Pixar has sent us over the first poster and a brand new image from the highly-anticipated sequel Cars 2, which will be released in 2D and 3D theaters nationwide on May 24. The first photo below features Owen Wilson’s Lightning McQueen and Larry The Cable Guy’s Mater as they are zooming with explosions and planes behind them.



The story of Cars 2 sees Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), his pit team and new pit boss Mater head around the world for the Race of Champions, which takes place in five different countries and involves the champions of different disciplines like Formula One and rally driving. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.


　　倍受瞩目的皮克斯3D动画大片《汽车总动员2》，一直被捂得密不透风，这部耗资巨大、制作周期超长的电影，之前只公布了影片的三张概念设计图，露出神秘的冰山一角。今日，皮克斯首次公布了一张正式剧照——汽车在赛道上一如既往地你争我夺，但画面中出现了新角色：一架长着眼睛的飞机在和他们较劲，在他们身后的不远处，似乎是飞机引发了一场大爆炸，可见续集的故事将比上一集更加复杂。此外，从《汽车总动员2》新公布的先行海报来看，它突出了“全球”的概念，可见影片中的场景将更加丰富，并不像上集仅仅局限于美国的洲际公路了，这一次，汽车们将在全世界狂奔比赛，穿梭于英国伦敦、法国巴黎、日本东京等等，其银幕视觉效果有望达到的新的高度。

　　《汽车总动员》第一部曾在2006年获得了超过2.44亿美元的美国本土票房，海外市场则收回了2.17亿美元，该片当年还获得了奥斯卡最佳动画片提名，只可惜临门一脚败给了华纳电影公司出品的《快乐的大脚》。至于失败的原因，有人认为《快乐的大脚》当年因为使用的3D和IMAX技术而获得了更多人的好感，此次《汽车总动员2》也开始追加投资，玩转3D，不能不说是更大的生业野心使然。《汽车总动员2》一直被影迷认为是打破了皮克斯公司在宣传环节中的传统，有可能是历史上最神秘的动画长片。皮克斯对自己出品的动画长片一向关怀有加，早早就会公布先行预告片，但《汽车总动员2》却始终没有有效信息发布，到今年夏天为止，影迷只看到了片名的Logo和一张艺术设计图，让人怀疑其是否陷入了制作困境，好在从今年的秋天开始，《汽车总动员2》的宣传周期终于开始。

　　《汽车总动员2》暂定于2011年6月24日，在2D、3D和 IMAX 3D三条院线登陆。