Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Cars 2 arrived in 2011 as Pixar's sequel to its 2006 hit, sending Lightning McQueen and the Radiator Springs crew into a globe-trotting spy caper alongside Mater. Directed by John Lasseter, the film marked Pixar's continued dominance in family animation and its willingness to stretch a beloved property into new genres, blending racing spectacle with espionage. Released by Walt Disney Pictures, it extended a franchise that had already become a merchandising juggernaut, keeping Lightning McQueen firmly in the cultural spotlight.
This cell centers on Lightning McQueen in a racing context, the character whose championship ambitions anchor the entire franchise. Collectors prize McQueen material because he remains the franchise's central figure, the face that launched toys, theme park attractions, and two further sequels. A racing scene from 35mm stock places him in his most fundamental element, the competitive circuit that defined his introduction in the original film and continues to define his identity here, distinct from the spy plot surrounding him.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Cars 2 (2011).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area; Dolby Digital pixel blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-teal tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; dye image reads as warm and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated content is consistent with Cars 2 (2011).
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track, on a blue-tinted safety base, is consistent with a theatrical release print from the 2011 era.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063489
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
