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 took Lightning McQueen away from Radiator Springs and into a globe-spanning espionage plot alongside Mater. It marked a stylistic departure for the studio, trading small-town Americana for international racing circuits and spy-movie mechanics, and it remains a notable entry in the Pixar catalog for its shift in tone and scale, even as it kept the franchise's core cast and world intact for longtime fans.
This cell places Lightning McQueen with Ramone, the low-riding customizer whose paint job and voice work made him a fixture of the Radiator Springs ensemble since the original film. Pairing these two calls back to that hometown identity, the bond between a champion racer and the artist who gave him his look. For collectors, a frame joining these particular characters holds value as a link to the series' foundation, a quieter connection amid the sequel's larger, busier canvas.
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 each edge, 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 fully legible at this capture resolution; partial text reading 'PAINT 2 BOOTH' and 'PAINT 3' is visible within the frame image area, not on the edge itself; edge codes are not clearly readable.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-teal tint consistent with modern polyester safety stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; the print shows no obvious evidence of heavy projection use at this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the animated content is consistent with Cars 2 (2011).
Era check
The combination of polyester base, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track, and the 2011 animated feature is consistent with a standard theatrical release print of that period.
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 000063506
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
