Design for the Road in ‘Cars 2’

FOR the sequel to its 2006 film, “Cars,” Pixar Animation Studios once again takes to the streets to bring vehicles to life. But the roads this time are filled with considerably more adventure, excitement and peril. Think of shaken, not stirred. The plot of “Cars 2,” opening Friday, bears more resemblance to an entry in the James Bond franchise than it does to the original film.

Lightning McQueen, the little race car that could (voiced by Owen Wilson), returns, along with his tow-truck friend, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The two head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix, a race to determine the fastest car on the planet. Along the way Mater is mistaken for an American agent and becomes caught up in a global spy conspiracy that takes him, and the story, to Tokyo, London, Paris and a new city created for the film, an Italian spot called Porto Corsa. Michael Caine joins the cast as the voice of the British spy Finn McMissile, along with Emily Mortimer as the rookie operative Holley Shiftwell.

Live-action espionage films often involve extensive location shoots, and Pixar sought ways to give the movie that grand scale. The film’s director, John Lasseter (who is also chief creative officer of both Pixar and Disney), and his production team did their own kind of location scouting: traveling to several of the cities their characters visit and cataloging details for use in the movie’s visual strategy.

Following is a closer look at three of the cities, with thoughts from the production designer, Harley Jessup, and Mr. Lasseter on how the locations were adapted for a driverless universe of cars. MEKADO MURPHY

‘Cars 2′ Shifts Gears From the Original (Slideshow)

When you ask car fanatics to name the top three racing films they usually start with “Grand Prix” (1966), and “Le Mans” (1971). The order may vary but these are almost always the top two.

For decades number three often bounced among “Winning” (1969), “Days of Thunder” (1990), “The Gumball Rally” (1976) and even “Driven” (2001).) Then ”Cars” came along in 2006 and for me, ended the contest. Sure it’s a cartoon, but it blows those others away in terms of plot, pacing and character development.

It was also sprinkled with gifts for viewers who really care about automobiles. There were the racing scenes in which we could see the little bits of tire rubber known as “marbles” bouncing on the edges of the track. Even the way the cars moved was surprisingly authentic, from Sally the taut, modern Porsche to Sheriff, who looked like a 1949 Mercury and wallowed on soft springs.

“Cars 2,” which opens June 24, is full of gifts, too, but they are slathered on rather than sprinkled. There are some treasures, like the time Formula One racer Francesco Bernoulli spots his mother in the grandstands at a race. She looks like a 1967 Ferrari 312 grand prix car and wears a lovely scarf.

The villains, who try to maintain widespread dependence on Big Oil by sabotaging alternative fuels include miserable models from the past like the Yugo and American Motors Gremlin and Pacer. They’re hilarious, especially for viewers who remember these lemons from the 1970s and 1980s. But there are so many funny old cars that I got distracted trying to identify all of them. Was that a BMW 2002?

We’re reacquainted with “Cars” star Lightning McQueen, but we don’t get to really catch up with him before Finn McMissile, a British spy car in the mold of James Bond, takes over the story. Finn is wonderfully fast, agile, resourceful and wise. He also sounds great with veteran actor Michael Caine providing his voice.

But I wanted to hear more about the four Piston Cups Lightning has won since 2006. How did he win them? Is Chick Hicks still hounding him on the track or have other racing rivals taken his place? What about his relationship with Sally? Marriage? Offspring? Whose movie is it, anyway?

Lakewood Man Brings Private Movie Screening To Local Youth

Lakewood resident Ken Bollman can turn the key, because this event is officially a go.

Weeks of planning, banging on doors and single-handed fundraising efforts have finally resulted in a green flag for a July 6 private screening of the Disney Pixar animated movie “Cars 2” to benefit the Lakewood Branch Boys & Girls Club of Puget Sound.

Scheduled for July 6 at 5:45 p.m. at the AMC Loews movie theater at the Lakewood Towne Center, the movie will be preceded and followed by a “Cruise-In for The Kids” informal car show starting in the former GI Joe's parking lot at the corner of Main Street and 59th Avenue SW in the Lakewood Towne Center.

All donations and sponsorships will benefit the Lakewood Boys & Girls Club Branch, Bollman said.

For Bollman, 49, who became sales manager a month ago at European Motors, 5911 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, it’s all about community spirit and giving something back to his town and local youth.

Bollman traces his community spirit to a personal turning point that occurred the day after he arrived in Manhattan on a business trip on Sept. 10, 2001.

“Everyone knows what happened the next day,” he said tearfully, referring to the terrorist attack on New York’s World Trade Center. “Being a veteran traveler, I was used to being able to shuffle along with anything that happened. But I never felt so helpless in my life, being on the other side of the country.”

That single, devastating event made him realize just how much life turns on a dime, and just how important it is to stay close to family and home .

“I decided to make a real change,” he said. “So I resigned the position I loved and started a new career locally in real estate. Now I’m in the car business.”

Bollman said he recently saw a movie trailer for "Cars 2," the animated sequel. That got him thinking about his own passion for all things automotive. The idea really started to gel, however, when an advertisement appeared on the big screen for private showings of current movies.

“My affinity to Motown and American-made automobiles has something to do with my life right now, and that came from having lived in the Detroit area from 1968 through 1972,” said Bollman, the son of a former minister and social worker.

“I thought, OK, I’m going to do a private screening to help make an impact on the community and get something good going,” he said. “I looked around the community and realized the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound is, far and away, the No. 1 non-profit organization inside the city limits of Lakewood.”

Private screenings typically require rental of between 155 and 205 seats, Bollman said. Originally, the plan was to solicit contributions from friends and other business people to cover the $2,000-plus cost. But that proved difficult because of today’s struggling economy.

As a result, it took a lot more leg work and knocking on doors than originally anticipated. Ultimately, however, Bollman was able to firm up the donations and set a screening date with Loews Towne Center.

Erik Kramer, director of the Gary and Carol Milgard Family Hope Center Lakewood Branch Boys and Girls Club, said he is thrilled about having Bollman and other business people sponsor the screening for Lakewood’s underprivileged youth.

“It was actually ironic. I was already planning on stopping by and seeing Ken at European Motors and trying to meet the business community,” he said.

“It’s exciting for our kids,” Kramer added. “I know a lot of them loved the first "Cars" movie. I think the sequel would be something they’ll really gravitate towards.”

Kramer said most of the youngsters using the club receive free or reduced-price lunches at school. More than 80 percent come from low-income families that typically do not have a lot of money for recreational activities, he said.

“Most of the things they do recreation-wise actually are through the Boys & Girls Clubs, from going on field trips to movies and things like that,” Kramer said.

“You and I might not think of it as a big burden,” he noted, “but it’s about $10 for a movie ticket now. That’s why I thank Ken for giving our kids the opportunity of having an event like this.”

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