People living in Australia are in for a treat toward the end of this month, though, and no one can really criticize the concept behind the yet-to-be-released license plates. By the end of the month, DC comics license plates are going to be released in the land down under for the first time.

I can already imagine the hullaballoo the announcement has created, with people lining up to get their own Superman license plate. Now while I do like Superman, I think that Wonder Woman is still the best choice. The rest of the DC comics license plates include Batman, Super Girl, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Take a look at the plates.

DC License Plates

I don’t know, but I am really partial to Wonder Woman, and the plates that have a discreet symbol in them – instead of the image of the character itself – look much better to me. What do you think?

If you are in Australia, and you want your own DC comics license plates, you can check out Vic Roads Custom Plates. I think it’s a good enough reason as any to consider moving there in the near future.

James Bond’s Aston Martin

Astin Martin from Casino Royale

He’s dabbled in Bentleys, BMWs, Jaguars, and one very noteworthy Lotus, but James Bond’s first love will always be the refined, powerful elegance of the silver Aston Martin. Whether it’s the fondly remembered DB5 Sean Connery used in Goldfinger or the DBS V12 that Daniel Craig used in Casino Royale (above), there is no car in all of geekdom that comes more fully loaded with gadgets, gizmos, and weapons.

Blade’s 1968 Dodge Charger R/T

Blade's 1968 Dodge Charger R/T

What it lacked in gadgets, it made up for in pure, unadulterated muscle. Its roaring engine could intimidate anything with fangs, and that’s why Blade loved it. Call it a powerful, nontraditional car for a powerful, nontraditional superhero.

Bumblebee

Bumblebee from Transformers

How many Camaros do you know that can transform into giant, warrior robots? We love him for that bold, yellow paint, his loyalty to the Autobots, and his oh-so-sensitive side. Now if he could just do something about that voice box thing…

De Lorean Time Machine

The De Lorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

If this was a ranked list, the De Lorean Time Machine would definitely be at the top spot. There’s simply no more iconic movie car among geeks than Doc Brown and Marty McFly’s time-traveling, aluminum bodied sports car. Powered by nuclear plutonium and made to travel through time via the Flux Capacitor, it can drive on land, fly through the air, and even ride atop railroad tracks. Now that’s all-terrain.

ECTO-1

The Ghostbusters' ECTO-1

Another iconic vehicle from the silver screen, the Ghostbusters-mobile was a dilapidated but tricked-out 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor commonly used as a hearse. Which I suppose is ironic, given that this one was used to fight the dead instead of carry them.

Ford Anglia

Flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The old Ford Anglia fixed up by Arthur Weasley had very little to speak of in the beauty or gadgetry department, but it could fly and turn invisible when needed, thanks to magic. It even managed to develop a personality after an encounter with the Whomping Willow, when the forest near Hogwarts turned it wild.

KITT

KITT from the original Knight Rider

(If you want to split hairs, KITT called the small screen home, but I could also point out that KITT, in various incarnations, has starred in several made-for-TV Knight Rider movies.) KITT is the quintessential 80s talking Trans Am — and he not only talked, he had attitude. He was loaded with gadgets for fighting bad guys, too. There have been numerous attempts to revive the franchise (did you see the 90s TV movie with a red KITT where the ‘Hoff put karate moves on a pre-X-Files Mitch Pileggi in a shopping mall? *shudder*), including two additional TV series and a perpetually in-development big-screen adaptation, but no KITT has ever outdone the original.

Mach V

Mach V from Speed Racer

The live-action Speed Racer movie was rubbish, but the real-life realization of the cartoon Mach V was a thing of beautiful perfection. It came with some killer options too, including wheels that could turn 360 degrees. The movie’s later Mach VI was more “futuristic cool,” but there’s no comparison against this baby’s old-school sexy curves.

The Tumbler

The Tumbler from The Dark Knight

There have been so many Batmobiles, but none of them anywhere near as strong or frankly as believable as the Tumbler from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The love child of a Lamborghini and a Hummer, the Tumbler was billed as a military prototype, giving it a realistic justification for existing. It gets extra credit for being able to transform into the Batpod motorcycle when it’s damaged beyond repair.

V-8 Interceptor

V-8 Interceptor from Mad Max

It sucked to be a post-apocalyptic gang member when you saw this “Pursuit Special” headed your way. The V-8 Interceptor was an instrument of vengeance for former cop Max Rockatansky, who set out on a campaign of blood against the gang that killed his wife and child. It didn’t have a ton of options, but it compensated with a killer reputation.

