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 studio's flagship franchise into globe-trotting espionage territory. Following the massive merchandising success of the original Cars, this installment leaned into international settings and a spy-thriller framework, expanding the world beyond Radiator Springs. It marked a shift in tone for the series and remains a notable entry in Pixar's catalog, both for its box office performance and its place in ongoing debates about the studio's more commercially driven output during this period.
An Opening Credits cell captures the film before its story begins, the moment where studio and production names roll across the screen ahead of the narrative proper. These early frames are often overlooked by casual viewers but hold appeal for collectors who value the ceremonial threshold of a film, the formal announcement that precedes character and plot. As a piece of 35mm history, this cell preserves that instant of anticipation, the credits sequence acting as a bridge between the audience settling in and the adventure about to unfold on screen.
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; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone beside it; a cyan-coloured SDDS-style band is also visible on the outermost bottom edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at a readable level; no key numbers or SAFETY FILM text can be resolved.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image in the picture area is very dark, consistent with a title-card or leader section rather than fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames show the same 'FROM Disney·PIXAR' title card, consistent with a title sequence from the film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and SDDS outer band is consistent with a theatrical release print from the 2000s–2010s era, matching a 2011 release.
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 000063500
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
