Bollywood bombards film fans with Toronto bash

Bollywood bombarded its Canadian fans with a glittering, multi-coloured carnival of song, dance and glamour as India's star-studded version of the Oscars made its North American debut Saturday, capping the South Asian showcase with an appearance by U.S. actors Hilary Swank and a moonwalking Cuba Gooding Jr.

The five-hour award bash, hosted by the International Indian Film Academy, paraded its biggest matinee idols in a boisterous spectacle that kicked off slowly with a series of welcoming remarks and unscripted banter between Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan and co-hosts Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh.

It closed with a taste of Hollywood, as "Slumdog Millionaire" star Anil Kapoor escorted Swank onto the stage to present a best actor award to Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan for the 9/11 melodrama, "My Name is Khan."

"Namaste, Toronto. Namaste, India. Namaste, world," Swank, draped in a glittering sleeveless red gown, said to appreciative cheers from the crowd.

"Hollywood and Indian cinema must bring the world closer together. I believe in IIFA's vision -- one people, one world."

Later, Gooding broke into an impromptu moonwalk before handing out a best director trophy to Karan Johar for the melodrama, "My Name is Khan," declaring that he was enthralled by Indian cinema.

"I think it's absolutely wonderful how India has travelled the world of entertainment and I would love love to play and be a part of a Bollywood movie myself," said Gooding, who twirled and hollered for the fans.

The awards show capped a three-day campaign to deepen Bollywood's global fanbase with an annual celebration commonly known as the IIFAs (pronounced "Eye-fahs").

Kapoor offered an enthusiastic greeting to the largely South Asian audience early in the night.

"For the first time in its 12-year history IIFA makes its North American debut and its biggest stars are you," Kapoor said in a mix of English, Hindi and Punjabi while pointing to the audience.

"Thank you Ontario. Thank you so much for making us feel the warmth in Canada."

The weekend's events included a film festival, music workshop, business forum, fashion show and rock concert staged throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Canadian comic Tom Green and Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray were among the homegrown celebs to walk Saturday's red carpet, renamed the green carpet to reflect the event's eco-commitment.

The most enthusiastic cheers were sparked by South Asian heroes including Khan, considered as famous as Tom Cruise, and crossover star Kapoor.

During the show, one overzealous male fan rushed the stage to grab Khan, managing to wrap his arms and legs around the star's legs before Irani pulled him off. Several security officers stepped in to escort the man offstage.

Organizers say more than 200 filmmakers and actors came from overseas in the bid to gain inroads into the North American market and build production partnerships.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty took the stage early on to say he had long been looking forward to the bash, expected to draw 40,000 tourists to the province.

"Some things are just universal, like a good story," said McGuinty, who returned later to present the award for best film to the action comedy, "Dabangg."

"It doesn't matter if you grew up in Brampton or Bangalore, Mississauga or Mumbai, you grew up hearing stories and sharing stories."

"We welcome you with open arms to ... share our story."

As per tradition, the show's first number was produced by the host country. The Ontario government's three-minute mix of video and live performance showcased the province's diversity with two Asian dragon dancers, bag pipers and South Asian costumes.

Bollywood-style performances included a high-energy dance number that revolved around model-turned-film actress Kanagan Ranaut and a song-and-dance number from heartthrob Bobby Deol, who arrived in a car that was driven onstage. He was later joined onstage by brother Sunny and their legendary father Dharmendra, who received a special award for his 55-year career.

Star-seekers began gathering around the Rogers Centre hours before the show to get a glimpse of arriving luminaries.

"Being away from our country and hosting this in our native town is such a huge opportunity and such a privilege for all of us," said Arti Sharma, a 33-year-old marketing consultant.

"When you're away from your country it makes (this) all the bigger for you and the passion comes out. You're here to see some of the finest movie stars that you've not seen in person."

Roughly 16,000 of the 22,000 tickets available to the public sold out in minutes. Those lucky enough to snag seats were charged between $49 and $125, while resellers offered last-minute tickets online for as much as $1,500 each.

Sharma says she paid $500 for her seat and came early in hopes of meeting her idol, Khan.

