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 the summer of 2011, a sequel built around Lightning McQueen's best friend rather than the racer himself. Directed by John Lasseter, it pushed the franchise into globe-trotting espionage territory, pairing the Radiator Springs cast with international racing circuits and a spy plot borrowed from Cold War thrillers. It marked a shift in tone for the series and remains a talking point among Pixar watchers for how far it strayed from the original film's small-town heart, while still expanding the toy and collectibles line that keeps this era in demand among frame collectors today.
This cell centers on Mater, the tow truck whose loyalty and misadventures drive the entire plot of Cars 2, here paired with Finn McMissile's world of undercover intrigue suggested by the pairing itself. Mater is the collector favorite of this film, the everyman dragged into a mission far beyond his garage. A cell naming this duo points toward one of the picture's turning points, where the ordinary and the covert collide, a pairing prized for representing the film's core gamble.
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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
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 visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the opposite 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 slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern polyester stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to run consecutively as a single continuous shot, and the imagery is consistent with the animated feature Cars 2 (2011).
Era check
The combination of polyester base with cyan tint, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and variable-area optical track 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 000063507
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
