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 Herbie: Fully Loaded Production NotesRev It Up.
Start your engines! Herbie, the most beloved car star of them all, is back and Lindsay Lohan's got him in Disney's all new revved-up comedy adventure, “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Lohan stars as Maggie Peyton, the new owner of Number 53 - the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own - who puts the car through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor.
Herbie's got some new tricks under his hood as he takes audiences for an action-packed spin in this high-speed comedy. With an all-star cast along for a wild ride, this comedy puts Herbie to the test - on-road, off-road, on the track and into the record books.
As a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, racing is in Maggie Peyton's blood, but she is forbidden from pursuing her dream by her overprotective father, Ray Peyton, Sr. (Michael Keaton). When Ray, Sr. offers Maggie a car as a college graduation present, he takes her to a junkyard to choose one from an assortment of very used cars. Maggie has her eye on an old Nissan, but a certain rusty, banged up '63 VW Bug seems to be clamoring for her attention. To her surprise, Maggie leaves the lot with Herbie. As she prepares to leave town for a position with ESPN News, Maggie discovers that Herbie has a mind of his own-and an alternate route for her future.
Director Angela Robinson had been a fan of the “Herbie” films long before she began work on “Herbie: Fully Loaded”:
“I loved the `Herbie' movies when I was a child; I watched them over and over. I have a very clear memory of the cozy feeling associated with Sundays at 7:00 pm, watching `The Wonderful World of Disney,'” recalls Robinson. “When I read the script for this film, I loved its story of a young girl who wants to make it in a man's world, by realizing her dream of competing in the NASCAR arena. In addition to the fast pace of the NASCAR world and the very engaging characters, I was drawn to the angle that Herbie longed to return to the racetrack as well. In effect, Herbie coaxes Maggie throughout the film to realize her true destiny.”
“I loved the idea of doing an action movie, a different kind of film from most I've
done-I was able to race cars in the movie, which is awesome,” says Lindsay Lohan.
“I really enjoyed the original `Herbie' film, so it's been terrific to work on `Herbie: Fully Loaded.' It's been such fun, and it's really cool, because it appeals to a younger audience while also attracting adults who remember `Herbie'.”
The Walt Disney film “The Love Bug,” starring Dean Jones, Michelle Lee and Buddy Hackett, was the highest grossing film of 1969, and was followed by three more popular adventures featuring the VW bug with a mind of its own: “Herbie Rides Again,” “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” and “Herbie Goes Bananas.”
 PREPARATION FOR A HIP NEW TRIPPreparing to present “Herbie” to 21st century audiences, the filmmakers were resolved to maintain the spirit of the iconic VW bug, while placing the beloved character in a fresh, fast-paced environment.
“We have been very cognizant of the Herbie legacy during preparations for this film-he's the kind of character that we wanted to stay quite true to,” notes director Angela Robinson. “We studied the films, did lots of research and perused the many fan websites for the Herbie films, discovering all manner of Herbie trivia.”
One story Robinson unearthed during her research was about a car casting call for the original movie:
“Apparently, a variety of cars were brought to the Disney lot for a casting call-Aston Martins, MGs, all makes and models….and a '63 Volkswagen Beetle,” recalls Robinson. “I was told that when the Disney employees came out to look over the candidates, it was discovered that the car they responded to the most was the VW Bug…they felt a lot of warmth toward it and wanted to pat it on its hood! There were cooler cars and slicker cars, but the one that really elicited the most emotional response was the VW Bug.”
Executive producer Tracey Trench notes that Herbie still creates excitement wherever he goes:
“During production, if Herbie was being towed down the freeway to our next location, or waiting for `his' next scene on the set, people would honk their horns and children would wave at Herbie from their cars-Herbie still evokes strong emotions, from adults and children alike.”
“In some subliminal way, everyone knows what the Number 53 means, that it's Herbie's number; it's part of the fabric of multiple generations,” adds executive producer Michael Fottrell. “Our parents are aware of it, and even children know about it, including my kids, who were familiar with Herbie long before I began work on this film.”
One of the biggest challenges for the filmmakers was the integration of “Herbie: Fully Loaded” into the world of NASCAR. Founded in 1947 by William H. G. France, NASCAR (The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is the second largest growing spectator sport in the United States with a strong family tradition and over 75 million fans. In “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” NASCAR plays an important part in the story, in which Herbie encourages Maggie to meet her destiny as the rightful heir to her family's racing legacy.
Months of careful planning by the filmmakers in coordination with NASCAR representatives went into the proper presentation of NASCAR within the storyline. Key scenes were shot during an actual NASCAR race, a major challenge for Disney and for NASCAR in terms of the logistics of incorporating a working film crew into an actual live racing event-the NASCAR Nextel Cup series' Pop Secret 500 race, held over Labor Day Weekend of 2004.
Months before shooting started in August 2004, the filmmakers went out to California Speedway to acquaint themselves with the venue, and to plan out details of integrating the film crew into this world. Director Angela Robinson and other filmmakers, cast and key crew consulted with representatives of NASCAR, researched articles and books, including the book "NASCAR For Dummies,” by respected veteran Nextel Cup driver Mark Martin, in order to familiarize themselves with the world of NASCAR. In addition, the filmmakers attended the Richard Petty Driving Experience, along with Lindsay Lohan, so they could all get a sense of the speed and power of the race cars they would be working with in the film.
“Completing the Richard Petty Driving Experience was amazing-you are able to drive around the raceway in actual NASCAR-type stock cars,” explains Angela Robinson. “It was incredibly important for Lindsay, as well as for the rest of us to experience a bit of what it must be like to do what the NASCAR drivers do. Lindsay was incredibly brave about the whole thing, a real trouper. They gave us a tutorial on how to drive the car, then they sent us out on the track, following behind a lead car. It was invaluable for us to get a hands-on sense of the speed, the curve of the track and the energy of the car, and what a big, powerful machine you're dealing with.”
The filmmakers also sent Justin Long, Breckin Meyer and Jimmi Simpson to pit crew school, where they learned from the pros how look authentic under pressure while changing all four tires, adding fuel and doing any other maintenance needed-all within a 10 to 14 second pit stop.
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Jeff Gordon, Lindsay Lohan, Jimmie Johnson in Herbie: Fully Loaded.