Fancy a lift with Prince Wheeliam? Wills immortalised as a Bentley as Disney heads to Britain for Cars 2
By
Emily Sheridan
Updated:
In the run-up to the Royal Wedding, Prince William's likeness has appeared on tea towels, plates and cufflinks to name but a few items of memorabilia.
But even the Prince himself wouldn't have been expected to be immortalised as an animated Disney character.
Prince William and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth have inspired two new characters in the upcoming Pixar sequel Cars 2.
Driving in style: Prince William has inspired a new Cars 2 character called Prince Wheeliam - a shiny Bentley Continental
Need some petrol ma'am? Queen Elizabeth II inspired a vintage-style vehicle called.... The Queen - voiced by Vanessa Redgrave
The 28-year-old groom inspires the character Prince Wheeliam - a
late-model Bentley Continental. while The Queen is a sleek vintage car complete with its own tiara.
Providing the well-rounded vowels of the Queen car is veteran English actress Vanessa Redgrave.
Producer Denise Ream said the animators looked through the archives to the vehicles the real-life Queen rode in around her Coronation.
Character Art Director Jay Shuster adds:
'Specifically with The Queen's design it took some careful stepping as we, of course, were on hallowed ground emulating a nation's sovereign as a car. The Queen's design in our film is inspired by the elegant lines and paint schemes of British car designs of the finest vintage.
Keeping everyone in line: A red truck becomes a royal horse guard Sgt Highgear
Need a lift? Chauncy Fares is a traditional Hackney cab
Top heavy: Introducing the double-decker bus Topper Deckington III
'We spend much energy on these designs de-emphasising details such as driving lamps and grilles so that the absolute read of the characters eyes and mouth can convey with maximum clarity: allowing the car to act. Official crests and shields adorn her much in the same way they did her cars in reality.
'I have to say we spent weeks on perfecting the tiara she wears in our film. Our special effects then made sure each diamond had a translucency and depth to refract the light just so.'
Fans of the first Cars film will see hero Lightning McQueen meet the royal cars during a trip around Europe, along with some other iconic British vehicles.
Inspiration: The characters have been modelled after Queen Elizabeth and her grandson Prince William
And racing driver Lewis Hamilton also makes an appearance in the film, with the former F1 champion actually voicing his own character.
Joining the famous British trio are other new characters
Topper Deckington III, Chauncy Fares and Sgt Highgear.
Cars 2 sees Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and tow truck Mater leave the U.S. to compete in the World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car.
Along the way they meet
master British super spy Finn McMissile (Sir Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).
Cars 2 will be released in UK cinemas on July 22.
Star cameo: Lewis Hamilton voiced a racing car in the upcoming sequel
The originals: Mater and McQueen in a scene from the 2006 film Cars