At the moment the estimates for the weekend’s two top films are dead even: a box office rarity.  Both Cowboys and Aliens and The Smurfs are claiming estimates of $36.2 million – a figure that is slightly embarrassing for one film and a near miracle for the other.

One of the joys of Pixar films is that the animators and creatives at the studio go out of their way to infuse each film with a number of hidden easter eggs for hardcore Pixar fans to spot. Their latest output, Cars 2, is no exception. While a lot of the widely known eggs like the Pizza Planet truck and the number A113 show up, some hidden gags are bit more subtle. Now Disney has released a list of all the easter eggs that were hidden in the film, and they’ve also pointed out specific parts of the movie that were “car-ified” (Director John Lasseter wanted to infuse as many of the locations and buildings surrounding the Cars world with automobile references or car-reminiscent shapes, hence “car-ified”).

Hit the jump to check out the list to spot what you may have missed. The film features the voice talents of talent of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs, Bruce Campbell, John Turturro, Thomas Kretschmann, and Michael Caine. Cars 2 is in theaters now.

We have reached the end of Paramount’s long, long seven-day launch of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  So, on this no-news day, let’s take a look at some of the more salient figures regarding Michael Bay’s third installment in his blockbusting franchise. Yesterday, Tf3 broke the all-time record for the Fourth of July weekend at $97.5 million.  With Monday’s estimate of $18.9 million included, the record for the four-day holiday weekend has also fallen. The previous winner was 2004’s Spider-Man 2 with $115.8 million. The holiday take for Transformers 3 now stands at $116.4 million. So, that’s more.

After posting a strong start on Friday, Cars 2 went on to finish the weekend with an estimated $68 million from its 4,115 locations.  That was more than double what its closest competitor, Bad Teacher, took in; but not quite enough to get the sequel higher than fifth place on the list of All-Time Pixar Studio champions.

With Cars 2 now in theaters, Disney recently held a press junket in Hollywood and I spoke with the cast and director John Lasseter (which you can watch here).  During my interview with Eddie Izzard and Owen Wilson, they talked about everything from karaoke to the recording process.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

It’s always a mistake to bet against Pixar.  Despite predictions that the studio was heading for a crash with its twelfth offering, Cars 2 is shaping up to finish near the top of Pixar’s roster after earning an estimated $25.7 million from 4,115 locations on opening day.  That puts the sequel on track for a weekend in the $65 million range – well above the $40-$50 million Disney was forecasting just days ago.  A three day total north of $68 million would also give Cars 2 the second-best debut in Pixar’s history behind that giant $110 million Toy Story 3 grossed in 2010, but they’re not there quite yet.  One reason for concern is the fact that grownups are not onboard with Cars 2.  With a current Rotten Tomato score of 33% the sequel stands as the studio’s least critically-regarded release by far.  But who cares?  I know two seven year olds who have had June 24^th circled on their calendars for months… and I’m pretty sure they don’t read reviews.  Running in second place is this week’s counter-programming contender, Bad Teacher. The R-rated comedy earned an estimated $12.1 million from its 3,049 locations on Friday which should equal a $25 million weekend.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

With Cars 2 hitting theaters this weekend, Disney recently held a press junket in Hollywood and I spoke with the cast and director John Lasseter (which you can watch here).  During my interview with Larry the Cable Guy and Emily Mortimer, they talked about everything from the recording process to meeting each other for the first time.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Cars 2 is the rare Pixar film that feels like a mess. So many times, you wonder how they are going to balance the different aspects of their next summer hit, but by the time the credits roll you no longer question it. With Pixar’s latest, I still had trouble deciding why they would go in so many various directions all at once. The core audience is going to have a blast, there is little doubt. If you have a young boy, and you collect those little cars, you have a lot more to deal with and it will be shoved down your throat starting with this gorgeous, often funny package. But these days, I expect more from Pixar. My review after the jump.

With Cars 2 hitting theaters this weekend, Disney held a press junket in Hollywood a few days ago and I spoke with the cast and director John Lasseter.  Since Adam recently interviewed Lasseter at Pixar, I made sure to ask all new questions.

