Enormous, red, round glasses framed the bright, brown eyes of Rock Cafe owner Dawn Welch as she sat down to talk.
Welch’s experience as a world traveler who chose to stay in small town Okla. was part of what drew the Pixar creative team to her story.
Director and writer of “Cars,” John Lasseter, wanted to use the film to tell a story about small towns that interstate bypasses had skipped over, Welch said, and hired Michael Wallace as a Route 66 consultant.
“John Lasseter narrowed down his favorite people along the road,” Welch said, “and I was one of them. So, for the next four years, Disney and Pixar would come in about every three months.”
The character Sally Carrera in the film was based around Dawn Welch.
“When I went to the premiere of the movie,” Welch said, “on the way in, John Lasseter said to me, ‘By the way, watch the character Sally – she’s you’.”
Various details of the film, from the decision to make Sally a blue Porsche to the broken neon signs, were inspired by conversations with Welch.
“It was just like anybody coming into the Rock Cafe,” Welch said, “with me telling them about my story and my life here on Route 66. They shared their story and I would share mine.”
Many of the other characters were also inspired by real people.
“All the characters,” Welch said, “knowing that we are all in there and knowing that they represented us so well, was super emotional. So, by the middle of the movie when I [Sally] took that drive, I was crying. I still cry every time I talk about it.”