Batmobile(s)

Batmobile(s)

Why draw just one when two is twice the fun? Worlds collide when the Michael Keaton Batmobile meets the car from the classic Adam West TV series. [Source]

Bullitt

Bullitt

The car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt is considered one of the most influential in cinema history. So it’s only fitting that it get the Pixar treatment in this clever render that also name-drops Steve McQueen — who Cars‘ Lightning McQueen is named after. [Source]

Bumblebee

Bumblebee from Transformers

Mashing up Cars with Transformers is an inevitable no-brainer, though Bumblebee’s smiling demeanor doesn’t really match his depiction in the Michael Bay films.[Source]

Christine

Christine

The evil horror movie car looks appropriately menacing in this spooky render. [Source]

De Lorean

De Lorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

The expression is perfect. It actually resembles Michael J. Fox’s look on the poster for Back to the Future. (If you’re wondering why the De Lorean is in outer space, look closer at the car’s grill.) [Source]

ECTO-1

ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters

In another dimension of time and space (the Pixar Zone?), maybe the ECTO-1 is the fifth Ghostbuster. [Source]

General Lee

The General Lee from Dukes of Hazard

You can practically hear the Southern drawl coming from the General Lee’s mouth. [Source]

Herbie

Herbie

Few movie cars have more personality than Herbie the Love Bug, and now he has a face as well. (Just overlook that missing back tire.) [Source]

Jurassic Park

Jeep from Jurassic Park

The artist pulled out all the stops for this one. You’ve got the jeep, the big digger standing in for the T-Rex, the jungle, the park entrance, and even a clever logo. [Source]

Landspeeder

Landspeeder from Star Wars

I suppose the Landspeeder is the most natural choice from Star Wars for a Pixarization, since it’s the most car-like vehicle in the series. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Millenium Falcon done up, though. How do you feel about the artist’s choice to make the Landspeeder a buck-toothed bumpkin? [Source]

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime from Transformers

This one’s basically a new skin applied to Mack, Lightning McQueen’s truck driver. But it would have been cool to see Optimus’ face not quite so happy-go-lucky. [Source]

Star Trek Shuttlecraft

Shuttlecraft from Star Trek

A nice Photoshop job on the Galileo, probably Star Trek‘s most memorably shuttlecraft. But again I find myself wishing the artist had rendered the franchise’s most iconic vehicle. How cool would it be to see the Enterprise get the Pixar treatment? (The J.J. Abrams Enterprise, preferably.) [Source]

Radio-controlled (RC) cars are super. The self-powered miniature cars or trucks controlled using a remote emitting a radio-frequency connecting both car and controller remain as neat today as they were when appearing on the Christmas list of yours truly for a decade during my youth. Now, thanks to technological advances, RC car love may skyrocket all because of lasers!

Certainly the current method of controlling an RC car is neat, but RC car controllers lack lasers. Two new RC cars for two different age groups, both young and old, want to zap some life into the RC industry.

The Lazer Stunt Chaser from Flair is a super-fast stunt car guided by a laser beam:

“These “light controlled” stunt cars literally chase projected light from an infrared remote that you control. They can be used in the dark or in full daylight, but if you want the light-up wheels to have the maximum impact then you’ll probably want to turn the lights down low.”

The Thomas and Friends Follow Me Thomas train uses the same laser pointer with the train following the laser as you move it around:

“Lead Thomas on his way! When you point and move the light from the lantern Thomas follows along. Press the lantern’s buttons for programmed moves including a circle, figure 8 and zigzag patterns. Hear engine sounds and phrases as Thomas chugs along!”

The Lazer Stunt Chaser will cost around $42 USD when it arrives in late July, with the Follow Me Thomas running $39.99 available in August.

Are you an RC car fan? Which laser-guided toy, if any, would you be more likely to purchase?

Disney has released pictures of every character featured in the film, and from the other cars racing against Lightning McQueen in the first-ever World Grand Prix to a huge assortment of spy characters, it’s always fun to see how Pixar uses character design to accentuate that character’s personality. And then there are the real-life people who appear as Cars in the film, such as the Queen of England and Jeff Gordon (who appears as “Jeff Gorvette”). Even famed Pixar head honcho and Cars director John Lasseter appears (as “John Lassetire”).

Here’s a complete gallery of every character appearing in the film. (The collectors out there will find that the toys are already showing up in stores everywhere.)

Mizterzumbi recently showcased his LEGO-building skills that will make your jaw drop. He worked on the iconic Ecto-1, no less.

Here’s the back/side view.

In case you need to refresh your memory, here is the original Ectomobile.

And here is the car with some minifigs built by Joe Klang.

You can’t deny that this LEGO model is brilliant. I may be wrong, but it looks even cooler than the original in a way.

Now, don’t get me wrong, but there has got to be something about pink Cadillacs, right? Mizterzumbi thinks so, as well, and he created one in LEGO. Admittedly, he “cheated” by spray painting each of the bricks. He says “this thing is only possible in white if you want to be legal” and one can’t blame him for trying. No, I don’t have a thing for pink, but this car is still something to behold.

Artist Brandon Ortwein has a thing for cars. In November I wrote about a design by him, It Would Have Been Cooler As A Van. A poster containing several cars but as a van instead.

Brandon got creative again with a couple of cars, planes and robots. He imagined that the cars, planes and robots where sent to a body shop to get fixed, but the mechanic messed up with the body parts. This results in funny mix ups such as, The General Lee with an Ecto-1 door, Optimus Prime with C-3PO’s arm and C-3PO with Optimus Prime’s arm.

