Pixar's Cars 0003

> *"From this moment, everything will change."*—Tagline from the *Cars 3* teaser trailer
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***Cars 3*** is an animated feature film by Pixar Animation Studios, released on June 16, 2017. It is the third film in the *Cars* series, and it is a direct sequel to the 2006 and 2011 films *Cars* and *Cars 2*. The film is directed by Brian Fee and produced by Kevin Reher, with screenplay by Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, and Mike Rich, and music by Randy Newman. The film's story takes place during the 2017 Piston Cup season. Long-time champion Lightning McQueen is beginning to struggle with new next-generation competitors, including the cocky Jackson Storm. Following a large crash, McQueen turns to racing trainer and technician Cruz Ramirez for help with recovery.

## Story

### Official synopsis

"*Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn't through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage!*"

### Additional details

During the 2017 Piston Cup season, several new rookies have made their debut. Among them is Jackson Storm, a next-generation custom-built race car who has received advanced simulation training, and possesses incredible racing abilities. The rookie develops a rivalry with racing veteran Lightning McQueen, who struggles to beat Storm. Storm receives at least three victories throughout the season, including at the Dinoco 400 at the Copper Canyon Speedway.

At one point during the racing season, McQueen suffers a serious accident, receiving immense damage and injuries. During his recovery, McQueen turns to Rust-eze Racing Center technician Cruz Ramirez, who assists her idol in training to beat Storm at the upcoming Florida 500 event. Their efforts include visiting the Thomasville Speedway, an abandoned Piston Cup race track, and practicing at Willy's Butte.   The film also involves Route 99, a road that runs through central California. According to John Lasseter, the film would feature an old Citroën 2CV that pays tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's film *The Castle of Cagliostro*.

## Plot

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is racing with his long time friends Bobby Swift (Angel Oquendo) and Cal Weathers (Kyle Petty). The three have mutual respect as they trade victories throughout the series. Whoever wins can count on getting pranked by the others, all in good fun. During one race, Bobby and Lightning are fighting toward the finish, when a next-generation racer named Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) whizzes past them both, taking the checkered flag. Lightning watches the replay on the Jumbotron, seeing Jackson Storm seemingly come from nowhere to beat him. Chick Hicks (Bob Peterson), Lightning's old racing opponent, is now an announcer for the Racing Sports Network. He introduces his co-host, Natalie Certain (Kerry Washington), a statistical analysis. She explains that Jackson is part of a new generation of racers who use the latest technology to run faster than the veterans. At the next race, there are six more high-tech cars, and they race with precision, cutting off Lightning at each turn. Jackson wins again, with Lightning finishing third. With Jackson piling up more wins, the announcers spend all their time talking about him, and how he trains on the latest simulators. Lightning finds out that Cal Weathers and the most of the old racers have decided to retire or been replaced.

At the next race, nearly all the racers are next gens and Lightning is really determined to beat Jackson. After the last pit stop, Lightning has the lead, but it doesn't take long for Jackson to catch up and overtake him. Jackson then says "*Enjoy your retirement!*". Lightning becomes shocked by Jackson's words and falls into fourth place. Then he tries to catch up to Jackson by pushing himself past his limit, but to no avail. Soon, Lightning pushes himself so hard that his right-rear tire blows out and his engine overheats, causing him to spin out of control and collide into the track's outside wall at the exit of turn four. He is sent airborne and into a violent, near-fatal, rollover crash. Shortly after, Lightning comes to a stop and is left sitting on his tires on the track's apron at the beginning of turn one, severely damaged and seemingly unconscious. Sally (Bonnie Hunt), Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), Luigi (Tony Shalhoub), Guido (Guido Quaroni), and multiple first responders rush to his aid.

Four months later, Lightning is recovering back in Radiator Springs. He watches some old footage of his mentor, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), when he had his wreck at the Fireball Beach 500, his last race. Lightning remembers his words, "*When I got put back together, I went back expecting a big welcome. You know what they said? 'You're history.' Moved right on to the next rookie in line. There was a lot left in me. I never got a chance to show 'em.*" His girlfriend Sally greets him, and he tells her he doesn't want to be forced into retiring, like Doc, but he can't keep doing the same thing that hasn't been working. She tells him to try something new, and not be afraid of failure, but of never having the chance. Lightning's best friend Mater shows up, and Lightning tells him that he's ready to start training again. But first he needs to talk to Rusty Rust-eze (Tom Magliozzi) and Dusty Rust-eze (Ray Magliozzi), the owners of Rust-eze, Lightning's sponsor.

