Today is an exciting day for parents everywhere because there is a new series to watch on Netflix! Dreamworks Animation has just released a new series called Trolls: The Beat Goes On. This is series will now be available to view as of January 19th 2018 on Netflix!
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Dan Gibson. I am from Ontario Canada and I run my own blog and social channels called The Baby Gang. My channel focuses on creating content in sharing my experience as a parent of multiple children, my 4 year old daughter Emily and 2 year old triplets Jackson, Olivia and Levi.
A big thank you goes to my good friend Adam, who you all know as the man and genius behind the operation of Dada Rocks, who gave me the opportunity to fly out to California and visit Dreamworks Animation Studios to learn all about the new Netflix Original Series Trolls:The Beat Goes On + many more amazing aspects, upcoming projects and a behind the scenes look of all the hard work that goes into making a beautifully articulated animation. I first met Adam is his amazing home town of New York city. It was an awesome experience as it was the first time my wife and I had ever traveled anywhere without our kids. Adam and I connected instantly as we shared a similar interest with our passion for parenting and blogging. Not to mention he was my unofficial New York tour guide!
Over a two day period in Burbank California, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers, executive producers, and some pretty interesting and unique characters who all played an important role within my overall experience at Dreamworks Animation Studios. Over the next few weeks, I will be delighted to share all of my wonderful experiences during my visit, so be on the look out for upcoming posts!
That being said, today is all about TROLLS!
You may remember back in 2016 the release of the box office hit movie Trolls starring Anna Kendrick (As Poppy) and Justin Timberlake (As Branch) where, together this unlikely pair of trolls are forced to embark on an adventure taking them far beyond the only world they have ever known. The new Netflix Original Series connects so well on with its continuation of the overall Trolls experience. Skylar Astin now playing the role of Branch and Amanda Leighton in the role as Poppy!
Meeting these two was honestly spectacular and I was lucky enough to be the only person to get a picture with them. We also got an exclusive sneak-peak on what we could expect to see in the new original series, with the all new cast. Seeing Skylar Astin andAmanda Leighton take on Branch and Poppy was a very all inclusive experience. THEY KILLED IT! I was so excited to watch each snippet of the show learning more about the Troll way of life. It honestly has everything you could ask for in a 22 minute episode. While watching with such enjoyment I could not stop thinking about how much my kids would LOVE it as well!
From my initial viewing, there were a lot of great takeaways and key messaging to connect with its target audience. It has a fun way of relate-able problem solving, great humor and extreme entertainment. The music production in this show has such a high level of quality that everyone will for sure partake in some dance and song action!
All in all, I had an incredible time meeting wonderful people and I am very excited to share my experience with you and know you and your kids will love the show. I encourage you and your family to check out the new Netflix Original Series: Trolls The Beat Goes On this weekend!
Would love to hear your initial thoughts of the show in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check back again soon as I give you a more in depth look at my adventure in California and Dreamworks Studios!
My son loved – I mean loved construction toys growing up and if we ever pass a construction area – he’ll look for what trucks and equipment is being used… There is a rare moment in life where dreams come true and I think Diggerland USA is just that for any child who wished they could operate the big trucks and heavy machines that are usually found around a construction site.
Diggerland USA is located just a little over an hour outside of New York City in West Berlin New Jersey.
Take a look at the park map there is plenty to do.
Many of the Diggerland attractions require a minimum of 36″ to ride on, some under the assistance of a parent or legal guardian. A few attractions require a 42″ height to participate. If your child is under 36″ they have free admission but attractions they may participate on are extremely limited and would only include the playground and arcade. Non-participating guests over 65 years in age are also free.
But dont worry if you’re looking for Toys for Big Boys type adventure there is also a section of the park called Diggerland XL which is a whole different discussion – they even have an add on of smashing a car!
If you’d like to buy passes to the park – we have a $5 off coupon code: DadaSave5 on checkout.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. December 23rd, 2017.