Robocop and R2-D2

The General Lee and Ecto-1

X-Wing and Top Gun

These are only three pieces from a set of nine. You can view the rest and in larger resolutions in The Body Shop Mix Ups Flickr Set.

Just like Brandon’s previous designs, you can buy several items with the prints on it. Couple of the items are, iPhone cases, laptop skins, t-shirts, art prints, etc.

Side note: It’s nice to see Robocop again. You would think it’s almost done and forgotten. I would love to see a new Robocop movie.

Here are ten memorable vehicles that were as alive as the people who rode them. (The list doesn’t include predominantly “kids entertainment” focused characters such as Thomas the Tank Engine or the construction equipment on Bob the Builder. I also left out the characters in the Cars movies, since finding their peers is what inspired the list.)

Christine

From the Stephen King novel and the John Carpenter film of the same name, Christine was a 1958 Plymouth Fury with a possessive streak. As with all supernatural creatures in Stephen King’s twisted mind, Christine was pure evil, though it was never properly explained how she became alive — though it was hinted that she was possessed by a demon.

Good: Any car that can repair itself has to have great insurance.

Bad: I don’t care if it is a classic car, a homicidal maniac is not a friend.

Gomtuu

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 episode “Tin Man,” Gomtuu was a new life form discovered by the Federation and the Romulans. A powerful telepath was sent to make contact with this spaceship-sized being, and after a power struggle between the Enterprise and a Romulan Warbird, this gifted but troubled telepath went to live as Gomtuu’s new crew of one.

Good: Wicked powerful, ancient, and wise.

Bad: Gomtuu downloaded its entire history into the mind of its telepathic friend. Worst. Migraine. Ever.

HAL

It’s a bit of a stretch, since HAL was technically the main computer onboard the Discovery One in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but since HAL had full control of the ship’s systems, he might as well have been the ship itself.

Good: Demonstrated an impressive bass singing voice during his death scene.

Bad: As one of science fiction’s first A.I.-gone-wrong, his eerie voice remained unnervingly calm while he descended into madness and dispatched most of the Discovery One‘s crew.

Herbie

Herbie may seem silly now, but he’s starred in no less than seven films, and there was a time when his popularity was on par with other Disney properties like Mary Poppins. The little white Volkswagen Beetle was an unlikely racing champion who was made alive by the man who built him. Herbie was more than a car with a brain — he had a personality. He had feelings. And he was rather mischievous – a quality that other anthropomorphized cars (like Bumblebee) owe to him.

Good: He was just like me and you, capable of hatching his own plans and making mistakes. Had a great sense of humor.

Bad: His last movie was a “comeback” executed with Lindsay Lohan’s help. Talk about typecasting.

KITT

Despite the kitschy quality of the David Hasselhoff TV series, there remains something inherently cool about what’s essentially a car with superpowers — which probably explains why Universal keeps trying to reboot it. (Next up: a big-screen movie.) A high-tech machine with a built-in, sophisticated A.I., the Knight Industries Two Thousand was the epitome of cool… 25 years ago.

Good: Turbo-boost. Gadgets. William Daniels’ voice.

Bad: Do I even need to say it? The guy behind the wheel and his cuh-razy manperm.

Magic Carpet

Disney excels at giving personalities to inanimate objects, but Aladdin‘s magic carpet may have been the first that other characters could ride on. The magic carpet had the temperament of a lovable pet — and was just as loyal.

Good: Cheated death twice. Has his own ride at Disney World. Had prominent placement in a hit pop song (“A Whole New World”). Even had his own racing video game.

Bad: Did you miss the part about his own racing game, and his own ride at Disney World? There’s no bad here!

Max

The chrome, seed-shaped space ship from Flight of the Navigator was sleek and fast. Over the course of the film, it grew its own personality, and was voiced by a then-popular Pee-Wee Herman.

Good: Fast, sleek, and powerful, Max was crazy cool-looking, and featured a nifty control scheme by which the pilot used dual sticks to steer and accelerate.

Bad: Was lame enough to have all his star charts erased by crashing into a power line, necessitating a navigator. Experimented on a young boy, filling his mind with data, and then returned him home eight years too late for supper. Oops.

Moya

A living ship inhabited by the cast of Farscape, Moya came from an ancient, bio-engineered species called Leviathans. She was completely sentient, and a true living organism. She was even a “she,” making her one of the few anthropomorphic vehicles with a gender.

Good: Can travel faster than light, and repairs herself over time.

Bad: Required a symbiotic Pilot to function. Had no weaponry, a fact that frequently got her into trouble.

Optimus Prime

I like Bumblebee too, but Optimus Prime is and always will be the greatest of the Transformers. (Interesting fact: the Transformers debuted right about the same time as the similar-but-much-simpler Gobots. Decades later, Gobots are barely remembered while Transformers are still popular, thanks to better characters and a more compelling mythology.)

Good: He’s cheated death twice. Once in that godawful 80s-rock animated movie, and again in the live action Revenge of the Fallen. A big honkin’ tractor trailer with a voice better than even KITT’s.