At Flo's V-8 Cafe, Lightning calls them and says that he wants to train like Jackson, and they say they're ahead of him, and they're opening the new Rust-eze Racing Center. Mack (John Ratzenberger) gets him into his trailer and drives him out to the center. When he arrives, Rusty and Dusty are there to greet him, and they tell him they sold Rust-eze to a car named Sterling (Nathan Fillion). He greets Lightning and shows him a wall that has all his career highlights in pictures. He tells Lightning that it's time for a new look. He gives Lightning an electronic suit that can track his speed and vital signs. Showing Lightning around, Sterling takes him to the race simulator. Sterling introduces him to his trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). Cruz is coaching cars on treadmills, coaxing them to reach their top speed. When she sees Lightning, she calls him her senior project.

Over the next few days, Cruz leads Lightning in aerobic exercises. Lightning follows along, but he just wants to try the simulator. During the exercise where he has to leak oil, Lightning asks Cruz how old does she think he is. He went on the treadmill, trying to go as fast as Jackson Storm, but the treadmill is going very slowly. Cruz says to Lightning that they will work onto the higher speeds right after he takes his nap. Lightning gets confused, and the other students start laughing at him. After he wakes up from his nap, Lightning yawns and looks at Cruz, who was still asleep. She asks how his nap was, and he said it was "kind of refreshing, actually!" He gets lifted up, and Cruz wakes up and says that he's been driving on tires for a very long time. Has he ever stopped to get to know them? Reluctantly, she starts the simulator up, and Lightning drives on it, but soon he finds himself repeatedly hitting walls. Freeing himself from the treadmill's restraints, he shoots forward and crashes into the screen. After Sterling and Cruz talk about what to do, Lightning goes into his office. Sterling shows him an array of products with his face on them, saying this will be his legacy. Lightning asks what he means, and he tells him that he's not going to race him anymore. Lightning begs for one more race, and says that if he doesn't win, he'll retire and sell all the merchandise he can. Sterling agrees, and allows him to train at Fireball Beach, but only if he takes Cruz with him.

Cruz tells him that his body suit will track his speed, but she has to be close behind, because it has a short range. He takes off toward a pier, with a voice named "Hamilton" (Lewis Hamilton) announcing his speed by saying things like "46. 63. Out of range." Lightning looks back and sees Cruz still at the start, spinning her wheels. He goes back and tells her that on the beach, she has to ease into the throttle. They try again, and this time, Cruz gets stuck in softer sand. The next time, she gets stuck in shallow waves, then she spins out and does a doughnut. Trying again, she gets buried in the sand spraying off her tires. He tells her to stick to compacted sand, and they try it again. This time, Cruz stops, not because she got stuck, but because she didn't want to hit a crab. Lightning sees that the sun is setting, so he takes her to the start for one more try. "*Now, you're gonna take off slow, to let your tires grab*", and he says, "*and pick a straight line on the sand, so you don't spin out. And all the crabbies have gone night-night.*" This time, she's able to keep up, and when he finishes, she tells him his top speed was 198, still slower than Jackson. Looking at a road sign, Lightning sees Thunder Hollow, which has a dirt track. He decides he needs to do some real racing, but if the press finds out, they'd be all over him. Mack tells him that he's a master of disguise.

At the speedway, Luigi spins his tires in mud, covering Lightning and making him unrecognizable. Cruz joins him at the starting line to track his speed, and then they hear an announcement over the PA welcoming everyone to the Crazy Eight Demolition Derby. Lightning and Cruz try to slip out quietly, but find the gate shut. They're soon joined by Miss Fritter (Lea DeLaria), a huge school bus with chain link fencing around the outside. The derby starts, and all the other cars start crashing into each other, with Lightning and Cruz barely avoiding getting hit. Miss Fritter is about to ram Cruz, but Lightning pushes her out of the way just in time, and Miss Fritter's momentum causes her to flip on her side. Miss Fritter had grazed Lightning's tire on the way by, causing him to get stuck. She uprights herself and bears down on him. At the last second, he gets his tires to grip and speeds out of the way, making her crash. Cruz is the only undamaged car left, so she is declared the winner. A water truck named Mr. Drippy comes to Miss Fritter's aid, but Cruz gets in the way, causing it to tip over and splash water everywhere. The mud on Lightning is washed away, revealing his identity to the crowd. Suddenly, cameras flash from everywhere, and the paparazzi mauls him (though it doesn't show). The derby competitors are all thrilled that Lightning is among them.

A while later, Mack has fled the stadium. Cruz and Lightning are back in Mack's trailer, with Cruz next to a large trophy. She tries to hide the fact that she's giddy about having won a race. Lightning yells at her that he was supposed to get faster so he could win a real race, but he hasn't, because he had to spend the whole week taking care of her. He says that the next race is his last chance, something she wouldn't understand because she isn't a racer and in a fit of anger slams his wheel against the trailer wall, knocking over Cruz's trophy and breaking it. She angrily tells Mack to pull over, and then gets out of the trailer. She angrily talks to Lightning and asks him if he thinks she dreamed of becoming a trainer. She says she wanted to become a racer her whole life because of him. But, when she got to her first race, she saw all the other cars looking bigger, stronger, and more confident. She realized she didn't belong, and so she left. She asks him how he felt at his first race, and he says that he never thought that he couldn't do it. She says she wished she knew how that felt, and she drives off back to the center.

