Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Cars 2 arrived in 2011 from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures as the studio's first sequel to venture fully into genre territory, trading small-town Radiator Springs for international espionage. Directed by John Lasseter, it paired the franchise's established cast with a spy plot involving oil barons and secret agents, expanding the world Pixar had built in 2006. It marked a shift in tone for the series and remains a notable entry for how it broadened Cars beyond racing into action and intrigue, giving the studio's animators new settings and set pieces to work with.
This cell brings together Rod "Torque" Redline, the undercover agent whose brief screen presence makes him a sought-after figure among Cars collectors, alongside the villainous duo Grem and Acer, henchmen who drive much of the film's tension. A piece featuring all three together captures a pivotal alliance-and-conflict moment central to the spy narrative. Cells like this, drawn from 35mm printing stock, preserve a physical fragment of the actual film run, distinct from promotional art, offering collectors a direct link to the movie's production rather than a reproduction made after the fact.
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 one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block region in the inter-perforation gaps on the same side, consistent with a dual-format optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cyan-teal tint consistent with modern polyester stock; the dye image reads as neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with Cars 2 (2011) animated content.
Era check
The polyester base tint, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track, and positive colour print format are all consistent with a 2011 theatrical release print.
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 000063516
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