You must comment telling us one ride at the park that a person would be taking would love? please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @diggerlandusa @dadarocks http://dad.am/2BuKMPf — and you must also leave comment on this blog with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win the #giveaway of a 4 passes to @DiggerlandUSA from @dadarocks http://dad.am/2BuKMPf
You get 1 extra entry for following @DadaRocks on twitter –twitter.com/dadarocks you must comment back here that you’re now following
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook –facebook.com/dadarocks you must comment back here that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall saying hi)
You get 1 extra entry for becoming their Fan on facebook –facebook.com/DiggerlandUSA you must comment back here that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall saying hi)
You get 1 extra entry for following @diggerlandusa on twitter –twitter.com/diggerlandusa you must comment back here that you’re now following
You will have 12 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclosure: Contest limited to USA (travel fees/expenses to Diggerland USA is NOT included – Prize is limited to 4 park passes). Must be 18+ years old to enter to win.
Disclaimer: Accommodations provided by 20th Century Fox
If recommendations matter, then go see THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – Opening December 20 at a theater near you. This original musical starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum and as his wife Michelle Williams, along with his partner Zac Efron and also Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya. The songs are by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul the writers of LaLaLand and Dear Evan Hansen.
This movie hits all the right notes not only in its song and dance but in the celebration of overcoming obstacles to create a life of making dreams come true.
This story is not necessarily the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth but it’s truth is to storytelling in a mesmerizing spectacle of color, love, and the path that we can take when we have that lust for life.
In meeting Hugh Jackman he said the movie, conceived on the night he emceed the Academy Awards nearly ten years ago, felt like a story he wanted to tell as he and the producers discussed how they could tell this story. The essence of the movie, according to Jackman “if you follow your path and make yourself happy you will make people around you happy.” Zac Efron added, though he was not involved from the beginning, he’s been involved for several years, because of the movie’s message, “Love yourself exactly as you are! It’s empowering and cool to be just you!”
Kelly Settle, who discussed her fears “I was so petrified because this is my first major motion picture in a role that I didn’t know was going to be what it is. I had no idea. It changed over the course of how it was created as we were creating, you know, in rehearsals and stuff like that before we started initial photography. And the bigger that it got for me, the scarier that it got because I wanted to hide even more. And I am still, even sitting here in front of you, fighting that right now.”
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul did the original music for The Greatest Showman. The musical features 10 original songs and I’m pretty sure they’ll win an award or two this season for their amazing ballads.
Set more than a century ago, it has messages that would be well served in the era we live in now, if only we can sing and dance and live on that higher plain of the passion for family, love and friendship overcoming bigotry, power and lust.
In a world where powerful people get what they want in the world, and bullies still get away with picking on kids in school this movie has attributes beyond the joy of the movie itself as the message that everyone should be loved and especially that everyone should love themselves no matter what they look like, where they were born or how far outside societal norms they may be. While the set is magical the message is hopeful and if hopeful then we can make it real. “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”
I don’t want to get too deep because it is still a movie with singing, dancing, acting, music, color, costume and set design all of which can easily sweep the awards season. Go see it and get the original cast recording so you can learn the words, then, as the new year begins, see it again and again. It’s Showtime. The Greatest Showman is in theaters December 20th.
See the trailer:
Watch the Empire State Building’s lights dance alongside The Greatest Showman actress Keala Settle’s live performance of “This is Me”.
“The Greatest Showman” is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. “The Greatest Showman” is directed by exciting new filmmaker, Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award® winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”) and starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Zac Efron, Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.
Genre: Musical
Directed By: Michael Gracey
Screenplay By: Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon
Story By: Jenny Bicks
Produced By: Laurence Mark, p.g.a, Peter Chernin, p.g.a, Jenno Topping, p.g.a
Disney is celebrating the digital release of OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE starring the voice cast of Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and Jonathan Groff. The digital copy of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure will also add six classic Disney shorts to your holiday digital collection.
This was the short that ran in front of the movie CoCo for a couple of weeks. For any Frozen fan this is a hold over till next years sequel or till the upcoming broadway show.
In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 21-minute featurette “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” Olaf (voice of Josh Gad) teams up with Sven on a merry mission. It’s the first holiday season since the gates reopened and Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) and Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) host a celebration for all of Arendelle. When the townspeople unexpectedly leave early to enjoy their individual holiday customs, the sisters realize they have no family traditions of their own. So, Olaf sets out to comb the kingdom to bring home the best traditions and save this first Christmas for his friends.
6 Classic Disney Holidays Shorts:
THE HOCKEY CHAMP – Donald Duck shows his nephews the moves that won him his hockey trophy, but the boys have a few moves of their own.