Mack spends the night sleeping under an overpass, with Lightning watching TV in the trailer. Footage from the demolition derby gets played. Natalie reports that Jackson set a new record for the fastest lap in a race. Sterling says that Lightning will race as planned. Natalie says that Jackson is the heavy favorite to win and that his probability of winning is 95.2%, while Lightning's is only 1.2%. Lightning calls up Mater and tells him that his training wasn't helping. Mater tries to help his friend but is unable to. Lightning wishes he could talk to Doc. Mater replies that nobody knew more about racing than Doc, except the one who taught him, who Lighting knows is a pick-up truck named Smokey (Chris Cooper), having been shown in Doc's last race footage. This gives Lightning an idea.

The next morning, Mack catches up to Cruz, and Lightning comes out. She tells him that she's resigning as his trainer, and he asks her to join him as he looks for Smokey. Arriving at Doc's hometown of Thomasville, they find Thomasville Speedway where Doc first started racing, and they take a lap. Smokey sees them and introduces himself, and leads them to the local bar, the Cotter Pin. All the older racing cars (Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Junior Johnson, and Margo Martindale) tell them about Doc's racing days, and Lightning says he wished he could've seen Doc so happy. Smokey and Lightning head outside, and Lightning says if he doesn't win, he'll never race again, and he doesn't want what happened to Doc to happen to him. Smokey leads Lighting down the road to his service garage, telling him that after Doc's big wreck, he holed himself up in Radiator Springs, cutting off all contact. But 50 years later, Smokey started getting letters from Doc, all about the young rookie that he started coaching. Rolling into Smokey's garage, Lightning finds a whole wall of pictures of himself and Doc together, mostly from newspaper clippings. Smokey tells him that Doc loved racing, but it wasn't the best part of his life, coaching Lightning was. Smokey says that Doc saw something in Lightning that he himself never saw. He asks if Lightning's ready to find it, and he says yes.

Smokey says that Lightning will never be faster than Jackson; he's older now and has to accept that, but he can be smarter than him. He notes he heard that Lightning was in a demolition derby, but doesn't have a scratch on him. He says that's what Lightning can do when he's not overthinking. Cruz is put on a lift and given a new spoiler and racing tires, and has "Storm 2.0" duct taped on her sides. Since Lightning had missed qualifiers, he would be starting at the back, with Jackson at the front. Cruz and Lightning take their positions at the starting line, and Smokey tells him he has three laps to catch up to her. The first time they try, Cruz beats him easily. Trying a different approach, he has Lightning drive down an old country road, Guido tossing hay bales at him from a trailer to hone his reflexes. One bale smacks Lightning in the face. At another session, Smokey has Cruz and Lightning in a field full of sleeping tractors. He orders them to 'sneak through the window' and then revs his engine, startling the tractors into a stampede. Lightning and Cruz try to weave and dodge the best they can to break free from the herd. Repeating the racing exercise, Lightning still can't catch up to Cruz.

On the wall of his garage, Smokey shows Lightning, Cruz, Luigi, and Guido some old racing footage of Doc drafting behind another car, and then pulling ahead. Smokey tells Lightning he'll have to look for such opportunities. When a car tries to run Doc into the wall, he drives up the wall and flips over the top of the other car, landing on the other side and taking the lead. They do the tractor drill again, and this time Lightning smoothly sails through the gaps between the tractors, telling Cruz he's realized they're supposed to take windows of opportunity when they present themselves. Doing the hay bale drill, Lightning effortlessly dodges the bales. Smokey and the other legends introduces them to the last drill, doing the kind of driving they did when they were running moonshine in their youth. They have to drive through a forest at night with no lights on. At first, Lightning and Cruz are tentative, slowly making their way past the trees. They gain confidence and start to speed up, weaving between the trees. Brushing up against them, Lightning's body suit gets ripped off. Soon they start passing Smokey and the rest of the legends.

Repeating the racing exercise one last time before the race, Lightning starts drafting behind Cruz, and then he pulls out in front of her. She takes back the lead, and he pulls ahead again. Neck and neck down the final stretch, Lightning gives it one last burst of speed and pulls in front, but then she takes the lead for good at the last second. She celebrates wildly, forgetting what it means for him. Mack then says sheepishly they'd better head for the race in Florida.

At the race, Lightning lines up in the last position, and then he hears Smokey's voice on his headset. The race starts, and Lightning starts passing the other racers. Cruz is also in the pits, and she reminds Lightning about the three-lap rule. Sterling rolls up to Cruz and tells her to leave, and take off the spoiler and racing tires she still had on. There's a wreck on the track, and Lightning pulls into the pits, telling Smokey that he needs Cruz back. She pulls in, and he tells the crew to get her set up, since he's going to have her finish the race for him.

