Cars 2

Dan Fogelman

Michael Caine

Emily Mortimer

John Turturro

Eddie Izzard

Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action-adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to 2006's Cars, and features the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, and Eddie Izzard. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage. The film was directed by John Lasseter, written by Ben Queen, and produced by Denise Ream. With Lasseter's exit from Pixar in 2018, it marks the final film directed by him.

Cars 2 was released in the United States on June 24, 2011. The film was presented in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, as well as traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats. The film was first announced in 2008, alongside Up, and Brave, and it is the 12th animated film from the studio. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $562 million worldwide. A sequel, Cars 3, was released on June 16, 2017.

## Plot

Finn McMissile, a British spy, infiltrates the world's largest untapped oil reserves owned by a group of lemon cars to rescue a fellow spy. He witnesses the lemons, seemingly led by Professor Zündapp, load an electromagnetic pulse emitter, disguised as a camera onto a shipping crate. After being discovered, he flees and fakes his death.

Lightning McQueen, now a four-time Piston Cup champion, returns to Radiator Springs. However, Italian formula race car, Francesco Bernoulli, challenges McQueen to the newly created World Grand Prix, led by its creator, Sir Miles Axlerod. McQueen and his best friend Mater — along with Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, and Sarge — depart for Tokyo for the first race of the Grand Prix.

At a World Grand Prix promotional event, Mater makes a scene after leaking oil and eating a bowl of Wasabi, angering McQueen. While cleaning up, Mater interrupts a fight between American spy, Rod "Torque" Redline (who McMissile and his new partner, Holley Shiftwell attempt to meet) and lemons Grem and Acer. Redline passes his information Mater, who Holley mistakes as a spy. Meanwhile, Redline is captured and killed by Professor Zündapp and the other lemons. Zündapp informs his superior, an unknown mastermind that Redline passed on his information.

At the first race, three cars are ignited by the camera. McQueen places second in the race after Bernoulli, due to Mater accidentally giving him bad racing advice while evading Zündapp's henchmen with help from Holley and Finn. McQueen snaps at Mater, who is abducted by Finn while attempting to return to Radiator Springs. After traveling to Paris to collect more information from Finn's old friend Tomber, they travel to Porto Corsa, Italy, where the next race is being held. During the race, Mater infiltrates the criminals' meeting, just as the camera is used on a few more cars, causing a multi-car pileup, while McQueen finishes first. Due to increased fears over Allinol's safety, Axlerod lifts the requirement to use it for the final race. However, when McQueen decides to continue using it, the criminals plot to kill McQueen in the next race in London. This spooks Mater, causing him to blow his cover and allow him, Finn, and Holley to be captured.

Mater, Finn, and Holley are taken to and tied up inside the clock tower of the Big Ben. Mater learns that the camera did not function on McQueen, but the criminals tell him they planted a bomb in his pits as a backup plan, spurring him to break free and escape. Finn and Holley escape soon after, but realize that the bomb is on Mater's air filter. Mater has already arrived at the pits when they tell him this, so he flees down the race course while McQueen chases after him. Finn apprehends Professor Zündapp, while he attempts to escape. The other lemons arrive and outnumber Finn, Holley, Mater, and McQueen, but they are soon rescued by the arrival of the other Radiator Springs residents. Mater then uses evidence he has seen to reveal that Axlerod is the mastermind of the plot who placed the bomb on Mater. Mater forces Axlerod to deactivate the bomb, and he and the other lemons are arrested.

Mater receives an honorary knighthood from the Queen, while Sarge reveals that he changed McQueen's fuel from Allinol (which, it turns out, is only gasoline) to Fillmore's organic biofuel, explaining why the camera did not work on him. Finn and Holley ask if Mater can join them on another mission, but he declines, and then participates with the World Grand Prix competitors in a race at Radiator Springs.

## Voice cast

*Main article: List of Cars characters*

Much of the cast from the original Cars remained intact for the sequel, but three voice actors of the original film have died since its release. Joe Ranft (who voiced Red) died in an automobile accident on August 16, 2005, ten months before Cars was released. The first film was dedicated in memoriam to him. Red appears in this film, but he does not speak or vocalize. George Carlin (who voiced Fillmore) died of heart failure on June 22, 2008; Fillmore also shows up in Cars 2, and he was voiced by Lloyd Sherr (who also voices Tony Trihull). Paul Newman (who voiced Doc Hudson) died of cancer on September 26, 2008. After Newman's death, Lasseter said they would "see how the story goes with Doc Hudson." Doc was eventually written out, with a few references to the character, where he is thought to have died before the events of the movie, as Mater says that he would have been proud for McQueen's Piston Cups, which have been renamed after Doc; also, in the Tokyo race, one of the announcers says that Doc was one of the best dirt racers ever.

* Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, a Southern-accented tow truck from Radiator Springs.
* Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, a Piston Cup racecar.
* Michael Caine as Finn McMissile, a British spy car.
* Emily Mortimer as Holley Shiftwell, a beautiful young British desk agent, new to field work.
* John Turturro as Francesco Bernoulli, McQueen's main racing rival from Italy.
* Eddie Izzard as Sir Miles Axlerod, a British electric car who created Allinol.
* Thomas Kretschmann as Professor Zündapp, the doctor from Germany, Axlerod's assistant.
* Joe Mantegna and Peter Jacobson as Grem and Acer: Professor Zündapp's henchmen.
* Bruce Campbell as Rod "Torque" Redline, an American spy car.
* Tony Shalhoub as Luigi
* Darrell Waltrip as Darrell Cartrip
* Guido Quaroni as Guido
* Brent Musburger as Brent Mustangburger
* Colin Cowherd as Colin Cowling
* Jason Isaacs as Siddeley/Leland Turbo
* David Hobbs as David Hobbscap. Jacques Villeneuve voices the character in French releases.
* Stanley Townsend as Vladimir Trunkov/Ivan/Victor Hugo
* Lloyd Sherr as Fillmore/Tony Trihull
* Paul Dooley as Sarge
* Michel Michelis as Tomber
* Sig Hansen as Crabby the Boat
* Franco Nero as Uncle Topolino
* Vanessa Redgrave as Mama Topolino/The Queen. Sophia Loren provides the Italian dub of Topolino.[15]
* Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera
* Cheech Marin as Ramone
* Jenifer Lewis as Flo
* Michael Wallis as Sheriff
* Katherine Helmond as Lizzie
* John Ratzenberger as Mack
* Jeff Garlin as Otis
* Patrick Walker as Mel Dorado
* Lewis Hamilton as Lewis Hamilton
* Velibor Topic as Alexander Hugo
* Greg Ellis as Nigel Gearsley
* John Mainier as J. Curby Gremlin
* Brad Lewis as Tubbs Pacer
* Richard Kind as Van
* Edie McClurg as Minny
* Teresa Gallagher as Mater's Computer
* Jeff Gordon as Jeff Gorvette
* John Lasseter as John Lassetire