Bad: The fight that kills him is the only good part of the second Michael Bay movie. In short: he’s most compelling when he’s dead or dying.

TARDIS

Primarily known as a time machine, Doctor Who‘s TARDIS is also capable of traveling through space, which makes it something of a spaceship. It’s a quirky, oddly-shaped spaceship to be sure, but the show has demonstrated on multiple occasions that it maintains a deep connection with the Doctor himself, and he considers it to be both intelligent and alive. Its powers are almost god-like in proportion.

Good: It’s hardwired into every part of time and space, so it can intuitively send the Doctor wherever, whenever he’s needed.

Bad: As the Season 5 finale demonstrated, if the TARDIS is destroyed, it takes all of creation down with it.

I saw the four posters at FilmoFilia, and boy, do they look awesome! The new Cars movie is all about Lightning McQueen and Mater going around the world to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix – perhaps not unlike the F1 today. ;)

The movie will take McQueen and Mater to the streets and tracks of Europe and Japan, hence the retro posters. Without further ado, I give you the posters.

This might very well be my poster of choice, if only because of that green, white, and red bar. ;)

I think McQueen looks a little too metrosexual in this poster, but then again, he always had that tendency, didn’t he?  (If cars can be metrosexual, that is.)

For good measure, here are a few images from the official web site of the movie.



If that doesn’t get you excited, then I don’t know what will. June 24?

Today, the world’s greatest animation studio turns 25 years old. I know — I can’t believe it either. Naturally, this milestone cannot be allowed to pass by without celebration. So put “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” on repeat, because we’re going to take a trip into the past, present, and future of Pixar Animation Studios.

1979

Believe it or not, it started with George Lucas.

Before there was a Pixar Animation Studios, there was The Graphics Group, which comprised a full third of the computer-generated-imagery unit at Lucasfilm. The Graphics Group produced the first CGI effects ever used in filmmaking, including the “stained glass knight” in Young Sherlock Holmes and the “Genesis Effect” demo seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. Soon, The Graphics Group changed its name to Pixar.

1984

Disney animator John Lasseter left the mouse house out of ongoing frustrations and signed on with Pixar to create animated short films. His first short was The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.

1986

Lasseter’s second short film was the seminal Luxo Jr., the story of a pair of desk lamps and their bouncing ball, which stunned the animation industry with its photo-realistic imagery that managed to maintain the whimsy of hand-drawn animation. It debuted at SIGGRAPH, an annual conference where computer graphics creators show off their latest work. The CGI short film would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award in 1987 — a first in Oscar history — and would eventually be used as part of the Pixar logo that appears before every film.

That same year, George Lucas decided to sell Pixar due to a loss of funds from his divorce. He let go of it for $10 million — a bargain, by all acounts — to Steve Jobs, who had just left Apple. Jobs hoped to manufacture and sell Pixar’s proprietary computer system, the Pixar Image Computer, to high-end customers like hospitals, but that never panned out.

1987

Lasseter and his animation team produced their third short film, Red’s Dream, about a unicycle that longs to be a circus performer all by itself. Like Luxo, Jr., it debuted at SIGGRAPH.

1988

Faced with a rising financial deficit, Steve Jobs strongly considered shuttering Pixar’s doors forever. His only sale of the Pixar Image Computer to date was, ironically, to Disney, who used it as a new technique for automating complicated scenes in traditional hand-drawn films (such as the antelope stampede in The Lion King). An impassioned plea from Lasseter where he brought forth the idea of selling their animation expertise to TV commercial producers saved the company at the 11th hour.

In addition to soliciting its services to commercials, Pixar also produced its fourth short film, Tin Toy (which clearly sprang from the same well of inspiration that would give birth to Toy Story years later), which again debuted at SIGGRAPH. Clocking in at over five minutes, it was the longest Pixar production yet.

1989

Pixar produced and debuted its fifth short film, Knick Knack, about a toy snowman trapped in a snowglobe. Having abandoned the Pixar Image Computer after Tin Toy, this was the first Pixar production to use the company’s proprietary animation software, Renderman. It would also be the last short film produced by Pixar for eight years.

Pixar’s commercial work was kicked off with a spot for Tropicana orange juice called “Wake Up,” followed by a string of TV spots in the years to come.

1990

Faced with more and more commercial orders, Pixar branched out by hiring two new animators — Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter — and moved to a new office space in Point Richmond, California.

1991

Pixar finally climbed out of debt with a savvy piece of negotiating by Jobs, who convinced Disney to partner with Pixar on up to three full-length CGI films that Pixar would produce and Disney would distribute. According to some reports, the deal was worth as much as $26 million.

Also in ’91, the character Luxo Jr. appeared in a pair of shorts for Sesame Street called Surprise and Light and Heavy.

1992

Pixar’s commercial work continued as production of its first feature film, Toy Story, was well underway. The famed Pixar “Brain Trust” — a core group who guided all of the company’s creative efforts — was completed when animator Joe Ranft exited Disney to join Pixar. He, Lasseter, Stanton, and Docter made up this first iteration of the Pixar Brain Trust.

