ROLE: Story Manager

Radiator Springs 500 1/2 was a short film that aired as part of the TV mini-series Tales From Radiator Springs. It was directed by Rob Gibbs & Scott Morse and written by Rob Gibbs, John Lasseter, and Jeremy Lasky. These were fun little shorts that were created by the story team spitballing ideas in the story room, and then we’d pitch them to John Lasseter. Out of all the ideas, 4 of them became short films.

This one was special because it is the longest of the 4, and it was directed by my amazing friend, Rob Gibbs, who is no longer with us. This was the only project at Pixar we got to work on together. Rob was my champion at Pixar, a great mentor, and a friend. He is dearly missed. This was also one of the only shorts with Owen Wilson voicing Lighting McQueen.

The animation and effects were done at Pixar Canada, the studio that handled most of Pixar’s ancillary work. Where Development, Story, and Editorial were done on Pixar’s main campus in Emeryville.

Synopsis: A leisurely drive turns precarious as Baja racers descend on the town and challenge Lightning McQueen to an off-road race.