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 and the first true sequel in the studio's run, released by Walt Disney Pictures at a moment when the Cars brand had grown into a merchandising powerhouse alongside its critical reputation. The film pivoted the franchise toward globe-trotting espionage, pairing Lightning McQueen's racing world with a spy plot led by Michael Caine's Finn McMissile. It remains a notable, if divisive, entry in Pixar's catalog and a key piece of the studio's expansion into international settings and genre mixing.
This cell pairs Finn McMissile, the suave British secret agent car, with Mater, the good-natured tow truck mistaken for a fellow spy. Their pairing is the engine of the film's plot, an odd-couple partnership collectors prize for its blend of gadgetry and small-town charm. A frame holding both characters together speaks to their shared screen time and the buddy dynamic driving the story, a pairing fans return to for its mix of sophistication and heart.
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; spacing appears even and the punched corners are rounded and cleanly cut.
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; a blue-tinted DTS timecode line is also visible along the opposite edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with a modern polyester safety base; the dye image reads as neutral with no visible fading or colour shift.
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, consistent with the animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of polyester base, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and variable-area optical track is consistent with a theatrical release print from the 2010s era of the film on record.
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 000063512
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