1993

More commercials. Pixar was hired by IBM to design its new logo.

1994

With Toy Story nearing completion, the company kept making commercials, and created the new animated version of Paramount’s logo.

1995

Toy Story finally made it to theaters in November, becoming a critical darling and a major box office smash. It went down in history as the first computer animated movie ever, and became the highest grossing film of the year with a total haul of $362 million in worldwide box office. The movie also set a number of precedents that would become hallmarks of its feature films, such as the inclusion of a short film before the feature (in this case, it was their first short, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B), and giving John Ratzenberger a role in every film they’ve produced.

Jobs took Pixar public, offering 6.9 million shares at $22 a share. The IPO raised $140 million for Pixar, making it the biggest IPO of the year.

1996

Pixar ended its regular production of commercials to focus solely on shorts and feature films. Disney continued to rake in profits from Toy Story, in the form of VHS and Laserdisc sales as well as hot tie-in merchandise. Thanks to its new cash flow, Pixar enjoyed an explosion of creativity by hiring 125 new employees. Pixar received numerous film award nominations and wins, including a Special Achievement Award for John Lasseter, recognizing his leadership in bringing the historic Toy Story to life.

1997

The company kept adding employees until their numbers reached 375 and their offices could no longer hold them all, forcing them to rent a second space in Point Richmond. Pixar released its first short film in eight years, Geri’s Game, showing off significant advances in technology.

In the face of the company’s unprecedented success with Toy Story, Pixar sadly made very little money from the film, having signed away the majority of its profits to distributor Disney. This didn’t sit well with Jobs, who renegotiated Pixar’s deal with Disney where the two were partners and would split future revenues 50/50, share above-the-credit billing on movies, and Pixar would retain full creative control with no meddling from Disney. Amazingly, Disney agreed. The terms of this deal provided for the next five feature films from Pixar to be distributed by Disney, and replaced the previous three-picture deal.

1998

A Bug’s Life was released to theaters, and remarkably, tied its predecessor’s worldwide profits at $362 million. Geri’s Game was awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It was shown in theaters alongside A Bug’s Life.

Another milestone infamous among Pixar lore took place in ’98: Toy Story 2, which had been planned as a direct-to-video release, was changed to a theatrical release.

1999

Toy Story 2 arrived in theaters and bested its predecessor with a domestic gross of $245 million and a worldwide total of $485 million. Paired with the feature film in theaters was Luxo Jr.

2000

The biggest event of the year was Pixar moving to its lavish new building in Emeryville, California, where it still resides to this day. The building became known as an environment largely sealed-off to outsiders, where employees are encouraged to design and construct their own unique work spaces that are conducive to their creativity.

Also in 2000, the short film For the Birds was produced.

2001

With its employee count rising above 600, Pixar released Monsters, Inc. to theaters. For the Birds was paired with it. Monsters, Inc. continued Pixar’s trend of topping itself, with a worldwide gross of more than $525 million. The film is remembered by computer animation professionals for being the first CGI production ever to produce realistic-looking fur (for the character of Sulley).

2002

Monsters, Inc. was released to home video, and for the first time, Pixar produced a special short film specifically for a home video release. Mike’s New Car starred the Monster’s, Inc. characters Mike and Sulley in a side story that had nothing to do with the film, besides being set in the same world.

2003

Finding Nemo was released, breaking box office records to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, with a worldwide gross of $868 million. (It remained Pixar’s top-grossing film until Toy Story 3 was released in 2010.) Knick Knack was paired with it in theaters. The success of Finding Nemo contributed to a surge in popularity for owning Clownfish as pets, and tourism to Australia, where the movie’s events took place.

2004

The Incredibles, from new Pixar powerhouse and celebrated director Brad Bird, was released to theaters. According to most reviewers, the film marked a turning point for Pixar, with its realistic depiction of a modern family dynamic and more sophisticated themes. It was also noteworthy for being Pixar’s first action adventure, its first film with an entirely human cast of characters, the first to receive a PG instead of a G rating, and the first to clock in at nearly two hours in length (all previous Pixar films had stayed close to the hour-and-a-half mark). Fox was forced to make significant changes to its upcoming Fantastic Four film after The Incredibles defined the “family of superheroes” genre so well. Shown with it in theaters was Boundin’.

2005

The Incredibles arrived on home video, and brought an original short film, Jack Jack Attack!, along with. For the first time, Pixar used a short film to fill in a missing side story from a full-length film.

Original Brain Trust member Joe Ranft was tragically killed in a car accident in August.

2006

John Lasseter returned to the director’s chair for the first time since Toy Story 2 for Cars, the company’s seventh major motion picture. It would go on to become a major cash cow for both Pixar and Disney, through the sales of licensed toy cars based on characters from the film. Short film One Man Band was released with Cars. The movie grossed $462 million internationally. Later in the year, when Cars was released on home video, Mater and the Ghost Light was released with it.

