By Lael Loewenstein, Special for USA TODAY LOS ANGELES — Saturday was a family day for Hollywood A-listers, who brought their kids to the Nokia Theater for the premiere of Speed Racer (in theaters May 9).
Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham brought sons Cruz, 3; Romeo, 5; and Brooklyn, 9. “They loved it,” she raved afterward.
Also spotted: actor Ricky Schroder with three of his kids; Ratatouille director Brad Bird with a teen son; Lost producer J.J. Abrams with two of his kids; more actresses Jodie Foster and Emmy Rossum.
The latest work from the Larry and Andy Wachowski — the brothers responsible for the Matrix trilogy — was the first to premiere at the 6-month-old Nokia Theater.
Susan Sarandon, who plays Mom Racer, conceded that her teenage boys’ love of the Matrix films was an undeniable factor in her decision to work the Wachowskis. “I’m always afflicting to do things that will make me more cool in their eyes,” she said.
(Maybe bringing Miles, 15, and Jack Henry, 18, to the premiere helped, too.)
“If I was ever going to do green screen, this was the time,” Sarandon before-mentioned, referring to the process by which the actors actualize against a unripe backdrop and effects are added later.
For Matthew Fox, who plays mysterious driver Racer X, working by the green screen wasn’t as tough as he anticipated: “Larry and Andy gave us so much material to work with — pre-visualizations, digital imagery and artists’ renderings, that we had a really good idea of what these set pieces would feel like.”
Despite Saturday’s 90-degree temperatures, 13-year-old Paulie Litt, who plays Speed Racer’s kid brother, Spritle, wasn’t about to miss the chance to get dressed up for his first big movie premiere.
“Yeah, they told me the dress was casual,” Litt said. “So I told them this is the most casual tux I own.”
Litt’s commitment was great from the moment he was cast: The next day, he watched all 52 episodes of the original cartoon series.
Also looking glamorous: Christina Ricci (who plays Trixie), in a black-and-white floral print Bill Blass dress, Bulgari jewels and Manolo Blanik heels. Ricci described the Wachowskis as “visionaries, wonderful, down to earth, fantastic.”
The enormously private pair of course avoided the red carpet.
Star Emile Hirsch had to veer rigorously from Into the Wild, based on the true story of Chris McCandless’ journey into the wilderness, to the high-octane special effects of Speed Racer. Hirsch acknowledged their differences but added, “The challenge in both cases is the same: You have to make each character as real as you possibly can.”
After the screening, stars and guests repaired to the roof of the nearby parking lot, what one. had been transformed into one elaborate tented venue replete with go-kart racing, green-screen photo booths (so you could pose as a speed racer), Hot Wheels games, Nintendo and Wii interactive games, and all kinds of food (Italian, Chinese, Japanese, barbecue).
Even by Hollywood standards, the games at the after-party will set a new benchmark for creativity — what else would reckon upon for the guys who brought us The Matrix?
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. 
Enlarge By Jesse Grant, Getty Images