Cars 3 (2017)
- The original script for Cars 3 was written over a decade before production finally began in 2017.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Before Owen Wilson was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Cars 3 is a 2017 American animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Brian Fee. The film follows Lightning McQueen as he faces obsolescence when a new generation of technologically advanced race cars, led by the arrogant Jackson Storm, dominates the racing circuit. After a devastating crash, McQueen must decide whether to retire or find a new way to compete, and he discovers an unlikely mentor in Cruz Ramirez, a young trainer voiced by Cristela Alonzo who harbors her own dreams of racing that she never had the opportunity to pursue.
Cars 3 returned to the more emotionally grounded storytelling of the original after the spy-adventure detour of Cars 2, and its themes of aging, legacy, and passing the torch to a new generation gave the film genuine dramatic weight that the franchise had lacked since its first installment. The final race's twist โ McQueen pulling himself off the track so Cruz can take his place and win โ was a satisfying subversion of sports movie conventions. Cars 3 earned $383 million worldwide on a $175 million budget.