Disney’s distribution deal with Pixar ended with Cars, so following two years of at-times hostile negotiations between Steve Jobs and Disney’s Michael Eisner — during which it seemed almost certain that negotiations would fall apart and the longtime partnership between both entities would come to an end — a dramatic reversal occurred: Disney purchased Pixar outright for $7.4 billion. Pixar retained its name, offices, and creative control of all of its projects, Jobs took a seat on Disney’s Board of Directors, and Lasseter, in a particularly delicious reversal of fortune, was appointed Chief Creative Officer for both Pixar and Disney, giving him complete oversight over every film Disney produces.

2007

After production stalled on Ratatouille, Brad Bird was asked to take over the film as a favor to Lasseter. The film released in the summer alongside the short Lifted, and then arrived on home video before Christmas with the short film Your Friend the Rat. Ratatouille grossed $621 million at the global box office.

Pixar released a home video collection of all of its existing short films.

Disney World replaced a long-running Tarzan-themed live show at Animal Kingdom in Florida with a stage musical version of Finding Nemo. It was the first Pixar production to be remade as a live stage show.

2008

Pixar branched out into full-fledged science fiction for the first time with WALL-E, which was released with the short film Presto. The film made $521 million worldwide. WALL-E was the first Pixar production to use snippets of live action. When the film was released on home video, it included a side story short called BURN-E.

Pixar put into production a series of “Cars Toons” called Mater’s Tall Tales, which feature the popular Cars character regaling his hometown friends with unlikely-to-be-true tales from his supposedly-storied past. These short films were largely debuted on the Disney Channel before later being compiled into a home video collection.

2009

Up, the first Pixar film to be released in digital 3D, hit theaters and grossed $731 million at the box office. It was paired with short film Partly Cloudy. Dug’s Special Mission was included on the home video release.

2010

Toy Story 3 was released and went on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, with more than $1.06 billion in global ticket sales. The film is Pixar’s tenth full-length picture and its tenth box office smash in a row.

Pixar opened the Glenn McQueen Pixar Animation Center studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, as an extension of its animation capabilities. The new facility was assigned to work on short films and TV specials based on Pixar’s existing library of characters.

A previously-announced film entitled Newt, which was scheduled for a 2012 release, was unceremoniously canceled and pulled from production. Pixar remained largely hush-hush regarding its reasons for canceling the film.

2011

Cars 2 is scheduled for release on June 24. A short film entitled Hawaii is expected to be released with Cars 2.

2012

For the first time ever, Pixar will be releasing two animated films in one year. Brave releases June 15th, while Monsters, Inc. 2 (rumored to be a prequel about Mike and Sulley’s first meeting) hits November 2nd.

No doubt numerous other Pixar films are in production or pre-production, but nothing more has been announced.

How can one not want to see a commercial that features a kid with Star Wars music in the background? In this commercial, you will see a teeny weeny Darth Vader trying to use the Force – unsuccessfully, of course. The dog just ignores him. The doll sits lifeless, as it is supposed to. He can’t even muster enough of the Force to gulp a sandwich down while keeping his headpiece on.

Enter the Volkswagen Passat – literally. I won’t be a party pooper and tell you what happens, but it really is a no brainer. Here’s the video to keep you distracted from the mundaneness of your life for a minute.

You have to admit it – if you break the ad down and try to be logical about it, the whole thing is kind of silly. Then again, ads are meant to be silly, aren’t they? Come on now, how can you NOT like a mini Darth Vader? I am sure we all have tried to use the Force at least once – and I am not talking about the time when we were but kids. ;)

Volkswagen scores a point with this ad, I reckon.

First shown off at CES a few weeks ago, the Hot Wheels Video Racer is every little boy’s dream come true. Who hasn’t played with toy cars and dreamed of taking video of it in-motion, from the perspective of the driver?

The Video Racer has its own little camera inside, pointing straight forward where the car’s grill usually is. Press record, and the Racer will record up to 12 minutes of video. Flip the Racer over, and you’ll find a mini LCD screen on the car’s undercarriage. You can play back your clips instantly on the Racer’s screen, or download your video to your PC or Mac to save them. No idea what the resolution is, but I wouldn’t expect high-def. It can record up to 60 frames per second, though, which isn’t bad.

Mattel is even shipping the Video Racer with its own editor software, which is built with “click-and-drag” simplicity for kids, so they can edit clips, and add sound and effects. (The Racer itself is just a camera — it doesn’t record audio.) An extra accessory will let you clip your Racer to another device like a skateboard or a helmet.

The Hot Wheels Video Racer will go on sale this Fall, in a variety of car models, for a MSRP of $59.99. Watch it in action:

My 2-year-old son is obsessed with the movie Cars. Obsessed, I tell you!

While surfing the net for pictures of Lightning McQueen, I stumbled across this little oddity. An illustrator named Jake Parker wondered how the insides of one of Pixar’s cars might work, considering that these vehicles are “strange machine/flesh hybrids,” in Parker’s own words.

So to satisfy his own curiosity, he drew up this cross-section of Lightning McQueen, imagining what the “internal structures” might look like that would make a machine/flesh living car work. The result is both unflinchingly gross and strangely cool.

