Pixar [Updated]: Cars 2 & Toy Story 3 Plots Revealed

[Update: We have additional Toy Story 3 Info! See post for details.]

Pixar’s John Lasseter was recently on hand at the Disney Animation Showcase in London, where he showed some footage and spilled some beans about the plots of the upcoming Pixar sequels, Toy Story 3 and Cars 2.

I can tell you upfront that the story revealed for Toy Story 3 pretty much confirms early rumors, while the plot of Cars 2 will be less down-home Southern-fried yarn, and more James Bond.

Pixar fans, if you’ve been waiting to know what’s in store for the next installments of two of your favorite franchises, keep reading.

TOY STORY 3

According to the footage shown, the next Toy Story film will take us ahead to the future where the little boy Andy is now teenage Andy headed off to college, while our favorite toys are headed for a storage unit. When Andy can’t part with his childhood pal Woody (Tom Hanks), the limber little cowboy is forced to set out on a journey to save his fellow toys from the horrible dregs of…a daycare center. I suspect that to the toys, a room full of spastic toddlers will seem like The Spanish Inquisition. I’m already chuckling.

Lasseter also confirmed that former 007 Timothy Dalton will be joining the cast, playing a snooty hedgehog who goes by the (awesome) name of “Mr. Pricklepants.”

Update: Thanks to Slash Film and Twitter we now know the following additional details about Toy Story 3:

• John Morris, the voice of the young Andy in Toy Story and Toy Story 2 is back for part 3. This time round, Andy is 18 years old. Morris is currently age 24.
• Also joining the cast are Pixar vets Jeff Garlin (Wall-E) and Bonnie Hunt (A Bug’s Life, Cars, Monsters Inc.). Whoopi Goldberg will also be making her Pixar debut. Not sure who any of the actors will be voicing.

CARS 2

The sequel to the 2006 Pixar flick Cars will once again focus on sports car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who has graduated to a global Race of Champions that is chock full of other speedsters from around the world. Joining McQueen on his journey will be pal Mater (Larry The Cable Guy), and according to Lasseter, Cars 2 will be a spy-thriller (?), which culminates with a Buckingham Palace throwdown. Rumors are that yet another former (or current?) 007 might be joining the Cars 2 cast.

I love Toy Story, and am eager to see the next installment (in 3D no less!). The plot already has me in goosebumps anticipating all the poignant life lessons about childhood-adulthood transitioning – the childish things we keep and those things we put away – which Pixar is sure to lace into the story. Also the day care scenes already sound like they’re chock full of comedic potential. Count me in.

Cars, on the other hand… never really was able to make it through the first film, and the plot of the sequel has me even less interested. Something about talking cars that look like cartoons never really did it for me. I mean it didn’t quite tickle my gear-head bone, and it didn’t quite tickle my cartoon funny bone, either.

But hey, I’m sure that’s not the case for everybody, so I’ll wait to hear what YOU think in the comments.

Cars 2 hits theaters on June 24, 2011. Toy Story 3 will hit theaters on June 18, 2010.

If you want to catch up on your Toy Story films, remember the first two films in the franchise are being shown in 3D for a limited engagement double-feature event starting October 2nd.

Source (and header image): Cinematical

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