If there’s one thing Pixar films tackle well, it’s the inevitability of aging that we all must face. From the question of immortality in Toy Story 2 to the more on-the-nose references in Up, Cars 3 is set to follow a similar thread as Lightning McQueen is no longer the hot-shot rookie he once was (sneak peek via USA Today).
As technology continues to permeate the racing world, McQueen seeks the advice of a new trainer, Cruz Ramirez (a sleek Hispanic female racer) to help him learn some new tricks (similar to how Doc Hudson taught McQueen how to overcome the challenge of racing on dirt in the first Cars film).
Brian Fee (Cars 3 Director) says, “Think of where he’d be in his career now in real-time — (McQueen) is not an old man, but he’s one of the older cars on the circuit with new rookies coming in. People start to wonder and ask when he might retire.” The conversation of McQueen’s retirement status comes into focus after he gets badly beaten in a race by the new rookie sensation, Jackson Storm. After the loss, McQueen starts training with Ramirez in the off-season to prepare for the crème de la crème race, the Florida 500.
The article goes on to note that some areas of the story as well as vocal casting are still being worked out (Ramirez and Storm). Although it may appear that the Cars 3 crew will be racing to meet the June 16, 2017, theatrical release date, Fee notes that the production is shifted, “We’re still creating the blueprints on some rooms of this house, but we’re starting to paint in other rooms“.
It should also be noted that the film’s director has been something fans have been attempting to guess for over a year and Brian’s tenure at Pixar as well as prior work on Cars and Cars 2 make him a perfect fit for the project.
John Lasseter noted that “Brian was part of the original story team on Cars, so he really knows the DNA“.
As big fans of the Cars franchise, we’re thrilled to see some news surface regarding the film, but we’re equally excited to learn that this film will be Brian Fee’s directorial debut — be sure to follow Pixar Post as we’ll be summarizing all news from the upcoming film.
So what are your thoughts on the news of the film (new character, story points of McQueen aging)? Leave a comment below or chat about it with other Cars-fans in the Pixar Post Forum.