I won’t be showing it to my little boy, though.

At the LA Auto Show, Porsche has confirmed that the previously-announced planned hybrid version of the Panamera is in the works. Porsche is likely to use the same technology from the hybrid Cayenne currently being developed. While the turbo version of the current Panamera runs on a 4WD drivetrain, the hybrid might have to drop the 4WD to save on costs and to be able to support the Cayenne’s hybrid system.

The hybrid version of the Porsche Cayenne is expected to be out in the market by 2011. We can probably expect the same release year for the hybrid Panamera.

Audi does make some decent exotic sports cars. I’m thinking of the R8 here. With green being the buzzword in the automotive industry these days, though, Audi is not behind in the race to come up with an electric vehicle of its own. And by the looks of it, this one is a stunner in the looks department.

The upcoming Audi e-Tron, which is actually based on the R8, runs on four motors–two on each axle, thereby making the e-Tron an all-wheel drive electric. The e-Tron’s motors produce 313 horses (not “under the hood,” I may say) and 3,319.03 lb-ft of torque, with a zero to 62 mph acceleration of 4.1 seconds. What are they planning to feed electric cars these days? Nuclear power?

The e-Tron can charge in as little as 2.5 hours on high-voltage outlets, and 6-8 hours on standard voltage outlets. The car can go up to 158 miles on a single charge. What’s ideal about the e-Tron is the excellent handling provided by the torque vectoring, meaning all four wheels provide traction for the best stability and control. Add to this the e-Tron’s mid-engine layout—with the 1,000 pound battery situated right behind the passengers—which provides a balanced ride.

Now what’s delicious about this car is that Audi seems to have given the concept car a makeover, from a fiery red at the Frankfurt Auto Show to a delectable orange at the LA Auto show.

There’s a two to three year waiting time before the e-Tron rolls out of production lines, though. Perhaps if I’ve got enough money stashed in the bank by that time I can afford one.

The Zoe ZE is certainly a looker. And Renault doesn’t scrimp on performance, either. It should accelerate from zero to 62 MPH in about 6.7 seconds. With a 100 mile range from a full charge, you surely could go places. But with all the great things attributed to being green and packing a punch at the same time, you wouldn’t think people would complain about the simplest of things. French parents are complaining because of the use of the name Zoe, which seems to be among the most popular names for female children in France recently.

Personally, I don’t think this should be a concern. People are giving boy or girl names to their cars, anyway (I named my old car Lightning McQueen and the new one Sally). However, historical precedence says that such a commercialized use of a name would eventually contribute to the decline in its popularity with parents. Take Mercedes, for instance. While still a popular Spanish name (with its religious roots), the motorsport and automotive connotation can be polarizing, though–most parents would shun it, but some would think it cool.

The great thing about electric vehicles or EVs is that they don’t generate as much noise as cars that guzzle petrol or diesel. They run smoothly and quietly without the revs and vrooms often associated with internal combustion engines. The problem? They’re often so silent that people don’t hear them coming. Take for instance the Tesla Roadster. Even the driver doesn’t know whether the engine is running or not, much less estimate how fast he’s going from the usual sounds from the road and engine. This has grown to be a safety issue, particularly to pedestrians, and especially to the visually-impaired.

These days, manufacturers are coming out with ways to make their EVs noisier–or at least sounding like conventional vehicles while plying the streets. Nissan, for instance, chose to use a Blade Runner type of sound on its upcoming LEAF. It’s hardly conventional-sounding, but Nissan says they wanted to make the car as futuristic-sounding as possible. GM and other companies are following suit, albeit with a more conventional taste.

I wonder if in the future EV sounds will be as popular as mobile phone ringtones are today. Perhaps we will be given options and choices, and we could customize how our EVs would sound while running. Personally, I’d choose a V8-sounding effect.

image credit: flickr/kosabe

While selecting these cars it was imperative for us that we chose only modified cars, so no Eleanor (Shelby GT500).

Gadgetmobile

The Gadgetmobile is based on a 1964 Lincoln Continental Convertible and designed by Brenda Bradford. The Gadgetmobile can speak, track Inspector Gadget’s location, camouflage itself and move its tires upwards, among other things and thinks its stands above the laws (and does not need to respect speed limits).

American Graffiti Hot Rod

Millner’s yellow hot rod in American Graffiti is a ’34 Ford Coupe, carrying custom “THX 138″ license plates, which refer to THX 1138, George Lucas’ first movie.

Fab1 Thunderbird

The Fab1 in the 2004 Thunderbirds movie was a heavily modified Ford THunderbird and provided by the company itself. The Thunderbird on 6 wheels is completely road legal and has been featured in Top Gear. The car has bullet-proof, run-flat tires but ca not fly.

Minority Report Lexus 2054

The Lexus 2054 in Minority Report is a concept car running on fuel cells, with advanced safety features, including biometric security systems.
The car, painted in blue this time, also features in Micael Bay’s The Island.

I, Robot Audi RSQ

Built on the chassis of an A4 this Audi concept car, designed for product placement has 2 reverse butterfly doors and the Multi Media Interface (MMI) driver-to-car control system.
This collaboration was a first for Audi and similar to the previously mentioned Lexus concept car in Minority Report.

