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Pixar creative director talks about Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy

A whole new attraction is racing its way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will bring characters from Pixar’s Cars film franchises from the screen into an all new show experience starting March 31.

Jay Ward is creative director of the Cars franchise at Pixar and has been working with Disney’s Imagineering team to get all the little details of the attraction just right:

Although Jay doesn’t mention it, we’re told there will be Cars from the world of Cars, not just screens with movies of Cars. They’ll talk very similarly to the way the cars inside Radiator Springs Racers talk. Essentially projections of an animated mouth and eyes onto screens.

Here’s a better look at how that looks on Sally and Lightning McQueen right at the beginning of this clip:

To find Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, you’ll have to head over to Rock-n-Roller Coaster and keep going into the Sunset Showcase building next door. It’s an odd pairing of attractions, but might work as an air-conditioned alternative for families with young kids who aren’t tall enough for the coaster to go hang out.

Remember the green flag drops for Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy on March 31st. Will we see you there?