During the five minute interview (which could have been thirty minutes with how many questions I’d prepared), Lasseter talked about the Easter Eggs in Cars 2, what is his favorite Pixar collectible, reveals that he voiced a character, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

One of my favorite composers is Michael Giacchino.  That’s because in the last decade, Giacchino has written some amazing scores including The Incredibles, Speed Racer, Ratatouille, Up, Star Trek (2009), Super 8, Lost, Alias, Fringe, and so many more.  With Giacchino writing the score for Cars 2, the other day I got to talk to him about his latest soundtrack.  Of course we also talked about other subjects including what the last few years have been like, his writing process, collaborating with directors, the challenge of scoring Star Trek, if he’s coming back for the sequel, working with the Wachowskis on Speed Racer, if he’s started work on Mission Impossible 4, and I also asked what do we have to do to get Brad Bird to make a sequel to The Incredibles.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

Cars 2 takes us on an exciting new adventure to exotic lands across the globe as star racecar Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) teams up with his best friend, tow truck Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), and heads overseas to compete against the world’s fastest cars in the first-ever World Grand Prix. But the road to the finish line is filled with unexpected potholes, detours and bombshells when Mater, in a case of mistaken identity, is ensnared in a top secret mission orchestrated by master British spy Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine).

At a virtual press conference with Michael Caine via London, we talked with one of the film industry’s most esteemed actors about his starring role in Pixar’s newest full-length animated feature. Caine explained why it was a brand new experience for him, as an actor used to playing iconic spies, to return to the world of espionage cast as a car. He shared with us how much fun it was playing the coolest car in the movie, what it meant to have his voice immortalized in an animated film, and how much he enjoyed working with director John Lasseter, who joined the press conference briefly to thank him for his impressive performance.  He also discussed what it was like returning to play Alfred in The Dark Knight Rises and revealed the unique back story he created for the character.  Hit the jump for the interview.

We’ve been provided with 9 clips from Pixar’s Cars 2.  A sequel to the 2006 film, Cars 2 finds top-notch racer Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater heading overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix.  While McQueen is focused on winning the tournament, Mater gets wrapped up in a case of international espionage.  I got the chance to visit Pixar a couple of months ago for the Cars 2 press day, and while I can’t say what I thought about the footage they showed us, the interviews with all of the creatives involved with the project were very promising.  It’s obvious they worked really hard to tell the best story possible with this flick.  To check out a recap of the Pixar visit, as well as links to my interviews with John Lasseter, Emily Mortimer, Michael Giacchino and more, click here.

Directed by John Lasseter, the film features the voice talents of talent of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs, Bruce Campbell, John Turturro, Thomas Kretschmann, and Michael Caine. Cars 2 opens in 3D June 24th. Hit the jump to check out the clips.

A couple of months ago, Collider was invited to travel out to Emeryville, California to Pixar Animation Studios in order to take part in the Cars 2 press day. As one would expect, it was a pretty fantastic experience. We were privy to a number of presentations regarding all things Cars 2, given by the very people responsible for making the Pixar films we know and love.

In addition, we got the chance to sit down and interview quite a few of the people involved with the film including director John Lasseter, composer Michael Giacchino and actress Emily Mortimer, and we were given a tour of the Pixar building itself. Hit the jump to check out a full rundown of our visit. Cars 2 hits theaters June 24^th.

In anticipation of the release of Cars 2 on June 24^th, we were invited to the press day for the film at Pixar a while ago. During our time at the studio, we got the chance to sit down with director/Pixar guru John Lasseter. Currently the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, Lasseter was one of the founding talents behind Pixar. He personally directed the studio’s first three films (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2), as well as 2006’s Cars.

During our interview, Lasseter talked about his approach to the sequel, what influences they had on the film, what challenges they encountered throughout production, what to expect from the next Pixar film Brave, and the future of the studio. Hit the jump to check it out.

Recently, we got the chance to talk to actress Emily Mortimer at the press day for Cars 2 at Pixar. In the sequel to the 2006 film, Mortimer voices the character of Holly Shiftwell, a beautiful British desk agent who is now a spy-in-training. She’s one of a cadre of new characters in the film, and works closely with international spy Finn McMissile, voiced by Michael Caine. Throughout the animated flick, Shiftwell interacts quite a bit with loveable towtruck Mater as the two must work together to solve a case of international espionage.

During the course of our interview, Mortimer talked about how the process of voice-acting at Pixar works, what it was like to work with director John Lasseter, how the experience differed from her voice-work on Howl’s Moving Castle, and what it was like to re-team with director Martin Scorsese for his first 3D feature Hugo Cabret. Hit the jump to check out the full interview.