Nervously, Cruz pulls out of the pits and joins the rest of the cars, still under caution. When the green flag comes out, Cruz isn't accelerating, but Lightning has Smokey pass on her derby alias and that the school bus of death is after her. Smokey continues to pass on that she's a fluffy cloud to get her to loosen up, but refuses to say "all the crabbies have gone night-night" and instead has Lighting take the headset instead, who reminds her of the beach, and of teaching her to pick a line and sticking to it. Getting more confident, Cruz pulls into the pack of racers. Reminded of the tractor exercise, she imagines the other races as tractors and picks her way between them, quickly moving up. In the announcers' booth, Natalie says that she doesn't have any stats on Lightning's replacement, except that she recently won at Thunder Hollow.

Lightning continues to coach Cruz with his experience and along with her gaining confidence, Cruz moves into the top ten. Drafting behind another car, she swerves out and pulls in front, taking third place. Jackson lets the second place car pass him, and then pulls alongside her. He tells her that she can play dress-up all she wants, but she'll never be a racer. He puts on speed, quickly retaking the lead. Lightning tells her to believe in herself, she is a racer; he explains that Jackson fears her potential, and he wouldn't have tried to get into her head if he didn't think she was a serious threat. With determination, she goes past the second car, pulling right behind Jackson. The white flag comes out, signaling the last lap.

Jackson tries to throw Cruz off by swerving, but she matches his every move and throws him off his game, which causes him to become angry. Approaching the finish line, she ends up pulling to the outside to try to pass him, but he rams her into the wall. Remembering what she saw Doc do, she drives up the wall and flips over Jackson, pulling ahead and taking the checkered flag. Several of the top ten racers congratulate Cruz with one even pulling the "your blinker's on" joke on her, demonstrating that they accept her as one of them. With Lightning's encouragement she does doughnuts on the track as the crowd loudly chants her name.

Pulling into the pits, she meets back up with Lightning. Sterling pulls up to her and tells her that she would make a great racer on his team, but she replies with apologies that she'd never race for him and quits as an employee. Tex Dinoco asks her if she'd like to race for him instead. Both Sterling and Lightning assume that Lightning lost on their agreement, but Smokey points out that the Jumbotron states that both Lightning and Cruz are listed as joint winners of the race, because they had the same number. When Sterling protests, Tex leads him away for an impromptu business meeting. Sally asks Lightning if that means he's going to keep racing, and he says he will, but there's something he needs to do first.

Back at Radiator Springs, Cruz and Lightning show off their new looks. She has 51 painted on her roof, back, and sides, Doc Hudson's old number, and he has "Fabulous McQueen" painted on his sides along with his red replaced with Doc's base color. Tex Dinoco pulls up and tells them that he just bought Rust-eze, and now they'll both be racing for him. Driving up to Willy's Butte, they take their places at the starting line. At the drop of the flag, they take off racing, just as Lightning and Doc used to. Lightning feels that Doc is close by, and he knows he's exactly where he belongs.

## Cast

* Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez
* Chris Cooper as Smokey
* Armie Hammer as Jackson Storm
* Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater
* Nathan Fillion as Sterling
* Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera
* Paul Dooley as Sarge
* Cheech Marin as Ramone
* Jenifer Lewis as Flo
* Paul Newman as Doc Hudson
* John Ratzenberger as Mack
* Lloyd Sherr as Fillmore
* Tony Shalhoub as Luigi
* Guido Quaroni as Guido
* Michael Wallis as Sheriff
* Katherine Helmond as Lizzie
* Bob Peterson as Chick Hicks
* Richard Petty as Strip Weathers
* Kyle Petty as Cal Weathers
* Angel Oquendo as Bobby Swift
* Chase Elliott as Chase Racelott
* Bob Costas as Bob Cutlass
* H. A. Wheeler as Tex Dinoco
* Kerry Washington as Natalie Certain
* Lea DeLaria as Miss Fritter
* Daniel Suárez as Daniel Swervez
* Ryan Blaney as Ryan Laney
* Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. as Bubba Wheelhouse
* Shannon Spake as Shannon Spokes
* Ray Evernham as Ray Reverham
* Mike Joy as Mike Joyride
* Jeff Gordon as Jeff Gorvette
* Ray Magliozzi as Dusty Rust-eze
* Tom Magliozzi as Rusty Rust-eze
* Lewis Hamilton as Hamilton
* Isiah Whitlock Jr. as River Scott
* Junior Johnson as Junior "Midnight" Moon
* Margo Martindale as Louise "Barnstormer" Nash
* Jerome Ranft as Red
* Will Collyer as Brick Yardley
* Abby Craden as Simulator Voice
* Aaron Hendry as
* John Hoffman as
* Barney Jones as
* Mikey Kelley as
* Carlyle King as
* Daamen Krall as
* David H. Lawrence XVII as
* Malana as
* Jeremy Maxwell as Arvy
* Levi Nuñez as
* Angel Oquendo as
* Jason Pace as
* Bob Peterson as Dr. Damage
* James Pace as Faregame
* Steve Purcell as Tractors (uncredited)
* A.J. Riebli III as Albert Hinkey
* Peter Sohn as Car
* Galyn Susman as
* Regina Taufen as
* Nancy Truman as
* Cheryl Tyre as
* Andrew Vernon as
* Jay Ward as

