Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Easter Eggs In Cars 2


Pixar is known to always hide little surprises here and there in each and every one of their films. People call these hidden wonders "Easter eggs". Some of the most popular Easter eggs that almost always show up in Pixar movies are the code A113, the famed Pizza Planet truck first introduced in Toy Story, and let's not forget, a reference to Pixar's next feature film. This year's Cars 2 did not break tradition, and sure enough, there were plenty of hidden treasures to make the film even more enjoyable and entertaining. Disney/Pixar released an official list of all the Easter eggs in Cars 2, which I have posted below. See which ones you found the first time through, and find out which ones you missed out on! Also, if you happened to find a hidden gem when you watched Cars 2, but you didn't see it on the list, please do share your discovery in the comments!

  • NOD TO THE NUMBER — The number A113, which refers to John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton’s former classroom at CalArts, makes an appearance in every Pixar film. In “Cars 2,” you can see A113 in two places: as the number on Mater’s license plate, and as the number on Siddeley the spy jet’s tail fin.
  • THAT’S INCREDIBLE — In Radiator Springs, Mater drives past the Radiator Springs Drive-in, and the movie displayed on the marquee is “The Incredimobiles,” a car-ified version of Disney/Pixar’s 2004 film “The Incredibles.”
  • TAKE OUT OR DELIVERY — The Pizza Planet Truck, first seen in the original "Toy Story", makes an appearance in almost every Pixar film. It actually appears twice in “Cars 2”—as a guest on the “Tire Talk” television show just before the Mel Dorado show comes on, and in the Radiator Springs epilogue as a race spectator when the jet-propelled Mater flies by.
  • SNEAK PEEK — In every Pixar film, savvy viewers can catch a sneak peek at a tease for the studio’s next release. In “Cars 2,” there is a “car-ified” version of prominent figures from 2012’s “Brave.” When the Lemons crash into Ye Left Turn Inn in the London sequence, look closely!
  • DINNER IS SERVED — In Paris, there is a restaurant called Gastow’s, a car-ified reference to Gusteau’s, the gourmet Parisian restaurant from “Ratatouille.”
  • MAKING THE ROUNDS — In the London leg of the World Grand Prix, a banner advertising “Lassetyre” tires is visible, a reference to director John Lasseter.
  • FROM V8 TO V9 — The exterior of Flo’s V8 Café has been extended in “Cars 2” to accommodate the set for “Flo’s Cooking Show,” which was to be featured in a segment of the film that was eventually cut. However, you can still catch a glimpse of the extension when the café is viewed from the outside.
  • A STAR IS BORN — “Cars 2” director John Lasseter voices two characters in the film: John Lassetire, Jeff Gorvette’s crew chief, and a gambling car in the Porto Corsa Casino. His Porto Corsa line: “C’mon, fuzzy dice!”
  • LEWIS LENDS A LINE — “Cars 2” co-director Brad Lewis performs the voice of Tubbs Pacer, one of the Lemonheads featured in Porto Corsa.
  • WATERCOLOR WARFARE — Thompson, the spy train in “Cars 2,” contains many weapons with which the spies are outfitted. In the scene in which Mater is being equipped for his espionage duties, one of the weapons on display is actually a very lethal looking paintbrush.

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