Cars 3 Will Focus on the Memory of Doc Hudson

 

The ensemble of talking cars, including Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), will return to theaters next summer. The third installment, unlike its predecessor, is not a spy film. Below, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, John Lassetter, discusses the Cars 3 plot.

It’s been almost six years since Cars 2, one of the few Pixar titles to get prominently negative reviews. At the premiere of Finding Dory, Lassetter told Entertainment Weekly about the plot of Cars 3, which he says focuses heavily on McQueen’s past relationship with Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), his mentor from the original film:

He said “We’ve got some great new characters, some great racing in it. It’s a very emotional story. It’s a little bit more akin to Cars 1, where you get into a deep emotion with him. It’s really a special story. It’s very emotional and his relationship with Doc Hudson, and his memory of Doc Hudson”.
As reported a week ago, the film will also show McQueen trying to adapt to the world of racing, as bigger, faster, and younger cars begin to dominate the sport. A yellow car named Cruz Ramirez starts to train McQueen–a central relationship in the sequel.

It’s still unconfirmed whom will voice Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm, but Bonnie Hunt and Cheech Marin are set to return to the roles of Sally Carrera and Ramone. Cars 3 opens in theaters June 16th, 2017.