"I am a real fan of Shah Rukh -- if Shah Rukh can get to this then he should know I'm a big fan of his," said Sharma, who came with more than 15 family members from the Toronto-area.

"Shah Rukh Khan is the best!" exclaimed Geetu Singh, dressed in a cocktail dress like many of the fans gathered at the Rogers Centre. Others wandered through an adjacent concrete plaza in glittering saris and suits.

Vancouver resident Ginni Dhaliwal said her cousin gave her a ticket to the show, but attending meant she had to buy plane tickets for her kids and mother.

"I paid about $1,400 for the (plane) tickets," said Dhaliwal. "I had to miss work but it was totally worth it, totally worth it."

The awards gala is considered India's biggest media event and one of world's most-watched televised spectacles. It can be seen July 24 on OMNI.

Previous bashes have been held in London, Dubai, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, and Johannesburg.

A retrospective honouring the career of Raj Kapoor takes place Sunday as a joint program between the IIFAs and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor gets all-star salute

He's been called the ultimate showman, a cinema legend and one of India's most famous cultural figures. Yet in North America, few outside the South Asian community react at the mention of Raj Kapoor.

Now, a collaboration between the Toronto International Film Festival and the International Indian Film Academy is aiming to change that.

Raj Kapoor and The Golden Age of Indian Cinema is set to open at Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox on Sunday as the IIFAs wrap a star-studded weekend promoting Indian film.

Actress Kareena Kapoor, shown in 2009, says this year's IIFAs are particularly significant because of the spotlight on her grandfather, Raj Kapoor. Mustafa Quraishi

The Kapoor clan, an Indian film dynasty, has already voiced its enthusiasm for the tribute and will share fond memories of the Bollywood giant as the retrospective featuring 20 films kicks off.

Actress Kareena Kapoor, one of the most famous of the Kapoor grandchildren, told reporters in Mumbai that this year's IIFAs were particularly significant because of the spotlight on her grandfather.

"It's going to be very, very special, very emotional," she said. "I'm more excited about that than anything else because I think that's really made the Kapoors really honoured and very humbled."

Raj Kapoor, who died in 1988, is remembered as not only a hugely popular actor, but also a respected producer and director of films that have become Indian classics.

"For audiences who are unfamiliar with Raj Kapoor, the great thing about this retrospective is that it gives you the keys to Bollywood," said Noah Cowan, project curator and artistic director at the Lightbox, which is home to the Toronto International Film Festival.

Combination of Chaplin, Gable, Kelly

Finding a North-American comparison for Kapoor is a tall order.

As an actor, he combined elements of Gene Kelly, Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin, adapting key characteristics of their personalities for Indian audiences. Meanwhile, his efforts behind the camera could be likened to iconic Canadian actress and producer Mary Pickford.

Kapoor was king in what film aficionados call the "golden age" of Indian film — a period of hope and change in the aftermath of the country's 1947 independence from British rule.

By combining aspects of global cinema with the new social conditions in India, Cowan said Kapoor laid the foundations for what would come to be known as Bollywood.

"You get elements from Indian theatre, elements from Hollywood, musical elements and they get mixed up in this innovative way," said Cowan. "Raj Kapoor is the first guy to really harness all of these elements in a way that connected to audiences."

That connection with the masses during the 1950s and 60s extended beyond India's borders with Kapoor's films captivating audiences in the Middle East, Soviet Russia and China during a period when Hollywood films didn't go far from home. It's rumoured that Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong even had his own personal copy of Kapoor's 1951 hit Awaara.

"Frankly the Indians were making the best cinema at that time," said Cowan. "Hindi cinema is just as important in the history of cultural cinema as Hollywood."

A key feature of Kapoor's films was the strong moral messages they aimed to transmit. Infused with the nationalist dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Kapoor's projects carried strong socialist themes, focusing on improving the conditions of the poor and exposing the excesses of the rich.

'Little guy' going to the big city

And those messages mattered.

"Love of cinema, and love of cinema-going is a much more intense experience in India," explained Cowan. "As a result the socio-political context of the Raj Kapoor films and other Golden Age filmmakers was incredibly important."