WINTER – Silly Symphony – In this musical short – the last of the ‘Silly Symphony’ series – see wintertime from the point of view of our favorite woodland creatures.
THE ART OF SKIING – The first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, this short features Goofy learning how to ski at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.
PLUTO’S CHRISTMAS TREE – While picking out their Christmas tree, Mickey and Pluto chop down the perfect one, unaware that they’re bringing home Chip and Dale along for the ride.
ONCE UPON A WINTERTIME – While courting Jenny, Joe tries to show off on the ice, but events soon turn to a timely rescue in this musical December Valentine.
POLAR TRAPPERS – The first cartoon to feature Donald and Goofy without Mickey; The duo are animal trappers in the South Pole with very different (and hilariously unsuccessful) approaches.
Now who hasnt seen Elf the movie?! its one of our holiday favorites… well have you heard about ELF The Musical it is the hilarious tale of Buddy, who crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts as a child and is mistakenly transported to the North Pole. Buddy grows up thinking he’s an elf, but between his lousy toy-making abilities and enormous size, he begins to realize he’s not like the others. With Santa’s blessing, Buddy sets off on a whirlwind journey through New York City to find his birth father and learn about his past. With mayhem, mischief, and laughs-a-plenty, this fresh and funny holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner ELF.
The Madison Square Garden Company just announced that George Wendt, from the long-running television series Cheers, will star as Santa in ELF The Musical , which is returning to New York City this holiday season. This limited engagement runs at the Theater at Madison Square Garden from December 13 through December 29, 2017.
Tickets are on sale now: save up to 20% on tickets!**Valid on select seats and performances
*Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets and cannot be combined with any other offer. 8 ticket max per order. Discount is calculated off of the original box office price. Service charges apply to telephone and internet orders. All sales are final – no refunds or exchanges. Offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice and is subject to availability. Other restrictions may apply. Offer expires December 29, 2017. Accessible and companion seats are available via the Disabled Services Department at 212-465-6034.
In the world of “Cars 3” Lightning McQueen and his fellow racers are assisted by their pit crew teams. These helpers can be the difference between winning and second place. The same can be said for real life racing. What happens when you take 6 crewmates, toss them into a loud, hot, hectic environment. Then throw in an 850hp racecar
Lightnings Lugs
hurtling towards them at 55mph? You get a NASCAR pit crew! These teams are trained to do in less than 15 seconds what us regular drivers take 15 minutes, on a good day! While on a Disney*PIXAR junket for “Cars 3” I had the amazing opportunity to experience a very lite version of what these teams do. Thanks to the folks at Performance Instruction and Training (PIT) we were able to suit up, grab the socket wrench, and go through just about the same motions as the real teams, without the gasoline and moving cars.
Pit row
The visit to PIT starts of with a very informative presentation that covers the history of the NASCAR pit crews, the specific roles and responsibilities of each position, and what you can expect to experience later on. Everyone involved is either an active member of an active NASCAR pit crew, or was one. These guys really know what they’re talking about and they take it very seriously. We were part of a faily large group, so they broke us up into 6 different teams. Safety is of paramount importance, so we were setup with a suit, gloves, hearing, and eye protection. They led us out to pit row, where we were given live demonstrations of each position and the chance to practice a couple of times to get a feel for how the equipment feels. These are real NASCAR tires and wheels, real gas can (no gas), even the jack is authentic. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at the air-powered wrench and I was able to fill that spot for the team. Team 2, Lightnings Lugs, rear wheel changer… yeah that’s me.
Game face
Like I said, there were 6 different teams, so of course there had to be a little competition going. There are 3 cars set in position, so 3 teams at a time can run the drill. They lined us up in place and blew the whistle to start. Now on the first attempt all you want to do is be accurate and not make a big mistake. Slow and steady they said. Sure enough we all started moving into our positions and executing our assigned roles. It’s really a fast paced ballet with every move choreographed. Wrench on, lugs off, tire off to the right, new one handed in from the left, position on hub and power the lugs back on. Jump up, kneel down, lugs off, wait for jackman, tire off to the right, new tire in from the left, lugs on, back away. In about the time it took to read that, a professional pit crew can change 4 tires without gas. Our apprentice crew of first timers took a little under 2 minutes on our first attempt. All told not a bad time they said. We head back to the garage to review the video with our crew chief.
