Karl on a Different Type of "Cars" -- The Movie

post from Karl on Cars on 10 April 2006 11:04:07 PM. © Karl on Cars

As part of the Mustang GT500 event we got to attend the VIP Premier screening of the next Pixar movie, Cars. And, just like with the 2007 Shelby Mustang, I'm not allowed to talk about the movie yet. But we also got a tour of Pixar Studios in Emeryville (near Oakland and Berkeley). All I can say is "Wow!" Beyond the expected cool stuff (life-sized versions of Mr. Incredible and lots of concept art all over the place) it was really interesting to see the working environment set up by John Lassiter. Basically, he allows the employees to create whatever cubicle design and interior decoration they want. In fact, they made a contest out of it, giving each employee a set budget and telling them to "out do" each other. If you've seen any of the films you know what level of creative talent we're talking about. Now imagine that group cut loose with some budget to design their own workspaces. A very smart idea and just one example of why this film company can essentially do no wrong. The charity work done as part of this premier was for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and during the night they raised over one million dollars through a silent and live auction. To cap the evening off, I rode back to the hotel in a Ford Excursion sitting next to Parnelli Jones. And I thought just driving the new GT500 was a treat...

Read The Full Article:
http://blogs.edmunds.com/karl/.ee906c8