A common storyline featured the underprivileged "little guy" who travels to the big city, doesn't give up hope and triumphs against the odds, said Jyotika Virdi, a professor at the University of Windsor who specializes in Indian cinema.

According to Virdi, Kapoor's films tried to help Indian society makes sense of the new, urban, developing country in which they found themselves.

"Raj Kapoor is a filmmaker who represents a moment in Indian cultural history — the moment of independence, where there was a sense of hope for change but there was also a sense of the enormity of the project that lay before them," she said.

"He tried to make those principles and ideas accessible through his films. That's why he was a major icon."

The series, which was almost two years in the making, runs July 1 to Aug. 7. As the first major North American retrospective of Kapoor's films in nearly 30 years, the project is already generating interest abroad and will likely travel to New York and London after its Toronto run.

An outsider’s take on Bollywood’s big night

A corny song about Ontario’s cultural riches, Canadians in saris doing Bollywood dance moves on stage, and a video montage of iconic Toronto streetscapes and tourist attractions.

This was the first musical act of the much-anticipated International Indian Film Academy Awards at the Rogers Centre on Saturday night.

The ode to the host province of the awards show, which is in its 12th year and making its first appearance in North America, was a clear indication that Ontario knew the world was watching.

“We’ve been waiting for this day to come,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty, wearing a bright pink and purple tie. “It doesn’t matter if you grew up in Brampton or Bangalore … you grew up sharing stories. Movies lift us up. They inspire us.”

As Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor walked down a set of stairs to the stage, a sultry voice whispered over the speakers: “IIFA!”

“Thank you, Ontario,” Kapoor said. “Thank you so much for making us feel the warmth in Canada.”

The stage was bathed in gold and pink lighting, flanked by two large IIFA award statues.

The show — which started nearly two hours late (the hosts quipped the delay was due to “Indian Standard Time”) — was a nod to a mingling of cultures, and the globalization of Bollywood’s popularity.

The first official musical number of the show, with at least 50 dancers in bright pink saris, was full of energy, elaborate and dramatic, spanning several songs.

Hosts Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh switched freely between Hindi and English, their long-winded jokes and silly songs in the former language prompting waves of laughter from the audience. It was a challenging introduction to Bollywood for an Indian cinema neophyte.

The mingling of cultures was also evident on the green carpet preceding the event, where the stars congregated to face scores of media outlets from around the world.

Bollywood brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol were there, but Hollywood’s Hilary Swank and Cuba Gooding Jr. walked it, too.

Bollywood’s Shah Rukh Khan, a Brad Pitt-calibre star in India and an IIFA nominee, showed up around 8 p.m., with McGuinty right behind him.

Looking serene in a bright pink V-neck dress, Canadian actress and cancer survivor Lisa Ray was one of the first stars to greet fans.

Although fans flocked to the events leading up to the awards show, the turnout for the green carpet was the largest yet. Thousands lined Bremner Blvd. beside the Rogers Centre, desperate to catch a final glimpse of their idols before they return home to India.

Many of those fans, though they didn’t have tickets, dressed up in jewelled saris to mark the occasion.

Torstar News Service

Bollywood stars cast spell over Toronto

TORONTO - Epic and energized but also agonizingly late and overlong, the 12th annual International Indian Film Academy awards for Hindi-language films came to Canada for the first time on Saturday night ... and more than two hours into Sunday.

By the time that the assembled Bollywood royalty had danced, sang, talked, paid tribute in an endless cycle of career awards and indulged two comics in dozens of low-brow skits, many people had already had more than enough. The throng of 40,000 that took their seats in the Rogers Centre at 7 p.m. had thinned out in a swirl of saris up the aisles.

But there were still thousands left to cheer the popular action film Dabangg when it won as best film. It pushed aside the even more popular My Name is Khan, the highest grossing Indian film of 2010 both in India and internationally. Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. was part of the best picture presentation team. He proclaimed his love for Bollywood cinema, said he would be happy to star in one and then did a fabulous hip hop version of a Bollywood dance move while the Rogers Centre erupted in cheers.

