Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Cars 2 coming a year early in summer 2011]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/25/cars-2-coming-a-year-early-in-summer-2011/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/25/cars-2-coming-a-year-early-in-summer-2011/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/25/cars-2-coming-a-year-early-in-summer-2011/#commentsFiled under:


Click above for high-res gallery of Cars photoshops done by readers

The Disney/Pixar movie Cars didn't have the box office appeal of movies like Wall·e and Toy Story, but on toy store shelves, the autos-only flick was a grand slam. Merchandising and the recent boon for sequels are two great reasons for film executives to make Cars 2. Disney and Pixar are so excited about an encore for Lightning McQueen and his buddy Mater that the 3D sequel has been moved up from 2012 to the summer of 2011. The highly anticipated (at least by us) Cars 2 will reportedly feature both carry-over and all-new characters, but we're assuming Lightning McQueen and Mater will be central to the plot. Hopefully Paul Newman will be well enough to come back for a second helping of Hudson Hornet.

Antz and Ratatoulie director Brad Lewis will take the reigns for Cars 2, and a big part of his job is to wow us with 3D race scenes and super high-def imagery while keeping all-ages storyline that made Cars such a good flick. To keep a new generation of adolescents interested five years after the original hit the silver screen, Pixar will release a series of shorts before the movie comes out, starting with Mater's Tall Tales. The movie is still three years away, and we'll spend that time hoping some automaker doesn't hijack the movie and make it a 90-minute marketing exercise.

Gallery: Pixar CARS Photochops


[Source: Reuters]

Cars 2 coming a year early in summer 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationCars 2Cars2DisneyLightning McQueenLightningMcqueenMaterPixarThu, 25 Sep 2008 16:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Weekend Entertainment: "Susie the Little Blue Coupe"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/30/weekend-entertainment-susie-the-little-blue-coupe/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/30/weekend-entertainment-susie-the-little-blue-coupe/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/30/weekend-entertainment-susie-the-little-blue-coupe/#commentsFiled under: ,


Follow the jump to watch the short

Thanks to frequent commenter and tipster "catgirlshyla" for sending in a link to Walt Disney's Susie the Little Blue Coupe, an animated short that originally debuted theatrically in 1952. As you can plainly see, the Disney/Pixar gang used Susie as the inspiration for how to give life to the rides in 2006's Cars -- eyes in the windshield; grilles and bumpers forming mouths. It's just as effective and charming (perhaps even more so) in decades-old hand-drawn animation as it is in 21st-century CGI. The story's very straightforward -- it chronicles Susie's life cycle from new car to used car to junk heap. Don't worry, there's still a happy ending -- it's vintage Disney, remember. Anyway, this is good stuff. Follow the jump and enjoy.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Weekend Entertainment: "Susie the Little Blue Coupe"

Weekend Entertainment: "Susie the Little Blue Coupe" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1952animationclassicdisneysusiesusie the little blue coupeSusieTheLittleBlueCoupevintageSat, 30 Aug 2008 15:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Coming soon to a TV near you: Click and Clack]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/12/coming-soon-to-a-tv-near-you-click-and-clack/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/12/coming-soon-to-a-tv-near-you-click-and-clack/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/12/coming-soon-to-a-tv-near-you-click-and-clack/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Tom and Ray Magliozzi might be the first to admit that most people on the radio have faces that suit the medium, to put it delicately. There's no place to hide when you make the jump to television, but the Tappet brothers have avoided that with their new animated sitcom PBS will be rolling out next summer. The show is not yet named; a contest soliciting names from fans of the pair's radio show will be announced soon. Plots will center around the oft-discussed hijinks that the brothers snort and chortle over between calls. The fictional Car Talk Plaza, located in Cambridge Massachusetts' Harvard Square, will be coming to life, and the cast is fleshed out with a variety of supporting characters, most of which seem to be based on real individuals, or composites of several people.

For all their self-deprecating humor, Car Talk is one of the most popular shows on NPR, and their producer, Doug Berman, is on board for the TV series as well. The Magliozzi's animated series will be the first primetime animated show aimed at a general audience for PBS. There's a talented team behind the show, and it may even bring new eyeballs to sometimes fusty PBS. In addition to the show, there's a partnership with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators in which the animated stars deliver safe driving messages to drivers while they suffer in line at DMVs, as well as on educational materials and on the web. We wonder if that effort will be called "Don't Drive Like My Brother."

Coming soon to a TV near you: Click and Clack originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationcar talkCarTalkclackclicknprpbsradiorayseriessitcomtappettelevisiontomtvThu, 12 Jul 2007 09:36:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: the internal combustion engine, in all its 3D glory]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/video-the-internal-combustion-engine-in-all-its-3d-glory/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/video-the-internal-combustion-engine-in-all-its-3d-glory/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/video-the-internal-combustion-engine-in-all-its-3d-glory/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Although simple in concept, the complexity of the internal combustion engine is mind-boggling. Most of the time we take it for granted when we turn the ignition key, shift into gear and step on the gas, but a marvel of mechanics, managing thousands of little explosions each minute, keeps us traveling smoothly down the highways and byways and streets where we live.

This video gives us an animated look at a virtual engine, from bare block to ignition. The inline-four engine is made by Deutz, an independent German machine manufacturer. See every component: casted this, braided that, spinning this, machined that. The animated video shows the engine assembling itself, then gives you an inside look at the combustion compartment, injecting fuel, igniting it and expelling the exhaust fumes.

As you marvel at the complexity of it all, remember that this is a relatively simple four-cylinder engine. Imagine throwing in a few more cylinders, a turbocharger or two, variable valve timing... you get the idea.

[Source: Deutz AG]

VIDEO: the internal combustion engine, in all its 3D glory originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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