine Helmond, Michael Wallis, Darrell Waltrip, Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave, Bruce Campbell, Sig Hansen, Michel Michelis, Jeff Gordon, Lewis Hamilton, Brent Musburger, David Hobbs, John Turturro, and Eddie Izzard.

Much of the cast from the original Cars remained intact for the sequel, but three voice actors of the original film have died since its release. George Carlin (who voiced Fillmore) died on June 22, 2008 due to heart failure. Fillmore has been cast in Cars 2, and will be voiced by Lloyd Sherr. Paul Newman (who voiced Doc Hudson) died on September 26, 2008 due to cancer. After Newman's death, Lasseter said they would "see how the story goes with Doc Hudson." It has been confirmed that Doc Hudson will not be returning for the film. In addition, Joe Ranft (who voiced Red) died on August 16, 2005, ten months prior to the release of the first film, due to an automobile accident. Red will be appearing in the film.

Marketing
The first teaser trailer of the film appeared on the Blu-ray and DVD editions of Toy Story 3 that was released on November 2, 2010. The teaser trailer was also released on Pixar's official YouTube channel. The full length trailer of the film was released on Pixar's official YouTube channel on November 15, 2010, and it was also shown in front of Tangled. Two new trailers were released on Walt Disney Studios' and Pixar's YouTube channel on March 7, 2011. The final theatrical trailer was released on May 12, including a complete takeover of the iTunes Movie Trailer page. On the official Cars Facebook page, a tab labeled 'Cars Showcase' was added in which images and descriptions of new characters from the film are unveiled occasionally. Videos of the characters in a turntable have also been released on Pixar's YouTube channel. Disney has released several "vintage" posters for the movie, depicting the characters from the film with a retro look.

The marketing for Cars 2 also included a viral campaign. The campaign began during WonderCon where a Twitter account "@ChromeLeaks" was revealed. The Twitter account led individuals to a website called "Cars-N-Deals.com" that included a viral ad for an Emeryville car dealership. Within the viral ad, a link for ChromeA113.com was revealed. ChromeA113.com included a new clip from Cars 2 that featured a high speed chase scene with Michael Caine's character, Finn McMissile.

Lee Unkrich, the director of Toy Story 3, confirmed that a short film featuring characters from the Toy Story film series would be included in the theatrical release of Cars 2. The short is titled Hawaiian Vacation and it will feature the characters of Barbie and Ken from Toy Story 3.

A video game based on the movie will be developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC and Nintendo 3DS on June 21, 2011. The Playstation 3 version of the game was reported to feature stereoscopic 3D gameplay, though it was not said whether the 3DS version will be in 3D or not.

Soundtrack
Cars 2 is the fourth Pixar film to be scored by Michael Giacchino after The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Up.

Images

 * Finn McMissile image.
 * Mater and Lightning McQueen image.
 * Mater, Lightning McQueen, and Finn McMissile in Tokyo image.