If Dabangg staged an upset, it was no problem for My Name is Khan. The acclaimed film won its share on the night, none more explosive with the audience than the best actor prize for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. He was also one of several co-hosts for the gala awards and his every move, joke, jibe and serious comment generated screams and applause. Part of his presentation team was another Oscar winner, Hilary Swank, whom Khan praised lavishly. “Hilary had me at ‘namaste’,” Khan said sweetly of Swank’s initial Hindi-language greeting to the audience.

So the joint went wild with his best actor win and Khan — also known as King Khan — even came back after the Dabangg upset in the best picture category to headline a dance extravaganza. It was the spectacle that capped off the long night. Given that Khan has a fractured kneecap, he showed classic showbiz moxy to dance at all, although he admitted on stage he had to tone it down. But he showed no pain, no limp and never complained, instead exhorting the audience to get up and dance for him at their seats.

My Name is Khan — the story of a Muslim Indian family which faces racial profiling and prejudice in the U.S. after 9/11 — also earned Karan Johan (another co-host) the award as best director. His emotional acceptance speech underscored the theme of the IIFA awards night: “One night .. one world ... one mega celebration.” My Name is Khan is a film about healing and overcoming racial and religious prejudices and differences.

The best Actress prize went to Anushka Sharma, co-star of the more light-hearted Band Baaja Baaraat, a romantic comedy set amid wedding planning chaos. Sound familiar? Bollywood movies freely borrow Hollwyood plots for their own musicals, while Bollywood movies in turn influence international filmmakers. Australian Baz Lurhmann credits Bollywood for inspiring him on Moulin Rouge!, his own musical epic.

Sharma was also a popular choice. No surprise. She had already been voted one half of the Hottest Couple by the Indian diaspora, sharing the award with her Band Baaja Baaraat co-star Ranveer Singh. He also did double duty, winning the award for best debut male. “Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you, this is just the beginning,” the brash and obviously charming told his adoring crowd as young ladies threw him verbal love bouquets from the seats behind home plate at the Rogers Centre. Singh is a break-out star with his second film, Ladies vs Ricky Bah, set for release in December.

Singh and Sharma also were “challenged” by filmmaker co-host Johan to indulge in a dance-off and, while Sharma performed well and looked great doing it, Singh was dynamic. This kid could one day challenge Shah Rukh Khan for superstar status and might have an international career brewing at some point, too.

On the downside of the IIFA extravaganza, former Miss Universe, model and actress Priyanka Chopra did a series of Bollywood-style song-and-dance routines. She can’t dance worth a lick, and there were plenty of comparison with great performers on stage all night. Her lip-syncing to someone else’s singing was obviously phony. And earlier, in one of the night’s most awkward moments, she did not bother to show up on stage to personally accept her Green Globe Award for her environmental campaigns. Instead, she saved her on-stage debut for the song-and-dance numbers, which makes her priorities just a tad wonky. She looks frivolous, not committed. But she does have the face to serve as a representative of some public campaign for something.

Meanwhile, the entire night was a love-in for Toronto as the IIFA host. This is the first time in its 12 years that Wizcraft International Entertainment, the producers of the awards, went outside of Europe, Africa and Asia. That they chose Toronto — the hub of a huge South Asian population in southern Ontario — obviously paid off. For both sides.

Dozens of co-hosts, presenters and winners expressed their love and admiration to Toronto, Ontario and Canada for showing such warmth to the Bollywood folk, both on-stage and behind-the-scenes over the past few days. IIFA, in return, played politics. In an unusual move, beleaguered Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was invited to be part of the presentation team for the best picture award. He looked stiff and out-of-place but did the job.

In the end, the IIFA awards helped raise Toronto’s profile in some way, given than an estimated 700 million have or will see parts of the awards on television around the world. That said, most of the ceremonies were in the Hindi language, with a sprinkling of English thrown in — just like in many Bollywood movies. That will limit the global appeal in terms of the cross-over possibilities for the awards.