Performance review
This really helps because we can see exactly where we can save steps and be more efficient. We were able to perform another 3 pit stops and in the process our time went down to just over a minute. We may not have been ready for Charlotte Motor Speedway but that was some serious improvement. Our team may not have won (congratulations Children of the Forest,) but we all had a fantastic time.
Lug nuts off
PIT is an active pit crew training school with graduates working for major teams, however they also use the pit experience as a way to teach team building, build improvement processes, and teach lean concepts to numerous businesses including the U.S. military. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in their program I would highly recommend it.
Now I had a better understanding of what happens on pit row, but what about on the track? Thanks to our Disney*PIXAR hosts and Charlotte Motor Speedway I was going to find out. Officially called the “NASCAR Racing Experience” you are able to ride as a passenger with a professional racing instructor in a real NASCAR race car. For 3 laps, at speeds of 175 mph or more, you get the chance to really feel what it’s like for the driver athletes who race for a living. I’m a driving enthusiast. My motorcycle is a performance model, my car is as well. I’ve been on closed tracks where you can “open it up” for a bit. Nothing, and I mean nothing compares to the feeling of that NASCAR dropping in to turn 1 at speed.
Car 88
The engine is roaring and you hear the small pieces of track debris hitting the body, reminiscent of scenes in “Cars 3”. The driver gets into the groove and your body is just pushed to the right against the 5-point harness. Everything you’ve done before tells you that the car is going to spin out, but the driver, aerodynamics, and racing tires do their jobs and you simply run through until you exit onto the back straight. Charlotte is a tri-oval, so this dance happens 8 more times until before you know it you’re pulling in to pit row and the experience is over. A fistbump of thanks to my driver and then it was time to work my way back out of the car.
The Experience is offered in many different levels and price points, from 3 lap ride alongs, to full 40 lap solo racing sessions. It’s probably a good thang that I don’t live anywhere near the Charlotte area, because I would be spending lots of time at the track. If you’re at all interested in racing, or would like to give someone a gift that they will forever remember, the NASCAR Racing Experience is unforgettable.
PIT Instruction and Training
www.visitpit.com
156 Byers Creek Road
Mooresville, NC 28117 [email protected]
Tel: 704-799-3869
Fax: 704-799-3871
Charlotte Motor Speedway
www.charlottemotorspeedway.com
5555 Concord Pkwy. South
Concord, NC 28027
704-455-3200
Nascar driver Danica Patrick and broadcast journalist Hannah Storm participate in a panel about Storm’s documentary on Patrick, “Danica,” at The Players’ Tribune in New York, N.Y. on Nov. 1, 2017. (Photo by Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/The Players’ Tribune)
Courtesy of The Players Tribune, we recently had the opportunity to sit down with NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and filmmaker Hannah Storm about their upcoming documentary Danica. Airing on EPIX this Wednesday, November 8, at 8PM, Danica takes a look back at Danica Patrick’s life as a driver, focusing on her unflagging perseverance and recounting her struggle not only to persist in such a male-dominated field, but to carve out a place for herself in that world and thrive in it.
When asked if there was any advice she would offer to her younger self, or if she would do anything differently after looking back on her career, Danica noted: “If I could go back to 1996, I wouldn’t tell myself anything that would change the trajectory of my life or of my career— I’m where I am today because of my choices, and this is who I am and who I’m meant to be.”
This is Danica Patrick to a tee— confident and sure of who she is, owning both her failures and her many successes as part of who she has become. Though, as she put it: “the older you get, success becomes more associated with your state of mind than your accomplishments.” Nonetheless, Danica Patrick is a woman of many accomplishments, and varied ones at that! “You have to have goals that evolve,” she advised, and she definitely demonstrates it: in addition to racing, Danica has been a part of projects in video games, TV, and comics, wrote an autobiography in 2006 (and has another book on the way this January!), is an avid practitioner of yoga, and owns her own brand of wine!
“Bring the best you every day,” Danica said—and it’s clearly a philosophy she truly lives by. Danica’s story is a captivating one, and an inspiring journey for all to behold. Be sure not to miss Danica, November 8 at 8pm on EPIX.
