137 replies to this topic

[vjmorton]

Peter T Chattaway, on 12 December 2010 - 06:08 PM, said:

But hey, what does it mean to have a "Popemobile" in a world with no Popes (i.e. no humans)? What kind of churches and sacraments can they have in a purely automotive world?

Well, there's no shortage of oil for Extreme Unction. Although for Baptism, they have to let the radiator cool off a bit.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Pixar used to give cameos to its mentors (e.g. the Frank & Ollie cameo in The Incredibles); now it's giving cameos to itself:

- - -

Pixar chief gets 'Cars' cameo role
Pixar chief John Lasseter is unwittingly driving into the next instalment of Cars - a film that will also have a speaking role for Sir Michael Caine.
The producers of Cars 2 surprised the Disney and Pixar animation chief in honour of Pixar's 25th anniversary by introducing a hefty yellow pick-up truck named John Lassetire (Lassetyre) in the upcoming sequel.
Lasseter said they registered the character's name to celebrate the animation studio behind such films as Toy Story, WALL-E and Up.
"It was news to me," said Lasseter, who is also serving as a director on the animated film.
"I did not know about that, so I was a little surprised. I ended up voicing this character. It was just one line, but now I have a Cars character. I'm very excited about that. He's a good ol' American pick-up truck, which I think is very appropriate for John Lassetire." . . .
Press Association, February 11

[Peter T Chattaway]

[David Smedberg]

I guess this resolves -- at least temporarily -- the question of whether they're leaving the Popemobile line in.

[Peter T Chattaway]

[Peter T Chattaway]

The British trailer, not surprisingly, emphasizes the Michael-Caine-as-Bondian-superspy angle a little more:

[Peter T Chattaway]

Does anyone pay John Lasseter any heed any more when he talks about how he is "So. Excited." over a new film? It isn't until later in the trailer that he gets a bit more convincingly, uh, animated.

Gotta love the "I'm a consumer of the product" line, too. Yeah, yeah, we KNEW the very existence of this movie was motivated by the need for more merchandise, but still, no need to go all Sy Sperling on us.

And of course, there's no reference here to the fact that Lasseter was not the original director of this film, but took over only after it ran into story troubles etc.

[Peter T Chattaway]

[Peter T Chattaway]

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 19 May 2011 - 09:40 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

[Peter T Chattaway]

Drew McWeeny @ Hitfix:

Frantic, loud, colorful, like a bowlful of the sugariest sugar cereal ever made, "Cars 2" is like Red Bull for Babies, pure unfiltered stimulation without any of the thematic weight of the original. What it loses in gentle observations about the value of small town life, it more than makes up for in explosions, spy movie conventions bent to comic effect, and more explosions. "Cars 2" is Mater's movie every bit as much as "Cars" was Lightning McQueen's movie, and it'll be interesting to see if that shift in perspective bothers children or if they even notice. My guess is they'll be so busy trying to untangle the film's narrative that they won't notice anything else. . . .

I do have a few hesitations. The film plays awfully rough for a Pixar movie, killing a lot of cars onscreen. A lot. There's also a lot of gunplay. I think it will surprise many parents. It's obviously not "graphic," but there's a lot of it, and the film manages to suggest real peril for the various characters. I think Pixar might even be surprised by the way some parents react to it, because there's no way parents won't be seeing this film this summer. There are a lot of bathroom jokes, too. Easy laughs aren't really what I think of when I think of Pixar. . . .

Justin Chang @ Variety:

If "Cars" was perhaps the least engaging of Pixar's hugely successful animated features, John Lasseter and his team have hit the creative accelerator with the unexpectedly delightful "Cars 2." The rare sequel that not only improves on but retroactively justifies its predecessor, this lightning-paced caper-comedy shifts the franchise into high gear with international intrigue, spy-movie spoofery and more automotive puns than you can shake a stickshift at, handling even its broader stretches with sophistication, speed and effortless panache. High-performance B.O. is assured, but as with "Cars," ancillary/merchandising is where this expertly souped-up entertainment will leave others in the dust. . . .

