Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Family to Present World Premiere of Disney-Pixar's 'Cars Toons,' an Animated Short Series Be
September 25 2008 - 4:23PM
PR Newswire (US)
BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The world premiere of
Disney- Pixar's "Cars Toons," a new animated short series directed
by Academy Award(R)-winner John Lasseter, and starring Lightning
McQueen's rusty but trusty friend Mater, will be presented on,
Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Family beginning MONDAY,
OCTOBER 27. "Cars Toons" are directed by John Lasseter, (director
on "Cars," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug's Life" and "Toy Story"). Victor
Navone (animator on "Cars," "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo" and
"Monsters, Inc.") and Rob Gibbs (story artist on "Cars," "Finding
Nemo," "Monsters, Inc" and "Toy Story 2") are co- directors. Kori
Rae (associate producer on "The Incredibles" and "Monsters Inc.")
is the producer. The shorts premiere as follows on Toon Disney (all
times ET/PT): Monday, October 27 (6:56 p.m.) "Rescue Squad Mater"
-- Mater is a fire truck that rescues Lightning McQueen from a
burning building. When McQueen is rushed to the hospital, he
discovers that Mater is a doctor, too. Tuesday, October 28 (6:57
p.m.) "Mater the Greater" -- Mater is a famous daredevil who does
all kinds of stunts. And Lightning McQueen becomes an unwilling
participant in Mater's greatest stunt ever. Wednesday, October 29
(6:57 p.m.) "El Materdor" -- Mater is a famous bulldozer fighter in
Spain. He's so good, he's able to fend off multiple bulldozers at
once. Lightning McQueen joins Mater in this Tall Tale just as
things are at their worst. Disney Channel will present all three
shorts throughout the day on Saturday, November 1. ABC Family will
present the shorts beginning Tuesday, December 23 during the
network's annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming event. About
"CARS" Directed by Academy Award(R)-winner John Lasseter, "Cars"
opened in theaters on June 9, 2006. "Cars" was the 2007 Golden
Globe winner for Best Animated Feature Film and received Academy
Award(R) nominations for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Music
-- Original Song. The film also won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
"Cars" was the #1 animated film on DVD for 2006, and the
Disney-Pixar's "Cars" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack debuted in
June 2006 at #8, making it the first Pixar soundtrack to enter the
Billboard Top 10 and to ship gold. Disney-Pixar's "Cars 2" will be
released in Summer 2011. "Cars 2" is being directed by Brad Lewis,
producer of the Oscar(R)-winning film "Ratatouille." In this
adventure, all the world's a racetrack as racing superstar
Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend
Mater in tow, to take on the globe's fastest and finest in this
thrilling high-octane new installment of the "Cars" saga. Mater and
McQueen will need their passports as they find themselves in a new
world of intrigue, thrills and fast-paced comedic escapades around
the globe. Disney-Pixar's "Cars" has become among the fastest
growing franchises for Disney Consumer Products (DCP) on track to
generate a projected $2.5 billion in global retail sales of
licensed merchandise in fiscal year 2008 or $5 billion in sales
since its box office debut. "Cars" continues to fuel the
imaginations of children with products that extend the storyline
from the film to books and magazines and into the home with a
lifestyle merchandising program from toys and home d�cor, apparel
and stationery to food and personal care items. DCP will soon
introduce a new merchandising assortment that allows kids to make
the world of "Cars" their own through customization that leverages
the upcoming new virtual world featuring Lightning McQueen on
Disney.com and a host of other characters from the film. "Cars" has
a presence at Disneyland Resort where life-size versions of
Lightning McQueen and Mater appear daily in the Pixar Play Parade
at Disney's California Adventure, at Disneyland Resort Paris with
the "Cars Race Rally," where families take the ultimate spin aboard
cars inspired by the film, and at Walt Disney World Resort where
life-size versions of Lightning McQueen and Mater appear daily at
Disney's Hollywood Studios for Guests to see them in person and
pose for pictures with them. As part of a significant multi-year
expansion plan, an entirely new Cars Land inspired by the hit
Disney-Pixar animated film "Cars" will debut at Disney's California
Adventure in 2012. The 12-acre Cars Land will feature the world of
Radiator Springs with three new attractions. Radiator Springs
Racers, a major "E-ticket" attraction, will place Guests right in
the middle of the amazingly detailed, dimensional Cars world of
Mater, Lightning McQueen, Doc and Sally, where they'll find
themselves in the midst of a race around hairpin turns and steep
banks. Cars Land will increase capacity to the park with two
additional immersive family rides, featuring Luigi and Mater from
the movie. Cars Land represents an unprecedented level of
collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Disney
Imagineering to create this extensive new area. The new land will
substantially extend the total area of Disney's California
Adventure park. In 2009, Disney Interactive Media Group's (DIMG)
Disney Online unit will launch the World of Cars Online
(http://www.worldofcars.com/) virtual world, which will allow fans
of the motion picture to immerse themselves in the online world of
Radiator Springs and beyond, interacting with other players and
creating an online community alongside their favorite characters
including Lightning, Mater & Doc. In preparation for that 2009
launch, Disney Online will launch a Test Track preview site at
WorldofCars.com in October 2008 where fans can create their very
own personalized car and put the pedal to the metal in a
single-player racing preview. Earlier this month, DIMG also
released a mobile phone game "Cars Radiator Springs 500," which is
available for download through most major wireless carriers. The
game includes 15 diverse and challenging tracks and players can
either race as Lightning McQueen or unlock six other tricked-out
racers, each with special abilities. About Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt
Disney Company, is an Academy Award(R)-winning film studio with
world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in
the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most
successful and beloved animated films of all time, including "Toy
Story," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "Cars," "Ratatouille,"
and most recently, "WALL-E." The Northern California studio has won
21 Academy Awards and its nine films have grossed more than $4.5
billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release
from Disney-Pixar is UP (May 29, 2009). About Disney Channels
Worldwide Disney Channels Worldwide represents the most successful
portfolio of kids'channels in the world. It is comprised of 27
Disney Channels, twelve Playhouse Disney Channels and seven Toon
Disney Channels. Through a strategic partnership with Disney ABC
International Television for the distribution of Disney-branded
blocks of kids' programming across the globe, Disney Channels
Worldwide reach more than 600 million viewers in over 100 countries
in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America
and South Africa. Disney Channel properties continue to rapidly
expand into new markets across the world, playing a key role in
introducing the Disney brand to new consumers. DATASOURCE:
Disney/ABC Television Group CONTACT: Hope Diamond, +1-818-973-4079,
, or Mimi Fong, +1-818-569-7884, , both of Disney|ABC Television
Group; or Amanda Sorena, +1-510-922-4177,
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