‘Cars 3’ tour starts at Disney Springs
A “Road to the Races” tour promoting the upcoming Disney-Pixar film “Cars 3” has launched at Disney Springs. Its exhibits and activities will wend their way through two dozen cities leading up to the premiere of the animated feature, which will be in theaters as of June 16.
Here are five things to know before you’re off to the “Races.”
1. This initial tour stop is set up near the no-longerused bus stop on the Marketplace side of Disney Springs. You might recall seeing a lineup of holiday trees there late last year. The “Cars” exhibit is not quite as spread-out as that one. The spacing feels right, although there’s a danger of congestion if every “Cars” fan shows up at once.
2. I predict the highlight will be posing with the cars of “Cars 3.” Present are Lightning McQueen and two newbies that will be in the film, Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez. They are full-size models, as if they were in real life. And they’re solid. I touched one, but was politely told not to. (They’ve also got a stanchion set up for the queue, and I bet they prefer you use that rather than just walk up to Lightning and snap. Be aware.)
3. NASCAR is one of the tour sponsors, so it’s not surprising that the branding is in high gear. The sponsored booths are home to giveaways (I scored a small tube of toothpaste thanks to the Wheel o’ Crest), games and activities (Change that tire … fast!) and, unexpectedly, pineapple smoothies with a wee bit of spinach.
4. At the back of the exhibit is an eight-minute film that’s somewhere between a “making of” presentation and a trailer.
5. This is one of those gloriously free Walt Disney World events. There’s no admission fee and no parking fee at Disney Springs. Even that smoothie sample is a giveaway.
“Road to the Races” remains at Disney Spring through Sunday. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day except Sunday, when it closes at 5 p.m.