When the first trailer for Cars 3 arrived in November, everyone was somewhat surprised by its dark and sullen tone. Indeed, it gave us a glimpse of a huge crash involving the star of the Lightning McQueen franchise and didn't really look like the usual pixars. Nevertheless, the new trailer suggests lighter themes and new dynamics.
Brian Fee is in charge of directing. Having worked as a storyboarder on the first two Cars, he has a good knowledge of the saga. In an article for Entertainment Weekly (EW), he and John Lasseter revealed more details about the script as well as some names of the cast.
In essence, Cars 3 is a film about millennials, which seems consistent given that the children targeted by Cars in 2006 have now grown up and now fall into this category. As explained by Brian Fee, McQueen will realize that he is now one of the "elders":
"McQueen is no longer the young champion, the kid he was in Cars 1. He's halfway through his life, and as an athlete, it's about being at the top. You have your life ahead of you, yet your career is starting to show its limits. He looks in the mirror and realizes "I'm 40," and he has to come to terms with the fact that he probably won't be able to do what he loves more than anything forever. "
Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Nocturnal Animals) will lend her voice to the film's villain, Jackson Storm, a pretentious character of excessive ambition. But McQueen will be supported by new coach Cruz Ramirez, described as radiant and optimistic and voiced by Cristela Alonzo.
Cars 3 thus appears as a mirror to Cars 1, in that the protagonist, once a young champion who pays little attention to the elders, is now one of them. Cars being an undoubtedly lucrative franchise, Pixar does not seem ready to put an end to McQueen's adventures.
Brian Fee declined to confirm whether or not Cars 3 was the end of the saga, adding that by the end of the film, the famous red car would only be in its infancy. Business to follow…
