Holiday weekend gives ‘Cars 2’ more chances with families, Disney stars sing its praises on runway

The #1 movie in America its first week out, Cars 2 proved that families are looking for some kid-friendly summer fun, especially for the 4th of July holiday weekend. Opening with $66 million domestically, Cars 2 held its premiere the week before with a full celebration complete with Disney stars and a runway red carpet, which opened with life-size Lightning McQueen, Mater and Finn McMissile coming down the street for fans.

All the star voices of Cars 2 were in attendance including Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt and Eddie Izzard. Disney/Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger was also in attendance, explaining that this is his 12th film with the studio. In Cars 2, Ratzenberger voices Mack, and he said that the main difference between his character from the first installment to now is the oil he is using.

Paul Dooley is also back as Sarge, the WW2 vet that he voices with a gravely sound “I figure he probably drives through a lot of rough areas in battle--mud, dirt, rocks--so I decided to make his voice sound gravely,” Dooley told TheCelebrityCafe.com.

Dooley enjoys doing voice acting because of the easy hours. “It’s great fun because, to be honest, one of the great fun things about it is you don’t have to do makeup and wardrobe--waiting on a movie set is very boring. It’s a lot of fun. I love it,” he explained.

The Disney Channel stars in attendance also want to try their voice at a Pixar character, including “Shake It Up” star Roshon Fegan, who plays Ty Blue. “I would love to do a voice. Any Pixar thing. I love all Pixar. My favorite movie is Finding Nemo,” he told The Celebrity Café. “Cartoons are not cartoons anymore, they’re animated stories.”

A fan of the first movie, Fegan had previously screened Cars 2 for the White House, including President Barack Obama. “I’m more than a fan [of the movie]. I love Mater to the fullest extent. He is the most awesome character on the planet,” Fegan revealed.

Jennifer Stone from Wizards of Waverly Place also would love to do some voice acting in her future. “It would be so much fun, I think, because I love when you do voice-over it isolates that one skill, which is challenging, but I love a challenge.”

Bella Thorne, the star of Shake It Up, was not only celebrating the Cars 2 premiere, but also her world debut of her new music video for song “Watch Me.” She also was a little starstruck when Larry the Cable Guy was standing right by her on the carpet.

“I love Mater and Larry the Cable Guy was standing right next to me, and I was like ah!”

Greg Ellis walked the carpet with his full family as a pre-Father’s Day celebration, and his young children got to take in the ambiance of a true Disney party. Ellis is also a part of the Disney family, appearing in all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films as Lieutenant Theodore Groves.

“I mean the [Disney] movies are so much fun to make and so much fun to see and events like this are so much fun--get to bring your kids,” he told TheCelebrityCafe.com. “And I’m a big fan of Cars. I had a big debate the other day with this actor friend of mine about the best Pixar film, and hands down Cars.”

Continuing the family affair mentality of the Disney/Pixar carpet, “RPM Miami” stars Franki J and Fernanda Romera brought their young children to the event. Franki’s character in the new show actually relates to Cars 2.

“’RPM Miami’ is very much like Cars 2,” explained Franki. “It’s about racing. It’s an adrenaline rush. My character plays a mechanic by the name of Ramone, which I believe there is a character named Ramone in Cars 2.”

That is where the similarities end though, as RPM Miami takes place in Florida and examines the world of illegal underground racing.

With the same director in John Lasseter (joined by co-director Brad Lewis), some things were still changed for the sequel, including Michael Giacchino for original music. Winner of numerous awards, including an Oscar for his composition in Up, Giacchino didn’t originally envision himself working in the musical realm at all. The first thing he wanted to do was be an animator, and he made several stop-motion projects. One of his favorite things to do on those pieces was finding the music, and that’s what led him to composing, something he is now often honored for.

“Coming up with the theme is always the hardest part, and once you have that, the rest falls into place,” Giacchino explained. “The second I saw the film, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

Only its second weekend in theaters, Cars 2 is playing in cineplexes nationwide complete with Disney’s 3D technology, a short featuring Toy Story characters and previews for Brave and The Lion King 3D.