Lightning McQueen joins the World Grand Prix in Cars 2.
Back in March, Pixar opened its doors to strangers from the outside and gave us an advanced peek at Cars 2 footage, the Toy Story short Hawaiian Vacation, and let us chat exclusively with John Lasseter and Emily Mortimer. Check out what we gleaned from our studio visit below.
Cars 2
Although we didn’t get to watch the entire Cars 2 movie at the studios, we saw enough footage to know that Finn McMissile, the British super spy, is sleek enough to tread water, scale vertical walls and disguise himself as other cars. The film’s spy and action elements are a welcome change to the pace of Radiator Springs. Cars 2 takes audiences on a ride around the world with Lightning McQueen and Mater when Lightning competes in the World Grand Prix. The animation of the international locations is, as usual, of highest quality. Even the water during the opening action sequence and light reflections in the glitzy, multi-colored illuminations of Japan are so meticulously animated, it’s a lot to take in.
"Water's never looked like that in computer-animated film. We've got this amazing lighting that just takes it to another level," Lasseter says. "The level of detail in this film is probably 10 times more than any Pixar film."
While the film is loaded with details – from puns on locations and characters to Easter eggs in scenes – younger viewers might have a harder time following the story. The spy disguises are done so well and there are so many more characters, it could be a bit confusing to keep them all straight. The stakes are higher this time, too. There are car deaths and a car torture scene (if cars could be tortured); however, nothing felt too gratuitous, and there’s plenty of humor with Mater around to keep things light.
Emily Mortimer, who saw the film in its entirety for the first time that day, marveled at its quality. "I didn't think it was possible to make an animated film that looked so glamorous. It looks as good if not better than most huge-budget, live-action spy movies." Her trip to Pixar studios allowed her to see first-hand the studio’s dedication to its art. "You come here and realize John and all the people here are perfectionists by their nature. But the whole ethos of the place is what all filmmaking should be – collaboration and making this thing organic over time." (Check out our
interviews with Lasseter, Mortimer and Larry the Cable Guy.)
Pixar studio tour
During late afternoon, one could take a stroll outside the main building and find a group enjoying a picnic on the grass near the iconic Luxo lamp. It's not uncommon to see an exercise group run by and stop to stretch. It feels a lot like a college campus where students live and breathe their projects until completion.
Across from the main building, an empty lot is prepped to become a new soccer field. Adjacent to it is the new Brooklyn Building, still undergoing its final touches at the time of our visit. It’s three stories of unobstructed halls, wide windows and asymmetrical design making use of salvaged wood and natural lighting – beneficial for a creative environment.
Brooklyn Building contains a lot of cool things that would make any non-Pixarian envious of the awesome gig these people have. The theater inside seats 115, and above the theater doors is a silhouette pattern of the Luxo lamp. The whole building is actually laden with Easter eggs – silhouettes of Pixar characters placed strategically on the floor or around the walls. Our guide also shows us a special room he calls the secret heart lounge, right behind the furnace in the middle of the lobby. He puts in his key card and the door creaks open with a haunted house sound effect. Inside, it's a cozy space with a bar, fridge, couch and plasma screen. But it looks like the walls are all burnt and the furniture has been blackened by the blaze of the furnace. The furniture company actually burns the wooden frame of the furniture and then upholsters it, and the plasma will soon be framed to make it look like a painting. It's connected to a camera on the roof overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, so whoever's inside the lounge can enjoy a romantic view.
We also got to see Lasseter's office, which he himself hadn't seen at the time, but as a car aficionado he obviously had a say in the decor. It was being prepped to house a 103-inch 3D plasma screen and a glass desk with 640 individual compartments to display dye-cast model cars.
Hawaiian VacationPixar screened the six-minute Toy Story short, Hawaiian Vacation, which is attached to Cars 2. Toy Story fans are in for a cute little surprise when Barbie and Ken find themselves back in Bonnie's room with the rest of the gang, rather than on vacation in Hawaii with Bonnie. Pixar and Mattel engaged in deep negotiations for the scripted first kiss between their two prominent dolls—on whether or not they'd be allowed to kiss and when. (And you thought a human kiss was complicated!)
After the neatly tied-up Toy Story 3 ending, the creators jumped at the opportunity to revisit their beloved characters in short form, and the main cast returned too. With so many characters, most of them have only a line or two, and the story hinges on already knowing who they are. It looks like we'll be getting more of the Toy Story gang in these six-minute snippets; Pixar has announced the next Toy Story short is attached to The Muppets, opening in November.
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