Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Cars 2 arrived from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures in 2011, a sequel that pushed the franchise away from Radiator Springs and into a globe-spanning espionage plot. Following the studio's string of critical triumphs, it marked a shift in tone, trading small-town nostalgia for gadgetry, spycraft, and international racing circuits. Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen took a backseat here, with the film instead built around Mater's misadventures as an accidental secret agent alongside British spies Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, voiced by Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer.
This cell brings together the film's true central trio: Mater, whose bumbling charm carries the entire spy plot, paired with Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, the sleek British agents who pull him into their world. Collectors prize this pairing because it captures the unlikely alliance driving the story, the tow truck thrust into international intrigue alongside polished professionals. A frame like this reads as a snapshot of that dynamic, the meeting point between small-town innocence and secret-agent sophistication that defines Cars 2's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Cars 2 (2011).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated character and vehicle design are consistent with Cars 2 (2011).
Era check
The combination of a cyan-tinted base, variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations is consistent with a theatrical release print from the 2010s 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 000063496
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