By night’s end in the early hours of Sunday, Dabangg won seven International Indian Film Academy awards and My Name is Khan was second with four. Band Baaj Baaraat had three (two that won on the night, the third the Hottest Couple prize, which had been announced earlier after the public vote). Four other films had one award each. The full list:

BEST FILM: Dabangg

BEST DIRECTOR: Karan Johar, My Name Is Khan

BEST ACTOR: Shah Rukh Khan, My Name is Khan

BEST ACTRESS: Anushka Sharma, Band Baaja Baaraat

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Arjun Rampal, Raajneeti

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Prachi Desai, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A NEGATIVE ROLE: Sonu Sood, Dabangg

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A COMIC ROLE: Riteish Deshmukh, Housefull

BEST DEBUT MALE: Ranveer Singh, Band Baaj Baaraat

BEST DEBUT FEMALE: Sonakshi Sinha, Dabangg

HOTTEST COUPLE: Ranveer Singh & Anushka Sharma, Band Baaj Baaraat

BEST SCREENPLAY: Dilip Shukla & Abhinav Kashyap, Dabangg

BEST STORY: Shibani Bhatija, My Name Is Khan

BEST DIALOGUE: Vishal Bhardwaj, Ishqiya

BEST MUSIC DIRECTION: Sajid–Wajid & Lalit Pandit, Dabangg

BEST LYRICS: Niranjan Iyengar, My Name Is Khan

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER, MALE: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Dabangg

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER, FEMALE: Mamta Sharma, Dabangg

GREEN GLOBE AWARD: Priyanka Chopra

Melbourne to bid for next Bollywood awards

Toronto beat Las Vegas to become the first North American city to host the 12th annual Indian International Film Awards, which kicked off on Thursday, and now Melbourne is vying to be next.

A delegation from Australia attended the opening of the three-day Bollywood extravaganza that is expected to attract some 40,000 tourists to Canada's largest metropolis.

Officials said they would inject tens of millions of dollars into the local economy for hotel rooms, food, security, venues and other expenses.

Also, Indian film crews reportedly shot scenes at Toronto's CN Tower, its ritzy Yorkville shopping district and an indoor hockey rink that will be incorporated into the three-hour awards show.

"Beautiful people having fun in Toronto - that's the money shot that will be seen all over India," former Tourism Toronto executive director Duncan Ross, who spearheaded the city's bid for the IIFA show back in 2006, told AFP.

Melbourne, he said, is hoping to play host to the IIFA in 2014 or sooner.

The event is designed to celebrate the popular Hindi-language film industry and win new audiences abroad.

Launched in 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London, the annual IIFA awards have been held in 11 cities around the world, including Colombo, Macau, Bangkok, Dubai, Amsterdam and Johannesburg.

Tickets sold like hot cakes for this year's ceremony at the Rogers Centre in Toronto; 22,000 were snapped up within minutes of going on sale, said organiser Wizcraft International Entertainment.

Canadian broadcaster Omni Rogers has signed a deal to be the first to broadcast the awards ceremony on a pay-per-view basis in Canada. It will also be packaged and broadcast next month to up to 700 million viewers worldwide.

SRK wins; Salman’s Dabangg scores

f one didn’t know better, the India International Film Awards (IIFA) held yesterday night in Toronto could well have seemed actor Shah Rukh Khan’s personal stage show. To be fair, he was the only true-blue Bollywood super-star at this celeb-starved event, attended by some of the most excitable, cele b-hungry fans of Hindi film-stars in the entire world. South Asian Torontonians’ love for Bollywood could shock the faint-hearted. They wouldn’t stop screaming all day, all night, whether outside the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, where the movie heroes stayed, at the event’s green carpet, or inside the Roger Centre, the venue of the awards’ night. If there was anyone who could vaguely match the over-the-top enthusiasm of this crowd, it was probably the loud, hysterical Anil Kapoor, host of one of the segments of the night.

Once every few minutes, some of the other filmies who’d flown down from Mumbai to the Ontario capital found their moments of shining glory. But it was pretty much SRK, who shone through the night. He hosted two lengthy segments, opening and closing the programme. His final set was an audience interactive show of its own. He picked up 'best actor' trophy for My Name Is Khan, from two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank, no less. His director Karan Johar was awarded 'best director' for My Name Is Khan. His buddy Arjun Rampal was adjudged 'best supporting actor' for Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti. His 'Rab Ne Banadi Jodi debutant' Anushka Sharma was chosen best actor (female)….

