Toronto-based Joe Books will publish a thick, graphic-novel version of the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated movie “Cars” this summer.
The Bleeding Cool website got the scoop Thursday. The print version of “Cars” will be 380 pages in softcover ($29.99 list) or hardcover ($49.99 list).
A description of the book from the publisher:
Hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen is living life in the fast lane, until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on U.S. Route 66, he meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson, and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there’s more to life than trophies and fame. Disney-Pixar fans will love this collector’s edition graphic-novel-style retelling of the movie, available in hardcover and softcover from Joe Books.
According to the Canadian version of Amazon, the “Cars” graphic novel will be published June 28. That would be around the 10th anniversary of the film’s release.
The “Cars” movie grossed more than $400 million worldwide. The “Cars” marketing spin-offs of toys and other memorabilia has grossed billions of dollars, reportedly more than any Pixar film. With Cars Land, Disney in 2012 built a replica of Radiator Springs at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim.
“Cars” still sparks interest in Route 66 nearly a decade after its release. People interested in the “Cars” and Route 66 links generate significant traffic to Route 66 News.
The interesting part is Disney and Pixar animators are listed as authors of the “Cars” graphic novel. Route 66 author Michael Wallis guided Pixar’s crew to research the real-life people and places on Route 66.
Neither Bleeding Cool nor Joe Books showed sample pages or the cover of the “Cars” graphic novel. It will be interesting to see how Pixar’s artists use the graphic-novel format and how detailed they’ll get with Route 66 and Radiator Springs.
(Screen-capture image of Mater and Lightning McQueen from the 2005 “Cars” teaser trailer)