## Characters

* Aiden
* APB
* Arvy Motorhome
* Barry DePedal
* Bill
* Blind Spot
* Bobby Swift
* Bobby Roadtesta
* Brian Spark (*cameo*)
* Brick Yardley
* Broadside
* Bruce Miller
* Bubba Wheelhouse
* Buck Bearingly
* Bud
* Cal Weathers
* Cam Spinner
* Carl Clutchen
* Chase Racelott
* Chick Hicks
* Chip Gearings
* Cigalert
* Conrad Camber
* Craig Fäster (*name only*)
* Cruz Ramirez
* Dan Carcia
* Daniel Swervez
* Darrell Cartrip
* Darren Leadfoot
* Dirkson D'Agostino
* Doc Hudson
* Dr. Damage
* Dud Throttleman (*cameo*)
* Dusty Rust-eze
* Ed Truncan (*cameo*)
* Eric Braker
* Ernie Gearson
* Faregame
* Fillmore
* Fishtail
* Flip Dover
* Floyd Mulvihill (*cameo*)
* Gabriel
* Gale Beaufort
* Guido
* H.J. Hollis
* Hamilton
* Herb Curbler (Piston Cup racer)
* Herb Curbler (tow truck)
* High Impact
* Hit
* J.D. McPillar
* J.P. Drive
* Jack DePost
* Jackson Storm
* Jambalaya
* Jeff Gorvette
* Jimbo
* Jimmy Cables (*cameo*)
* Junior Moon
* Kris Revstopski (*cameo*)
* Kurt
* Lane Locke (*cameo*)
* Lightning McQueen
* Louise Nash
* Luigi
* Mack
* Maddy McGear
* Michael Rotor
* Mike Joyride
* Millie
* Miles Axlerod (*portrait cameo*)
* Miss Fritter
* Morgan Martins
* Mr. Drippy
* Murray Clutchburn (*cameo*)
* Natalie Certain
* Parker Brakeston (*cameo*)
* Pat Traxson
* Patty
* Paul Conrev
* Phil Tankson
* Pileup
* Ponchy Wipeout (*cameo*)
* Pushover
* Ralph Carlow
* Ramone
* Ray Reverham
* Reb Meeker
* Red
* Rex Revler (*cameo*)
* Rich Mixon
* Richie Gunzit
* River Scott
* Roger (*portrait cameo*)
* Ronald
* Roscoe
* Run
* Rusty Rust-eze
* Ryan Laney
* Speedy Comet
* Sally Carrera
* Sarge
* Shannon Spokes
* Sheldon Shifter
* Sheriff
* Smokey
* Spikey Fillups
* Sterling
* Steve LaPage
* Strip Weathers
* Stu Scattershields
* Sweet Tea
* T-Bone
* T.G. Castlenut
* Taco
* Tailgate
* Terry Kargas (*cameo*)
* Tex Dinoco
* Tim Treadless
* Tiny Lugsworth
* Todd
* Todd Marcus
* Tom W.
* Tommy Highbanks
* Tow Mater
* Tractors

## Staff

Daniel Gerson was reported to be one of the screenwriters when he died on February 6, 2016. During an interview with *The Advertiser*, Randy Newman (who composed the score from the first film) confirmed he would be the composer. According to *USA Today*, Brian Fee would be the director. Kevin Reher was also revealed to be the producer, according to Disney's Twitter account for Latin America.

## Announcement

*Cars 3* was officially announced to be in the works on October 17, 2013, when Michael Wallis confirmed some details about the film, including that the film would take place on California's Route 99.  In March 2014, Disney officially confirmed that Pixar is in pre-production of the third *Cars* film along with *Incredibles 2*.  In October 2014, John Lasseter revealed at the Tokyo International Film Festival that the film will feature a tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's film *The Castle of Cagliostro* in a form of an old Citroën 2CV.  The film was implied at the 2015 São Paulo Disney Expo to be released in 2018,  before Lasseter later said in an interview with *Autoweek* that it would either be released in summer 2018 or 2019.  On October 8, 2015, Disney confirmed the release date to be June 16, 2017, pushing *Toy Story 4* back by a year.