Still, so far as number of trophies go, the night belonged to Salman Khan’s Dabangg: six awards in all, including ‘best film’ that producers Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora received from Ontario's premier. Hollywood coolio Cuba Gooding Jr had earlier given out the director's prize to Johar. Cuba said he wanted to participate in this "phenomenon" called Bollywood, “I’m bowled over by the sheer power of the Indian film industry across the globe.” The Indian actors and performers who walked up on stage, on the other hand, had pretty much one thing to say, “Hello Toronto” (to a screaming crowd). “What’s up Toronto” (to a screaming crowd again). Their speeches were usually longer than their audiences’ attention spans. Dharmendra spoke and stood on stage for far more minutes than any awards show might ever allow, as did Sharmila Tagore, Asha Bhosle, and several others.

The monotony of this dampened no spirits though; largely because of fine hosts Riteish Deshmukh (who, by the way, also bagged the best comedian's award for Housefull!) and Boman Irani (haven't seen a better Saif Ali Khan impersonation than his). A terrific tribute to Asha Bhosle in the form of Priyanka Chopra's dance medley, to music from the legend's career, was certainly the evening's best performance.

This was the first IIFA award in North America. It lasted over five hours, non-stop. South Asians of Toronto had waited for at least three hours before the marathon show to grab their seats. Nothing seemed to bog them down. Malaika Arora put it best when she asked the crowd from the stage, “You’ve been at it forever. What do you people eat?” Seriously.

And the winners were…

Playback singer (female): Mamata Sharma for Munni Badnaam Hui (Dabangg)

Playback singer (male): Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Tere Mast Mast Do Nain (Dabangg)

Music director: Sajid-Wajid, Lalit Pandit (Dabangg)

Best lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar for Sajda (My Name Is Khan)

Screenplay: Abhinav Kashyap, Dilip Shukla (Dabangg)

Dialogue: Vishal Bhardwaj (Ishqiya)

Outstanding achievement in cinema: Sharmila Tagore

50 years’ contribution to Indian Cinema: Dharmendra

Debutant actor (male): Ranveer Singh

Debutant actor (female): Sonakshi Sinha

Best actor (in a comic role): Riteish Deshmukh (Housefull)

Best actor (in a negative role): Sonu Sood (Dabangg)

Supporting actor (female): Prachi Desai (Once Upon A Time In Mumbai)

Supporting actor (male): Arjun Rampal (Rajneeti)

Actor (female): Anushka Sharma (Band Baaja Baraat)

Actor (male): Shah Rukh Khan (My Name Is Khan)

Film: Dabangg

Box Office: 'Cars 2' Zooms Away with $25.7 Mil on Friday

Cooler cars and more action follow Lightning and Mater as they mix it up with spies and Formula 1 racers in yet another Pixar winner, writes Todd McCarthy.

Pixar's 2006 release Cars is widely regarded as among the less dazzling of the animation house's dozen sterling titles, so it's fair to imagine that John Lasseter and his pit crew felt motivated to use a little extra elbow grease in order to deliver an improved new model. On the whole, they have, as Lightning McQueen and the loyal pick-up truck Mater quickly vamoose from sleepy Radiator Springs to join the Grand Prix circuit in a succession of world capitals, where they become entangled in some related international spy intrigue. Featuring cooler cars and more action than Fast Five, Cars 2 is notably less refined and more rambunctious than Pixar's recent run of artistic gems. But commercially, it'll be off to the races this summer, with even bigger international prospects assured on this lap than on the first spin.

No special knowledge or memory of the original is required to get one's bearings, as this beautifully designed sequel stands easily on its own four tires. A self-professed car nut from his youth, Lasseter takes advantage of the global locations to jam the cast with an auto show's worth of vintage international motorcars, from an amply armed Bond-style Aston Martin to the humble East German Trabant; in the bargain, he even further adorns Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and, in the end credits, Pixar's own campus to charming effect. Perhaps as much as in any animated film one could cite, there's always something beautiful or clever or funny to look at and, as often as not, to listen to as the anthropomorphized automobiles zip about in high and determined spirits.

