“The Art of Cars” rolls into LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum this Saturday

Jim Hill

17 years ago

Anyone who’s ever been stuck in traffic on the 5 or the 10 will tell you that Southern California already has ‘way too many cars.

That said, I imagine that even the crabbiest of commuters will still crack a smile once they see the four-wheeled characters who’ll be going on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum this coming weekend. We’re talking about life-size replicas of Lightning McQueen as well as his tow-truck buddy, Mater. Who’ll be sitting on their chassises inside of that museum’s Hollywood Gallery space for the next seven months as part of “The Art of Cars” exhibition.

The first-ever collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and LA’s preeminent auto museum, this “Art of Cars” exhibit will take a decidedly different look at how an animated feature is produced. Given that the 60 watercolor & pastel drawings, pencil & marker sketches on display here will try & illustrate how hard Pixar’s artists worked in order to make this fantasy world seem … Well … real.

As the film’s director — Pixar & Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer John Lasseter — explained :

“When we started working on Cars, I knew that getting the details right would be essential to the story. The spirit of Route 66 is in every scratch on a fender and every curl of paint on a weathered billboard.”

This “Cars” display at the Petersen was something of a passion project for Lasseter. Given how proud he was of this 2006 Pixar release as well as his own lifelong love affair with cars … Well, John spearheaded this exhibition. Even going so far as to record the introductory audio that you’ll hear on “The Art of Cars” tour-by-cell-phone guide.

Working with Elyse Klaidman (i.e. the Dean of Art and Film at Pixar University), Lasseter personally chose many of the pieces that you’ll see on display in the Petersen’s Hollywood Gallery space. Deliberating chosing items that showcase this animation studio’s almost insane attention to detail. Take — for example — this series of Ramone hood designs that Yvonne Herbst & Laura Phillips put together.

As you check out the three-dimensional maquettes of Mater, Doc Hudson, Sally, and The King that are also on display here … You’ll see another example of Pixar’s obsession with getting things right. Endlessly fussing over the look of an individual character until they finally get something that not only services the needs of the story but also appeals to the audience.

I mean, check out the number of drawings that Pixar vet Bob Pauley had to do before he finally arrives at a tailfin configuration for Flo that John Lasseter actally liked.

As you walk through the Hollywood Gallery and look at all the pastels and watercolors of such “Cars” locales as Ornament Valley, Cadillac Range and Radiator Cap, you’re going to come away with a new appreciation of this John Lasseter film. Not to mention having a much better understanding of what it really took to put this particular Pixar production on the road.

“The Art of Cars” exhibit will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum from March 29th through November 2, 2008. The Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles. Admission prices are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students with ID, and $3 for children ages 5 to 12. Museum members and children under five are admitted free.

Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For general Museum information, call (323) 930-CARS or visit the Museum’s website at http://www.petersen.org/.