## Marketing

The first teaser trailer for *Cars 3* was released on Pixar Animation Studios' official YouTube channel on November 21, 2016, and was shown before theatrical showings of Disney's animated film *Moana*, beginning on November 22, 2016.  The teaser depicts a race at the Los Angeles International Speedway, with various shots of Piston Cup racers, including Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm. McQueen is leading the race when his tire blows out, and he suffers a career-jeopardizing crash.

Beginning December 31, 2016, American sports channels began airing commercials advertising a new exclusive look at the film, which would be aired at 8:00 PM EST on January 9, 2017 during the college football playoff national championship on ESPN.  The extended look included all of the footage from the first teaser trailer, with an additional fifty seconds of film footage.

On January 5, 2017, Pixar's social media pages released three teaser videos giving a detailed look at the models of McQueen, Storm, and Ramirez, in addition to revealing Armie Hammer and Cristela Alonzo as Storm and Ramirez's voice actors, respectively.

On January 24, 2017, Avalanche Software, the company that produced the *Disney Infinity* games, announced they were working on a video game for the film alongside Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, on the same day that Avalanche announced their reopening.  It was confirmed on April 5 to be titled *Cars 3: Driven to Win*, and to be released on June 13 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.   Its European release was announced as July 14, with the United Kingdom selling the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions exclusively in Argos stores,  and according to the EB Games website for Australia, the game will be released in Australia on June 14.

On January 31, 2017, Disney Ukraine released a video on Twitter. The video is identical to the "Lightning Strikes" teaser trailer, with the only notable difference being what Lightning McQueen is watching on Mack's television. In the Ukrainian trailer, Lightning is watching a video of one of Chick Hicks' reports, but in all other versions, there is only a still image of a large rock foundation. This version of the trailer was later released in the United States, and it is shown before theatrical showings of *The Lego Batman Movie*, as well as being released in the United Kingdom and shown before theatrical showings of certain children's films such as *Beauty and the Beast* (another Disney movie).

On February 1, 2017, Pixar announced a short called *Lou* to be shown in theatres with *Cars 3*. On February 23, 2017, Pixar and NASCAR announced a *Cars 3* tour to occur throughout the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Owen Wilson to be grand marshal for the Daytona 500, along with Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and H. A. Wheeler reprising their roles in the film, and eight more new characters to be voiced by Kyle Petty, Shannon Spake, Ray Evernham, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, and Mike Joy.

On February 26, 2017, Pixar released another extended look, which includes many new shots from the film.

Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, and Lea DeLaria were announced as cast members on March 8, 2017, playing the roles of Natalie Certain, Sterling, and Miss Fritter, respectively.   Lewis Hamilton, who previously voiced the race car named after himself in *Cars 2*, was revealed one day later to voice Hamilton, Ramirez's assistant.

On March 29, 2017, Chris Cooper, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Junior Johnson, and Margo Martindale were confirmed as part of the cast.

On April 14, ZZ Ward and Gary Clark Jr.'s original song for the film, "Ride", was released on the DisneyMusicVEVO YouTube channel, iTunes and Amazon, while a mix of rock and pop songs was also confirmed for the soundtrack.  On May 18, it was revealed that the film will have two soundtracks focusing on songs and score, both set to be released coincidentally.

On April 25, 2017, a teaser for the film revealed that a full trailer would be uploaded the next day.  It was released on that day on Pixar's YouTube channel, showing Sterling telling McQueen that his career is going to come to an end, and Cruz joining in to train McQueen.

On April 30, the Radio Disney Music Awards showed a trailer lasting one minute, described as a sneak peek by Disney Channel.

On May 7, an international trailer was released in Japan, showing some extra shots not shown in the US trailers, such as Sally's reaction to McQueen's crash, the appearance of Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze, and McQueen looking at pictures and newspapers of his and Doc's histories.

On May 10, Pixar released a "Rivalry" trailer online, which shows more of Storm's rivalry with McQueen, McQueen being shown around the Rust-eze Racing Center and struggling on the simulator, and Luigi and Guido dealing with the paparazzi asking McQueen questions about a possible retirement.

On May 25, Lewis Hamilton revealed a clip of the film on his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, showing Cruz introducing her voice command assistant, Hamilton, to McQueen while they are training at the beach.

Several TV spots were also uploaded on Pixar's official YouTube channel, with one showing scenes from the Thomasville Speedway uploaded on May 20,  and one showing scenes of races uploaded on June 1.

On June 2, a "Next Gens" clip showing Natalie Certain talking about next generation racers was released on the Disney UK YouTube channel.

On June 6, a "Meet Jackson Storm" clip, showing McQueen meeting Storm, was released on the Movieclips Trailers YouTube channel,  then on the Disney UK YouTube channel on June 14.

On June 9, Pixar released a "The Limit" trailer that featured additional scenes of Sally, a shot of other race cars overtaking McQueen, and the Eagles song, Take It to the Limit playing.  A compilation video of trailers and clips was also uploaded on Disney's official YouTube channel.