“Cars 3” is the coming of age story of Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), the Piston Cup winning #95. Finding himself overtaken by the next generation of racers, led by Jackson Storm (voice of Armie Hammer,) McQueen first tries to challenge the newcomers head-on, however he finds that age and technology may have passed him by. After a devastating accident and with the help of trainer Cruz Ramirez (voice of Cristela Alonzo) McQueen learns that he has more than one role to play at the racetrack. The story teaches the value of perseverance and trust in ones self. It provides an especially strong message to girls that they should never give up, and that they can do anything they set their minds to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The story was both engaging and entertaining, with plenty of humor for adults and children alike. I particularly liked how the relationship between Lightning and Cruz developed into that of mentor/mentee instead of a romantic one. In typical Disney*PIXAR fashion the animation and effects are top notch. You really feel as though you’re watching real racing, with pieces of rubber, smoke, and all of the associated sounds. The world of Cars is immersive, with details everywhere on the cars, in the scenery, in the buildings. In those details you’ll find plenty of references to other PIXAR stories, past and future.
The bonus disk is jam-packed with features:
Blu-ray & Digital: Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool (Exclusive new mini-movie) – Enjoy blindsided testimonials from the Crazy 8’s, touting the transformative impact Miss Fritter’s Racing School has had in reshaping the direction of their lives Theatrical Short: “Lou” – When a toy-stealing bully ruins recess for a playground full of kids, only one thing stands in his way: the “Lost and Found” box. Let’s. Get. Crazy. – Get schooled in the world of demolition derby, the “rules” of figure 8 racing, and how Pixar puts the crazy in the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 race. This piece is hosted by Lea DeLaria. Legendary – a close, historical look at the racing legends Wendell Scott and Louise Smith, whose tenacity and perseverance got them into the race even when they weren’t invited. Ready for the Race – Disney Channel’s Olivia Rodrigo and NASCAR Racer William Byron check out the Hendrick Motorsports campus to showcase how real-world race training influenced the filmmakers. World’s Fastest Billboard – Blink and you will miss all of the graphics and “car-ified” advertisements created by Pixar’s Art team to make the ”Cars 3” world as believable as possible. Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could – Join Cristela Alonzo and the filmmakers on their journey to create a race-car trainer turned champion racer. Generations: The Story of “Cars 3” – For the story team, creating Lightning McQueen’s next chapter didn’t involve just a tune-up, but a complete overhaul. My First Car – A collection of illustrated first-car stories as narrated by members of the “Cars 3” cast and crew. “A Green Car on the Red Carpet with Kerry Washington,” “Old Blue,” and “Still in the Family.” 5 Deleted Scenes – Each deleted scene is set up with an introduction as to why it was removed from the film. Deleted scenes include “The Boogie Woogie,” “The Jars of Dirt,” “Lugnut,” “The Bolt,” and “More Than New Paint.” Cars To Die(cast) For – Take a look at the phenomenon of die-cast toy collecting and the more than 1,000 unique designs that exist in the Cars universe. Commentary – Brian Fee (Director), Kevin Reher (Producer), Andrea Warren (Co-Producer) and Jay Ward (Creative Director)
My personal favorite Cars D’oeuvres – A collection of humorous animations featuring the main characters in “Cars 3”
And more…
This movie is well worth adding to your collection.
“Cars 3” on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD™ & Blu-ray™ on Nov. 7
HULK SMASH! I do love that line… this was by far the best Thor movie by far. It really takes the best parts of last couple of Marvel movies and puts them together. Think all the humor of Guardians of the Galaxy spliced with the off beat comedy of Thor. I really loved this movie and highly recommend it for any adult, my son Marc who is 9 was laughing a good bit of the movie and cheered at the fight scenes but there is a body count in this movie, so please think twice about bringing children under 7 to seeing this movie.
In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!
Chris Hemsworth returns to the tle role of the hammer-wielding hero of Asgard. He is joined by Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s duplicitous adopted brother, Loki; Cate Blanchett as the villainous Hela; Idris Elba as the Asgardian sentry, Heimdall; Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric dictator, Grandmaster, ruler of Sakaar; Tessa Thompson as the fierce warrior, Valkyrie; Karl Urban as Skurge, one of Asgard’s strongest warriors; Mark Ruffalo, reprising his role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk from “The Avengers” and “The Avengers: Age of Ultron”; and Anthony Hopkins again portraying Odin, King of Asgard.
