Start your engines! Boys, both big and small, love cars — and it's almost certain that your little man also loves the movie Cars. Throw him a "wheelie" cool party for his next birthday, inspired by the movie — with a few inspirational ideas from this Cars-themed birthday party that will have your head spinning!
Source: Branco Prata
We introduced you to Pixar's Canada production facilities, now meet the studio's first animated short release, Air Mater, which is included on the Cars 2 DVD released today.
Even though a Pixar short is at most six minutes long, the production time in crafting the expert animation style that sets the studio apart from other animated films is much longer than a fan would expect. From story concept to final release, a film like Air Mater takes about one year to complete, with four to six of those months budgeted for crucial technical steps like character drafting, creating painstakingly detailed background animation, and final rendering. According to Pixar Canada's creative director Dylan Brown, each second in a film is made up of 24 single images created by hand.
Expect the studio to continue to turn out these "three bite gourmet meals" films, the quick snapshots into the lives of our favorite Toy Story and Cars characters. Check out the Air Mater trailer for the truck's first foray into the world of aviation, and think of how at 40 seconds long, this clip includes well over 900 separate images!
When Cal Weaver (Steve Carell)'s wife (Julianne Moore) blindsides him with the news that she has cheated on him and wants a divorce, the heartbroken and newly single guy turns to ladies' man Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Jacob helps him re-enter the dating world by coaching him on how to successfully approach women, but gets more than he bargained for when he meets his match in Hannah (Emma Stone). Carell and Gosling have incredible onscreen chemistry, and it's refreshing to see Gosling in a comedic role. DVD extras include deleted scenes and featurettes with Gosling and Carell.
Based on the bestseller by Sara Gruen, this film chronicles the romance between Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), who works as the veterinarian for a traveling big-top circus, and the show's lead performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), who just so happens to be married to temperamental ring leader August (Christoph Waltz). Though the film isn't as comprehensive as the novel, it does a great job presenting the material it does use, while also capturing the visually stunning and colorful world of the circus. The DVD includes an interview with Pattinson, as well as a featurette on adapting the novel for the big screen.
See one more DVD release when you keep reading.
We know that kids love mom and dad's technology, but is mama ready to hand it over to her kids, outright? Disney is hoping so! The soon-to-be introduced Disney AppMATes is a free iPad download that works with specially designed Cars 2 characters to convert the device into a virtual Radiator Springs for tots. Sold in two-packs ($20), the characters have sensors on their bases that activate the app to transport lil ones into the virtual world. Once the toys are placed on the iPad, kids can explore the town, go on missions designed for each character, race, and play games.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 spellbound muggles all over the world over this weekend, taking in a record-breaking $168.5 million — the most any film has grossed in an opening weekend in history. The film also set new records for biggest midnight opening ever, and now holds the title for best opening day ever. Potter’s success bumped Transformers, which had previously held the biggest opening of 2011, to second place with $21.2 million, while Horrible Bosses moved to third with $17.6 million. Zookeeper slipped to fourth with $12.3 million, followed by Cars 2, which rounded out the top five with $8.3 million.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
Not many films have been able to hang on to the box office crown for long this Summer, but Transformers: Dark of the Moon is proving to be an exception. The Michael Bay sequel scored the top spot for the second weekend in a row, taking in $47 million this past weekend. New comedy Horrible Bosses settled for a distant second, taking in a healthy $28.1 million. Kevin James's box office magic seems to be dwindling, as Zookeeper opened in third with $21 million.
Cars 2 slipped to fourth with $15.2 million, while Bad Teacher hung on to the top five by earning $9 million. Though Transformers is the Summer's biggest success so far, next week's release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 should make for stiff competition.
Photo courtesy of Paramount
As expected, Transformers: Dark of the Moon dominated the Fourth of July Weekend, taking in a whopping $97.4 million to secure first place (the film has grossed over $162 million since opening last Wednesday). It didn't just win the crown though; the movie also set a new record for the biggest Fourth of July weekend opening ever, and the biggest opening of 2011.
Last week's champ, Cars 2, settled for a distant second with $25.1 million, while Bad Teacher dipped to third place, taking in $14.1 million. Tom Hanks's romantic comedy Larry Crowne made its debut in fourth with $13 million, followed by new teen flick Monte Carlo, which rounded out the top five with $7.6 million.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
This weekend is going long thanks to the Fourth of July, and it's the perfect opportunity to relax, set off fireworks, and if you're like me, go see a movie. But with the offerings at the theater right now, you might want a little help picking something to watch, especially when there are friends or family members to please as well. Check out my movie guide to choose the right flick for you and yours.
Ka-chicka! Ka-chicka! Cars 2 raced its way to win the box office over the weekend, and now lil ones are begging for their own pieces of the action. The film is on track to be the most merchandised film in history which means if you think you are surrounded by Lightning McQueen and Mater toys now, just wait until the holiday season! If you're in the market for some Cars gear, check out these great finds for tots of all ages.
Cars 2 may not have received the same critical acclaim as its Pixar predecessors, but it still earned box office success. The kids' movie scored the top spot and took in $68 million for its debut weekend. Right behind it was Bad Teacher, which opened with $31 million. Green Lantern dipped to third with $18.5 million, while Super 8 took fourth with $12.1 million. Mr. Popper's Penguins completed the top five with $10.3 million.
Photo courtesy of Pixar
![Larry the Cable Guy and Emily Mortimer Cars 2 Interview [Video]](http://media2.onsugar.com/files/2011/06/25/0/192/1922398/8119a92fdf6c318d_Screen_shot_2011-06-26_at_11.29.20_AM/i/Larry-Cable-Guy-Emily-Mortimer-Cars-2-Interview-Video.png "Larry the Cable Guy and Emily Mortimer Cars 2 Interview [Video]")
