The Becker Group Brings Disney-Pixar's CARS Models to Hollywood
BALTIMORE, June 13 -- Three of the stars of Disney-Pixar's exciting new computer-animated feature "CARS" arrived in Hollywood for the opening weekend of the film and a special midnight screening on June 9, 2006 at Disney's El Capitan Theater. The life-sized models, part of Disney-Pixar's "CARS Road Trip 06" experience presented by State Farm(R), were a major hit at the World Premiere of Disney-Pixar's "CARS" on May 26, 2006 in Charlotte, NC at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. The touring experience, which was designed and is being managed by the Becker Group, will continue to cross the country throughout the summer and will travel to a total of over 40 cities.
The three stars ride in style via a special truck produced by the Becker Group and inspired by the character Mack. In fact, the tractor is provided by none other than Mack Trucks, Inc. "This experience brings to life the excitement and fun of 'CARS,' a film everyone in the family will enjoy," says Glenn Tilley, President of the Becker Group. The Becker Group is an award- winning experiential marketing company that has worked on many major films, but "CARS" marks the first time they have literally taken the stars on a cross country road trip. "We have really enjoyed working alongside such world-class organizations as Disney-Pixar, State Farm and Mack Trucks, Inc.," adds Tilley.
"CARS" tells the story of Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie racecar driven to succeed, who discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship. The all-star vocal cast includes free-wheeling performances by Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, "Larry the Cable Guy," Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond, Cheech Marin, John Ratzenberger, Paul Dooley, Michael Wallis, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Jenifer Lewis and Jeremy Piven. Fueled with plenty of humor, action, heartfelt drama, and amazing new technical feats, "CARS" raced into theaters on June 9.
About Becker Group
The Becker Group is an experiential marketing company that has over fifty years of experience creating immersive, entertaining attractions and brand- based experiences for a wide variety of clients and venues including top consumer brands, movie studios, shopping malls, television networks, theme parks, museums and casinos around the globe. The award-winning company is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and has offices in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Miami, Barcelona, Spain and San Paulo, Brazil.
About Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar has created six of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Pixar has won 20 Academy Awards(R) and its six films have grossed more than $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The Northern California studio's next two film releases are "CARS" (June 9, 2006) and Ratatouille (summer 2007).
About State Farm
State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 69,000 employees serve nearly 73 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canada statefarm.ca(TM).
About Mack Trucks
Dedicated to quality, reliability, and total customer satisfaction, Mack Trucks, Inc. has provided its customers with innovative transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and MACK(R) vehicles are sold and serviced in more than 45 countries worldwide. All Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations' public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation's roadways. Mack is a member of the Volvo Group, a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.
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