On June 14, a "My Senior Project" clip, showing McQueen meeting Cruz, was released on the Disney UK YouTube channel.

On June 22, a short "Legacy of 95" featurette was released on the Disney UK YouTube channel.

As part of promoting the UK release of the film, life-size models of McQueen and Storm have been presented at the 2017 Formula 1 British Grand Prix, with Owen Wilson (McQueen), Brian Fee (director), and Kevin Reher (producer) set to attend the event.

## Gallery

*For this subject's image gallery, see Cars 3/Gallery.*

## Trivia

Below is a list of cameos, in-jokes, re-used animation and other trivia from *Cars 3*.

### References to *Cars*

* The opening scene of the film mirrors the opening of the first movie. Lightning is saying his "*Speed, I am speed!*" routine from the first movie, accompanied with the same kind of cuts from black to racing cars.
* Lightning McQueen‘s paint job is a mix between his original rookie paint job and his World Grand Prix paint job.
* A lot of the soundtrack in the film is recreated from the first film's soundtrack.
* The movie opens with a race at the Motor Speedway of the South, like the first film.
* The Los Angeles International Speedway also reappears, this time as the track where Lightning has his fateful crash.
* The Dinoco 400 reappears in *Cars 3*, except that it was in Copper Canyon Speedway and not Motor Speedway of the South.
* Lightning's crash mirrors the crash of The King (and by extension the crash of Doc Hudson) in the way he tumbles sideways on a considerable distance.
* The scene of Doc explaining the aftermath of his crash to Lightning is replayed in a flashback.
* Mater’s sneeze is the same sneeze that Snot Rod makes in the beginning of the first *Cars* film.
* The film includes early on a musical montage of Mack riding on the highway through various landscapes, when he takes Lightning, Luigi, and Guido to the Rust-eze Racing Center in Florida.
* While in Thunder Hollow, Lightning says, "*Turn right to go left!*" twice, referencing his take on Doc's advice to Lightning about drifting. Also, just like Lightning in the original film, Cruz Ramirez doesn't understand what he means by this at first.
* When Mr. Drippy, the water truck at the Thunder Hollow demolition derby, falls on his side, he makes the same noise as the tractors when they tip over.
* When Mater does FaceTime with Lightning on his iPad, he shows one eye similar to how he showed one eye while Sheriff said to keep an eye on Lightning in the first film.
* The flashbacks sequence ends with Doc saying, "*You've got a lot of stuff, kid.*", which is a reused piece of dialogue from the first film after the race in Los Angeles.
* Near the end of the movie when several next-generation race cars are being interviewed about the disappearance of Lightning, one of the racers, Ryan Laney, says, "*Didn't he pull this when he was a rookie?*" referencing the events of the first movie where Lightning got lost in Radiator Springs on his way to the Los Angeles International Speedway.
* Before the last race in both films, Lightning does his pre-race routine only to lose his focus over external thoughts. This time, it is over thoughts of if he will win, while it was over thoughts of Radiator Springs in the first film.
* The final race at the Florida International Speedway has many parallels to the tie-breaker race in *Cars*. Some of the most notable are Cruz Ramirez having to race past the pace car named Pat Traxson to enter the track, the surprise arrival of a crew chief (Doc Hudson in *Cars*, Lightning in *Cars 3*), and Cruz having to use a technique showcased by Doc earlier in the film to pass her rival racer.
* The crash caused by Cam Spinner in at the Florida 500 is similar to the crash caused by Chick at the Dinoco 400 in the first film.
* After the final race, Lightning says about Cruz that "*she's got a lot of stuff!*" mirroring what Doc told Lightning following the tie-breaker race in *Cars*.
* At the end of the film, Cruz Ramirez jokingly calls Lightning McQueen an old man, like Lightning did with Doc Hudson at the end of the original film.

### References to *Cars 2*

* At the beginning of the film, Mater says, "*Go, McQueen!!!! Woo-hoo*", the same line he used at the end of the second film during the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.
* Lightning McQueen's paint job contains elements from his World Grand Prix design, most notably the lightning bolts on his sides fading into flames.
* In *Cars 2*, Lightning promised Mater at the end of the movie that he can go to all his races from now on, and in *Cars 3*, Mater is at every single race that Lightning enters.
* Lightning's argument with Cruz about her making him lose the race at Thunder Hollow is similar to his and Mater's argument after the race in Tokyo for the exact same purpose.
* While on the simulator, Lightning makes the same scream from when Mater's parachute is deployed while they are traveling to Buckingham Palace.
* Sterling has what appears to be a small picture of Miles Axlerod in his office. Interestingly, both characters are business-cars.
* When Lightning McQueen is watching TV inside of the sleeping Mack, John and Nancy, the couple in France, can be seen kissing on the bridge in the commercial he is watching.
* Jeff Gorvette, a character from *Cars 2*, is seen at the Florida International Speedway in *Cars 3*. He is the only character from that film to return in *Cars 3*. In *Cars 3*, before the Florida 500, Jeff tells Lightning to "win one for us old guys".
* Lightning McQueen retains his real headlights, which were installed for the World Grand Prix in the previous film.
* The wreck in the Florida 500 is similar to the wreck at the end of the Porto Corsa race.

