Cars 2 marks Pixar's 25th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines - The release of Cars 2, Pixar Animation Studio’s 12th full-length animated feature, coincides with the 25th anniversary of the studio.

With 12 incredible films and a wide variety of innovative and imaginative shorts and commercials over the course of 25 years, Pixar had an enviable and unmatched track record at the box-office, revolutionized the way movies are made and entertained audiences all over the world.

“I just can’t believe it’s been 25 years and we’ve completed our 12th movie,” says filmmaker John Lasseter, creative leader of Pixar since its inception and chief creative officer Walt Disney Studios.

“It’s kind of neat — Cars came out on the 20th anniversary, and Cars 2 is coming out on the 25th. But I’m very, very proud of Pixar — very proud of all our films and all the characters,” adds Lasseter.

Pixar has come a long way since its 1986 beginning, when Steve Jobs purchased the computer-graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd. for $10M and the new studio was christened Pixar. Under the guidance of Ed Catmull, Lasseter and an incredibly talented group of storytellers, animators and technical geniuses, the studio continues to raise the bar for great filmmaking.

The studio’s roster of full-length animation features have redefined the genre, and have remained everyone’s all-time favorites: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monster’s Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Six of these films have won the coveted Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The global love affair with Pixar films continues, and Cars 2 represents one of Pixar’s proudest achievements to date. In the film, star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.

Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat as director of the latest Cars adventure. The film is co-directed by Brad Lewis (producer of Ratatouille), who spearheaded the intense research and initial story development until Lasseter was able to slip back into the director’s chair.

Cars 2, opening soon nationwide, is presented in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.