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 tenth feature, released by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by John Lasseter with Brad Lewis. It pushed the franchise into international espionage territory, sending Lightning McQueen and Mater across Japan, Italy, and England on a racing circuit tangled up with spy intrigue. The film marked a stylistic departure for the studio, trading small town Americana for globe trotting set pieces, gadgetry, and a full antagonist roster more common to action cinema than Pixar's earlier work.
This cell centers on Professor Zündapp, the mastermind behind the film's spy plot and one of Pixar's rare true villains, a figure collectors seek out precisely because the studio so seldom builds a story around outright antagonists. His presence on 35mm ties directly to the mechanism driving Cars 2 forward, the schemes and reveals that separate this sequel from its predecessor. A cell bearing his likeness represents that narrative engine in physical form, a single frame preserved from the strip that once ran through a projector carrying his arc to audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Cars 2 (2011)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the strip's edge and lighting
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with modern polyester stock; dye image appears neutral with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same shot and match the animated feature Cars 2 (2011)
Era check
The polyester base tint, clean perforation punching, and positive colour print format are consistent with a 2011 theatrical release print
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 000063493
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
