CARS, the latest computer-animated extravaganza from the creators of “Finding Nemo”, “The Incredibles” and the “Toy Story” films,  took the box office trophy and broke records to become the biggest June opening weekend ever for the Walt Disney Company, with a staggering three-day box office gross of $63m.

CARS looks set to be this summer’s number one animated film and has been critically acclaimed by the US media for its up-lifting message. Critics have praised director John Lasseter for reminding audiences of the great and classic tradition of real storytelling with his great gift for character, the film’s genuine heart and beautifully crafted story.

“Cars is not powered by glibness and speed but by warmth, emotion and good-hearted charm. It offers the kinds of sensations all Hollywood once did and it makes us remember why those films made us care… It looks back longingly to the era when the idea was ‘not to make a great time but to have a great time’.” LA TIMES

“Nothing in the well-oiled fleet (of previous Pixar films) comes close to the sheer poetry of CARS re-envisioned Monument valley” TIME OUT NEW YORK

“CARS is a class act all the way” ROLLING STONE

“A work of American art as classic as it is modern” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“The first great movie of the summer” TIME MAGAZINE

“this is the perfect Pixar movie. You got cars, you got a great story, you’ve got great voice work. The animation is beautiful” EBERT & ROEPER

CARS has set a new audience trend for animated films with 60% of the audience aged 18+,  proving that adult cinemagoers have voted to see the movie on the strength of the critical acclaim. 

Pixar films typically hold really well at the box office and the last summer opener, Finding Nemo, more than quadrupled its box office thanks to the school holidays.   CARS will open in the UK on July 28th, just as the schools break up for the summer to ensure a long period of audience availability.

CARS smashed the weekend figure for “Over the Hedge” which only took $38m. 

CARS was produced by the Walt Disney Co and Pixar Animation Studios whose partnership has now resulted in seven consecutive No. 1 blockbusters.

CARS takes computer animation onto new spectacular levels and introduces some of Pixar’s best characters yet.  The film was directed by Pixar co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Disney, John Lasseter. Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.  On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship, McQueen gets to know the town’s offbeat characters –including Sally (a snazzy 2002 Porsche voiced by Bonnie Hunt), Doc Hudson (a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, voiced by Paul Newman), and Mater (a rusty but trusty tow truck) – who help him realise that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.