The story, cooked up by Lasseter, co-director Brad Lewis and Dan Fogelman and scripted byBen Queen, is both simple and not always entirely discernible on a moment-to-moment basis. At the outset, in fact, the coordinates are geographically and dramatically inscrutable; physically, the action begins literally at sea, amidst an ocean of sinister oil rigs infiltrated by British spies Finn McMissile (an Aston Martin voiced by Michael Caine) and Miata-like Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer), who make use of all their special extra-automotive endowments -- wings, heavy weaponry, underwater capability -- to make a nocturnal escape with their dignity and paint jobs intact.

A world away in the American desert, the spiffy red Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is hot-rodding around with tow-truck buddy Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) when he's persuaded to enter an upcoming series of races in which big shot Land Rover Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) hopes to prove the viability of his revolutionary clean fuel Allinol as a substitute for gasoline. Here, as elsewhere, the visual, verbal and musical jokes practically exceed the speed limit; one blink-and-you-miss-it gag shows the marquee of the local drive-in promoting "The Incredimobiles."

First stop is Tokyo, where cars engage in sumo wrestling and the lights of the Ginza district look so bright you're glad for the slight dimming effect of the 3D glasses (Pixar typically amps up the brightness of its images to compensate for the darkening).

During a pass through Paris, the old Les Halles is wondrously reconstituted as a spare parts bazaar, Gusteau's from Ratatouille is part of the cityscape, the tops of the Eiffel Tower and the Arch de Triomphe are automotively reimagined and Mater, who went home after Tokyo, makes a too-soon return. Inoffensive in small doses, Mater's "Hee-Haw" routine gets old pretty quickly and comes to excessively dominate the film with his saddlesore witticisms.

Next stop is fictional Porto Corsa, an Italian seaside jewel that resembles a theme park version of Monaco. The Italian champion, Francesco (John Turturro), intends to assert his dominance over Lightning McQueen here, while a disguised Mater tries to infiltrate a gang of low-end Euro cars working on behalf of unknown bosses out to discredit the Allinol vehicles so as to maintain the demand for oil. The message is clear.

The in-fighting becomes downright vicious during the final race in London in front of the Queen, while the picture itself becomes rather more antic and frantic than it needs to as the ultimate villain is exposed, the British spies are vindicated and the Americans, while happy in their achievements, typically decide that there's no place like home.

Even as recent Pixar films have benefited from increased simplicity and modulation of mood and effect, Lasseter keeps Cars 2 running at close to the red line from start to finish with nary a pit stop to refuel. On balance, it's more exhilarating than exhausting, but there are moments when sensory overload threatens to set in. More is better seems to be the by-word, but a bit less aw-shucks humor and Looney Tunes-like madness over the long haul would have made for a more agreeable balance.

The vocal talent assembled for the voices is impressively varied and deep; even for small roles one finds enlisted such estimable actors as Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Isaacs, Jenifer Lewis, Franco Nero, Katherine Helmond and Paul Dooley, not to mention Cheech Marin, Brent Musburger, Deadliest Catch star Sig Hansen and race car drivers such asDarrell Waltrip, David Hobbs and Jeff Gordon. Michael Giacchino's score has the effect of a super-charger on the film, as if it needed one.

Opens: June 24 (Disney)
Production: Pixar Animation
Voice cast: Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro, Brent Musburger, Joe Mantegna, Thomas Kretschmann, Peter Jacobson, Bonnie Hunt, Darrell Waltrip, Franco Nero, Dvid Hobbs, Tony Shalhoub, Jeff Garlin, Michel Michelis, Jason Isaacs, Jenifer Lewis, Sig Hansen, Vanessa Redgrave, Cheech Marin, Jeff Gordon, Paul Dooley, Katherine Helmond
Director: John Lesseter
Co-director: Brad Lewis
Screenwriter: Ben Queen
Original story: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis Dan Fogelman
Producer: Denise Ream
Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan (lighting), Jeremy Lasky (camera)
Production designer: Harley Jessup
Supervising technical designer: Apurva Shah
Music: Michael Giacchino
PG rating, 107 minutes