There are two after the movie scenes. A mid credit scene and one extra scene at the end of credits.
THOR OPENS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD 2017!
Disclosure: We attended a screening of this movie to help facilitate the review. All opinions are my own and honest.
As part 3 of our continuing coverage of the home video release of Disney Pixar’s CARS 3, we were granted time with Director BRIAN FEE and Producer KEVIN REHER. Together they shared insight on the changes and decisions made during the creation process and how ultimately it changed the direction of the film.
Brian Fee started with Pixar Animation Studios in 2003 as a story artist. During his time with Pixar he has has worked on the “Cars” films, “Ratatouille”, “Wall•E,” and “Monsters University.” With “Cars 3” Fee makes his directorial debut.
Kevin Reher joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1993. He began as a finance and production representative for Walt Disney Pictures on “Toy Story” and co-producer of “A Bug’s Life.” In 1999 he formally became a part of Pixar as the development producer, overseeing the “incubation period” of feature and short film projects, starting with 2003’s release of “Finding Nemo.” Reher also oversees Pixar’s casting process, beginning with “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles,” and continuing with “Cars 2,” “Brave,” “Monsters University,” and the studio’s 2015 releases “Inside Out,” which won the Oscar® for best animated feature film, and “The Good Dinosaur.”
One of the first things that becomes apparent when viewing this film is that it’s not just a rehashing of the existing story. In “Cars 3” we’re introduced to Cruz Ramirez (voiced by Cristela Alonzo), a younger female assigned to help train Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) take on the new generation of faster racers. As the story progresses we learn that Cruz is not only a trainer, but also quite capable in her own way. She just needs to learn that for herself. This storyline was not always a part of the script. During our Q&A we learned that the decisions to make Cruz a “she” was not only driven by story, but by what the production team observed in their real lives as parents and coworkers.
Question: How do you feel about Cruz and Cristela, and that character, and what she brought to the movie?
KR: We absolutely love her, she’s so fun to work with too. She did all of her recording on set, flying back and forth.
BF: You know Cruz didn’t start off as a female character. Early on in the process of this film it was a male one. While we’re trying to constantly evolve and enrich the story, and we just keep redoing it, we eventually realized that we’re missing an opportunity here. I have two girls at home, and here we have a very heavily male dominated movie, and it’s a male dominated sport. I wanted something for my daughters, something for them to look up to, for then to identify with. I would see them afraid to do something. If they thought they were going be bad at it, they just wouldn’t even try it. That’s human nature, but it still breaks your heart as a parent. Because, well, everyone’s bad at everything at first. Everything that happens at home, it gets put in our back pockets, and we come to work the next day, we start talking about story. That kind of stuff, it comes up. So we started just paying attention to all this, and we thought Cruz needs to be a girl character, on every level. First thing we did we made her a female. We do these rough screenings, it’s all storyboards, and it’s all just us doing the voices and stuff just to try out the story while we work on it. We decided let’s not rewrite the part, let’s just make it a female. That didn’t work.
Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo)
KR: Having a female character speaking former lines by a male character was like, uhhh…
BF: Well it wasn’t a strong character…
KR: Yes. If you look at the deleted scenes, you also can see her journey as an actress and how she found the character, because some of it’s a little cringeworthy.
BF: The original Cruz as a male character was working at the time. He was very… soft. You almost have this…
KR: …Syncophantic assistant…
BF: Yes, and he was funny because he wasn’t confident. He didn’t have any bite to him, and that was somehow entertaining as a male character. As soon as we gave it a female voice it was just all kinds of wrong. So we started to write the character with more bite. That’s why we have the scene where McQueen starts blaming her. He’s just frustrated, and kind of lashes out at her… and she just, like, bites him back. That’s the reason we wrote the scene that way, it’s because we thought “What would Cruz really do?” It’s a learning journey. She was easily the hardest character to crack, and she was also quite frankly the most important character in the film.
Many of the characters in “Cars 3” were voiced by real-life racers like Junior Johnson, Ray Evernham, Kyle Petty, Shannon Spake, Danny Suarez, and others. They may be perfectly comfortable behind the wheel, but placing them in front of a microphone could be a different story. We asked the team about what it was like working with these professionals.