Todd McCarthy @ Hollywood Reporter:

Even as recent Pixar films have benefited from increased simplicity and modulation of mood and effect, Lasseter keeps Cars 2 running at close to the red line from start to finish with nary a pit stop to refuel. On balance, it's more exhilarating than exhausting, but there are moments when sensory overload threatens to set in. More is better seems to be the by-word, but a bit less aw-shucks humor and Looney Tunes-like madness over the long haul would have made for a more agreeable balance. . . .

[Overstreet]

Ah. I *knew* I was forgetting to go to something yesterday morning. Sigh. Oh well, it'll be more fun to see it with a bunch of friends than by myself.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Ooooo, shades of the 'Stay the course!' debate over WALL-E!

- - -

Pixar and Disney at odds over Big Oil
The villain in Pixar’s new “Cars 2″ feature, opening June 24 is … wait for it … Big Oil.
Shocked? Anyone who saw Pixar’s “Wall*E,” with its slams against consumerism, shouldn’t be. But while Pixar films try to work their way into the hearts and minds of a gazillion kiddies, their corporate string pullers are squeezing every last cent out of the Pixar franchises. And burning plenty of non-alternative fuel in the process, no doubt. . . .
Christian Toto, June 20

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 20 June 2011 - 10:24 PM.

[Thom Wade]

Peter T Chattaway, on 20 June 2011 - 10:24 PM, said:

But while Pixar films try to work their way into the hearts and minds of a gazillion kiddies, their corporate string pullers are squeezing every last cent out of the Pixar franchises. And burning plenty of non-alternative fuel in the process, no doubt. . . .
Christian Toto, June 20

The filmmakers are not the corporation. But furthermore, making products for consumption and casting a critical eye on mindless/blind consumption are not the same thing. And in a world where alternative fuel options are still comparatively rare, this is hardly the "gotcha". Critics of Big Oil are not hypocrites just because they are stuck using Big Oil's product. This criticism would be like saying, "The villain in our movie is a banker-BUT AHA! You put your money in a BANK!" or "Your movie villain is a lawyer-BUT AHA! Your company has lawyers!!!" In other words, it's only a gotcha if you toss out reason.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Nezpop wrote:
: And in a world where alternative fuel options are still comparatively rare, this is hardly the "gotcha".

Perhaps. I'm just surprised to see John Lasseter promoting ethanol, of all things. I haven't heard anybody mention ethanol in the last few years without also mentioning that the cost of food is going up because so much corn is being diverted into people's gas tanks.

[SDG]

Peter T Chattaway, on 21 June 2011 - 08:45 AM, said:

Perhaps. I'm just surprised to see John Lasseter promoting ethanol, of all things. I haven't heard anybody mention ethanol in the last few years without also mentioning that the cost of food is going up because so much corn is being diverted into people's gas tanks.

Has Lasseter said something about ethanol, or do you just mean the general theme of alternative fuels?

[Peter T Chattaway]

SDG wrote:
: Has Lasseter said something about ethanol, or do you just mean the general theme of alternative fuels?

He mentions ethanol specifically (among other things) in the Wall Street Journal article that Toto quotes.

[bowen]

Cars 2 has gone where no Pixar movie has gone before: rotten at Rotten Tomatoes (59% fresh with 17 reviews). Many more reviews yet to come in, so it could still very possibly flip back to fresh, but new territory for the studio it remains.

[SDG]

bowen, on 21 June 2011 - 09:43 PM, said:

Cars 2 has gone where no Pixar movie has gone before: rotten at Rotten Tomatoes (59% fresh with 17 reviews). Many more reviews yet to come in, so it could still very possibly flip back to fresh, but new territory for the studio it remains.

Heh. I just said the same thing a few minutes ago to Suz.

[Peter T Chattaway]

bowen wrote:
: Cars 2 has gone where no Pixar movie has gone before: rotten at Rotten Tomatoes (59% fresh with 17 reviews).

Interesting! FWIW, it's currently 62% based on 5 critics at Metacritic.