Judge Dredd Land Rover

22 Land Rovers 101 Forward Control were converted with fiberglass bodies for the movie Judge Dredd and only one had a functional interior for inside shots. The NY Cab is not road legal and had no floors. To see out the windshield you had to tilt your head to one side or the other and lean forward, this basically requiring a second person on board to look out for traffic.

Star Wars Land Speeder

Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder actually was a modified car. Numerous problems hiding the wheels were encountered. Easiest was to photograph the car from angles not showing the wheels. In longer scenes the Land Speeder had a reflecting skirt, mirroring the sand beneath.

Blade Runner Spinner

Sinners have been used in several movies (See also The Fifth Element Taxi further in the list). Main characteristic is that the cars can take off vertically. In Blade Runner the Spinners are mainly used by the police to patrol the city. The Blade Runner spinner has been designed by Syd Mead.

Tumbler Batmobile

When Warner Bros decided to reboot the Batman franchise with Christopher Nolan at the helmet, the Batmobile was reinvented. Contrarily to previous Batmobile, the Tumbler was made around functionality. Instead of being one beautiful car with many gadgets, now it was a practical vehicle with rather ugly looks.

1990 Batmobile

When Batman made his first box office appearance on the widescreen, he needed a new car. Much meaner and darker than the 1954 Lincoln Ventura used in the TV series. Gotham was darker and so was the car.

The Batmobile in “Batman” (1990) was built on the longer platform of a Chevrolet Caprice, while producer Tim Burton opted for the platform of a Buick Riviera for “Batman Returns” (1992). The exterior of both Batmobiles was similar and all built-in gadgets were functional.

DeLorean Back to the Future

Who had ever thought that a car, based on a failure like the DLorean, could have become this iconic?
Although based on a fairly vanilla DeLorean, the BTTF car was a genuine flux-capacitor powered time machine. No one would have imagined the DeLorean could reach the needed 88mph to activate the time machine, but it really did (in the movies at least).

Lotus Esprit James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me

James Bond’s Lotus Esprit is probably the most understated Bond car but came with lots of special features: rear firing mud sprayers, full ‘underwater’ kit turning the car into a fully operative submarine, surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, underwater smoke screens and torpedoes. A Bond car as you’ld expect them.

Ecto-1 Ghostbusters (1959 Cadillac Ambulance)

The original Ecto 1 recently was listed on Ebay but with $45.100 the reserve was not met.

Motor Blade

Kaneda’s Bike – Akira

From the poplaur Akira movie, not much is known about Kaneda’s bike. Only very little information about the build and construction/design has been released. There is a big Japanese subculture, building replicas. You can often buy a customized replica.

The Fifth Element Taxi

The cab in The Fifth Element is a spinner car as well. All cars in this movie are spinners and there are very interesting trivia about the car designs and their decorations in the movie.

Speed Racer Mach 5

Speed Racer Mach 5 featured the same original button steering wheel as the car in the anime series. Most of time the car was hung from a crane and effects were computer generated.

Herbie

Although only a slightly modified VW Beetle, Herbie has managed to win the hearts of many kids and adults over the years.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Paragon Panther)

Bumblebee Transformers (1977/2009 Chevrolet Camaro)

Contrarily to in the series, Bumblebee is a Chevrolet Camaro in the 2007 feature Transformers and not a VW Beetle. According to Michael Bay, producer, Bumblebee stands at 17 foot tall as Autobot.

Honorable mentions

• Mini Cooper S – The Italian Job 2003
• KITT
• Doc Hudson – Cars (1951 Hudson Hornet)
• 14K’s 1980 Porsche 911 in Death Race

Space Robin

Now, what if someone comes up with something like the Segway but still closely resembling the traditional car? That is what the makers of Segway and General Motors were thinking of when they came up with the concept of the PUMA, which is short for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. By the way, I love the acronym.

Anyhow, this car cum Segway weighs only 300 pounds, and can carry two people. It is similar to the Segway in that it follows the same two-wheel principle. With regard to its power source, it is fully electric, and can travel 35 miles on a single charge. The speed? It can go as fast as 35 miles per hour.

I can now just imagine New York city – where the PUMA was unveiled, by the way – teeming with countless little cars. Needless to say, if the PUMA takes off, it will solve a lot of problems. Since it is electric, there would be less emissions. It will also lessen the tedious process of finding a parking space. Last, but perhaps one of the most important, it will mean less traffic on the streets. (That is if other cars are taken off the streets.)

However, since everything is still at the prototype stage, we have no ideas about the full capabilities of the PUMA as well as its price.

More pictures at Englishrussia.

These are stickers that graphically project rust and other wear and tear condition a 10-15 year old car could have. Call it the scars of time. The only downside I see is when you actually want to flash your car around… like say, on a date! These stickers doesn’t seem to be taken off that easily. Oh and ouch on paint scratch if you pull too fast too soon.

You can purchase it online right here for about US$6.