Q: You’ve worked with great voice actors on many of your films. How was it working with some of these actors, taking them out of their comfort zones?
KR: Blood, sweat, and tomatoes! (laughing) It was masterful, but when you have non-actors it can be tough.
BF: When you have an actor, well trained and experienced…
KR: Kerry Washington (voice of Natalie Certain) comes in and just knocks it out of the park. You’re done early.
Natalie Certain (Kerry Washington)
BF: But you still have to put them in the right mindset. They have to feel it so that what comes out of them feels true. They’re not concerned about how silly they look. With a non-actor they’re aware of standing in front of a microphone, everyone’s watching. They’re not comfortable making funny noises. In that moment the job is to make them become comfortable, which usually means me making a fool of myself. For example working with Kyle. There’s a really heartfelt moment where he has to basically say goodbye to McQueen. It’s really an acting moment. I already knew that that’s going be a challenge, it’s going to be hard. It’s one thing to just say some things really loud as a joke, and it’s another thing to really connect on an emotional quiet level. One of the things we did was after he had the line down, I took his pages away so he was no longer reading words, to get out of that reading cycle. Then I would stand really close to hime and say “No, don’t say it to the microphone, say it to me.” I would get uncomfortably close to force him to just say it to me. He would lower his voice, and we would just do it alot. He got more comfortable, and we recorded him several times. He got really good by the end, he adapted and he learned.
Part of what makes the “Cars 3” franchise work it the incredible amount of detail that is integrated into the films. The backdrops, racetracks, and scenery all seem to interact on a real level. Much of this is due to the amount of research that goes into producing the work. We asked Brian and Kevin if they did any specific research in preparing for this film:
KR: It was great. We started on Route 99, then Charlotte, Daytona…
BF: We hung around racetracks.
KR: Lot’s of racetracks. Abandoned tracks. We went to Wilkesborough in North Carolina, Occoneechee, and that’s how we ended up hearing about the legends of racing. All the legends came out of all that research.
BF: Then we spent equal amount of time talking with drivers, like Junior Johnson and people that were there when it was getting started, and hearing their stories. You’d take all that stuff, and you have kinda put it in your back pocket. Then it comes up later, and it’s like “We got to have a character named Smokey that’s in some way fashioned after Smokey Yunick.” Then you’re able to attribute certain things to that character based on the real person that give it a richness.
Smokey Yunick (Photo by ISC Images Archives via Getty Images)
KR: “Smokey’s Garage, best dang garage in town.” It’s actually Smokey Eunic’s Garage was the best damn garage in town, but it’s a Disney movie, so we couldn’t. After we talked to Junior Johnson and mentioned that we had visited Occoneechee he said that he had ended up in the river there a couple of times. So we ended up with a character named River. Then there’s the story of Wendell Scott, who was the only African American stock car racer. If you watch the DVD extras there’s a terrific featurette on the legends, and his story was amazing.
Finally, we asked if they were happy with the final product, and if the next one would be even better.
KR: Yes, very happy with it.
BF: Yes happy with it. As far as the next one, I hope I can learn from the experience and do better. That’s what we live for, doing better.
CARS 3 now in HD and 4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray on November 7th
sharing my experience as a parent of multiple children, my 4 year old daughter Emily and 2 year old triplets Jackson, Olivia and Levi.
Amanda Leighton take on Branch and Poppy was a very all inclusive experience. THEY KILLED IT! I was so excited to watch each snippet of the show learning more about the Troll way of life. It honestly has everything you could ask for in a 22 minute episode. While watching with such enjoyment I could not stop thinking about how much my kids would LOVE it as well!
We were part of a faily large group, so they broke us up into 6 different teams. Safety is of paramount importance, so we were setup with a suit, gloves, hearing, and eye protection. They led us out to pit row, where we were given live demonstrations of each position and the chance to practice a couple of times to get a feel for how the equipment feels. These are real NASCAR tires and wheels, real gas can (no gas), even the jack is authentic. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at the air-powered wrench and I was able to fill that spot for the team. Team 2, Lightnings Lugs, rear wheel changer… yeah that’s me.