### Cameos

* Mater's license plate, like in every *Cars* film and piece of merchandise, is A113.
* Two racers sponsored by TripleDent Gum, the gum company from *Inside Out*, can be seen in one of the races. Their names are Terry Kargas and Cam Spinner.
* On promotional images for the film, Shannon Spokes' press number is shown to be A113.
* During a montage showing Jackson Storm's victories, a track sponsored by BnL (Buy n Large) from *WALL•E* is briefly shown in the film. The logo is also seen during the credits.
* The image Cruz Ramirez displays for the homesick trainee is Miguel's hometown from *Coco*.
	+ Coincidentally, **Coco** was released later month (November) than the *Cars 3* while *Coco* still has film production.
* A113 is prominently featured as Sterling's office number.
* The tree from *A Bug's Life* makes an appearance in Sterling's office.
* A miniature of Cinderella's carriage from the 1950 Disney movie of the same name appears on a shelf in Sterling's office.
* A few allusions to Apple are made:
	+ Cruz's training machine that she brings to the beach has the Macintosh start up sound, which can also be heard in *WALL•E* as the titular character's start up sound.
	+ Both the veteran and the next-gen racers sponsored by Apple and bearing the number 84 participates in the Florida 500.
	+ The devices Mater and Lightning use to chat have Apple design cues. Mater‘s device says iPad on it.
* Todd the Pizza Planet Truck can be seen in the Demolition Derby race as a competitor. His roof rocket is briefly featured when it flies off into the crowd after he ends up in a crash.
	+ Also in the Demolition Derby, there's a race car that's ramming another car that has the pattern of the Luxo Ball on its hood, left and right sides of the car.
* The billboard on the bridge under which Mack sleeps is advertising the Sleep Well Motel, the motel that Bonnie Anderson and her toys stayed at in *Toy Story of Terror!*.
* The Shiny Guitar from *Coco* can be seen hung on the wall behind the band playing at the Cotton Pin Bar in Thomasville.
* In the flashback scene where Doc balances a stack of objects on his hood, he tells Lightning, "You might want to take notes on this one." This is a reused line of dialogue from *Cars: The Video Game* of Doc overtaking another car in a race.

### Gallery

One of the cars at Thunder Hollow has the Luxo Ball painted on his hood.

### Other trivia

* This is the first time John Lasseter has not directed a film in the *Cars* franchise (excluding the *Planes* series), but rather produced it.
* The Polish version of this movie was dedicated to Witold Pyrkosz, an actor who plays Tow Mater in the Polish versions of the *Cars* movies. He passed away on April 22, 2017.
* Archive records of the late Paul Newman are used in this movie, for a series of flashbacks of Doc Hudson talking and racing with Lightning McQueen. Some quotes are taken from *Cars: The Video Game*. Tom Magliozzi, the voice of Rusty Rust-eze, also passed away in 2014. However, despite his death, Rusty still has the same voice, so it is likely that archive records were used for him as well.
* This is the shortest *Cars* film in the franchise, having a run time of 103 minutes.
* This was the final film written by Daniel Gerson, as he died in 2016 and the film was dedicated to his memory.
* In the teaser trailer, the viewer can actually see a cloudy glimpse of the front of one of the race cars, when the announcer says "*McQueen is fading, fading fast!*"
* Mia, Tia, Van, and Minny are the only characters who appeared in the first two films that did not make an appearance.
* Some scenes did not end up in the film such as McQueen and Cruz went into Thomasville.
* This marks the only time in the *Cars* franchise in which Lightning McQueen does not say his famous catchphrase "*Ka-Chow!*"
* While the King appears in the film alongside his nephew Cal, Lynda Weathers is absent, likely due to the death of Lynda Petty.
* Even though the film is a threequel, the events of *Cars 2* are not directly mentioned, but there are several visuals from the second film proving it still exists within the timeline.
* This is the first Pixar film to have a 4K Ultra HD release.
* Due to scheduling conflicts with *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, this is the second time where Michael Keaton, Chick Hick's original voice actor from the first film, does not reprise his role as Chick, with the first being *Cars 2: The Video Game*.
* *Cars 3* is the fourth Pixar film that had no humans following *A Bug's Life*, *Cars*, and *Cars 2*.
* This is the first Pixar film to receive a simple "Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, instead of a "Certified Fresh" unlike all the previous Pixar films had, the only exception being *Cars 2* which got a "Rotten" rating.
* *Cars 3* marks the second time a Pixar franchise has become a trilogy, after *Toy Story 3*.