Cars: A Proper Movie Trilogy (VIDEO SCRIPT)

Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3.

Not only did this mark the second franchise under Pixar’s belt following Toy Story and before Monsters Inc. joined the fold with its prequel film Monsters University, but with the 2019 release of Toy Story 4, it is now the only franchise within Disney Pixar’s borders to currently hold the title of a trilogy. But is it a PROPER trilogy? And if not, then how do we make it one? Let’s find out.

INTRO

Cars was released in 2006 by Disney and Pixar, co-written and directed by John Lasseter. It takes the concept of Toy Story but instead imagines the human population of the entire world as anthropomorphic cars, with the popular sport in question being -- you guessed it -- racing. The story centers around Lightning McQueen voiced by Wow connoisseur Owen Wilson, a rookie race car with arrogance to match. He ends up stranded in a small town called Radiator Springs on his way to Los Angeles to compete in a race for the Piston Cup against top racer Strip “The King” Weathers and his rival Chick Hicks, but has to pave a road he helped wreck before can get there and hopefully learn a few life lessons in the meantime.

The concept for the movie was initially birthed after production wrapped on A Bugs Life, back when it was a take on The Ugly Duckling story about an Electric Car trying to live in a world of gas guzzlers. But the concept of Americana and forgotten small towns like what Radiator Springs represent came to Lasseter from a road trip he took back in 2000 with his wife and FIVE SONS, JESUS CHRIST...and helped give birth to the version of Cars we have today.

And with a budget of 120 million, Cars was hugely successful at the box office. Raking in a total of 462 million in ticket sales. Holding its own in the number one spot for two weeks straight until Click claimed its opening weekend and Superman Returns the week after.

Yes, Click. Adam Sandler’s Click. The very same. Don’t ask me, I’m just as shocked as you are.

Cars 2 was released 5 years later in 2011, once again directed by Lasseter, but with a story conceived by himself, Brad Lewis and Dan Fogelman, written for the screen by Ben Queen. This story puts Larry The Cable Guy’s Tow Mater up in the main character seat, focusing on an adventure involving secret agents and international espionage while Lightning is racing in an international circuit for the first time.

Being Pixar’s second sequel film ever made -- the first being Toy Story 2 -- Lasseter said that the story came to him traveling the world during his initial press junket for the first movie, which makes sense. And while the Spy Cars stuff was, uh...definitely a choice, Cars 2 raked in over 560 million dollars on its 200 million dollar budget.

Because of this, production for the third installment of the Cars franchise started right away. Lasseter decided that the feel and tone would reflect that of the first movie, and dedicated time in researching what kept bringing racers back to the sport along with the psychology behind the cycle of rookies replacing greats in sports in general.

Soon they developed a plot surrounding Lightning’s time as a veteran facing cocky newcomers and placed him on a journey in finding his mark in a world he’s not ready to give up. And just like that, Cars 3 was released in 2017. This time with Brian Fee in the director’s seat and being one of the four collaborative minds behind the films overall story.

And because they utilized elements and motifs from the 2006 original, Cars 3 had within it the potential to bring the franchise full circle to the first film, and label its entirety a proper movie trilogy. It -- like me -- just needs a little bit of help

Oh come on La’Ron. Don’t sell yourself short; you’ve been doing a great job with this series so far!

Oh, thanks Scott. That means a lot coming from you. Scott Nicewander from NerdSync, theydies and gentlethems. I know Pixar movies isn’t necessarily something you regularly talk about on your channel, so I appreciate you helping me out with this!

Oh, no problem, man! I was in the neighborhood...and by “in the neighborhood,” I mean recently watching every Pixar movie on the face of this non descript deity forsaken earth for a thing I’m ALSO doing, so I figured why not help out a fellow Bi Boy?

That’s...an...interesting endeavor. Let me know if you need help with that.

Really? Ah, thanks, man! I appreciate that! So what Pixar thingie are we talking about today?

Cars.

(Cautious pause) ...Cars?

Yeah.

...Like, the vehicles?

I mean, yes. But the anthropomorphized ones...as they’re depicted in the three Disney Pixar movies

Right. The THREE Disney Pixar movies. Which means we’re gonna be talking about the SECOND one eventually...

You okay, man? I’m starting to pick up a sense of rage...

Yep, peachy keen, dude! Let’s, uh...let’s just talk about CARS...

THE CURRENT STANCE

Considering that Cars is the only franchise under Pixar’s belt that has EXACTLY three movies within it to classify as a trilogy, I’m actually quite surprised at how sharp of a left turn it took in its transition between the story of the first Cars movie...to Cars 2

YOU’RE surprised? I got whiplash from how hard we went from Rocky to Pink Panther’s Inspector Closeau (feel free to edit/change this)

W-Wait; we BOTH watched Cars 2 for the first time for our respective videos. How are YOUR feelings about it more...MORE than mine?

(Visual restraint and nervousness) I don’t know, but I can’t stop thinking about it. When I dream at night, the only image my feeble mind can conjure up is the war room scene with the figurative lemons having a set design featuring a table full of literal lemons.

Scott, do you wanna talk about Cars 2 right quick?

C-Can I... C-can I curse here?

(Laughs) Yes, Scott. You can curse here.

AWESOME! FUCK CARS 2! Cars 2 doesn’t have the thoughtfulness and care that the other Pixar films have. It doesn’t even feel like a Pixar movie. It feels like a short that they accidentally made 2 hours long. It fits right in with those Mater’s Tall Tales shorts, and if this was just one of those, then whatever. But this is Cars 2! The sequel to Cars, that has almost nothing to do with the first movie.

Is there racing in this film? Barely! It’s pushed to the background just like the main face of the Cars movies, Lightning McQueen. Instead Cars 2 is oops, all Mater. Never go full Mater! It’s totally fine to have fun supporting characters in a franchise, but it’s incredibly challenging to make those characters the center focus of their own story, and also have that story be good. The Pirates of the Carribean franchise was at its best when Jack Sparrow played a supporting role to the main story about Will and Elizabeth. Han Solo is a fantastic supporting character in the Star Wars universe. Possibly the best! His movie was bad.

But to me, the biggest sin here is the complete shift in tone. Cars 1 and 3 are sports movies. They’re about competition and training and sportsmanship. They’re simple and easy to grasp. Cars 2 is about secret agents who uncover a conspiracy from Big Oil trying to smear the idea of alternative fuels to raise prices of crude oil. You know, a plot that a child would easily understand. There’s espionage and Spy Kids-esque gadgets and elaborate Bond villain traps. They gave Mater a gun! That’s what we were missing!

In Cars 1 and 3, if a car crashes, it’s shown to us as a traumatic event that mentally and emotionally scars the characters. Crashing is devastating, even if you survive and make a complete physical recovery. It’s one of the most tragic things that this franchise showcases. Except in Cars 2 when Mater and the gang just kill a bunch of cars. Just kill them. Usually in big fiery explosions to add spectacle to the act of killing cars. They kill them.

Cars 2 is an enormous missed opportunity, and arguably Pixar’s worst film. They should have just kept it in line with the other two in this trilogy. Make it be a sports movie, and keep it centered around McQueen. Allinol could have been a stand-in for a performance enhancing drug that McQueen is tempted to take because he’s racing in an international circuit now and he’s worried he’s not good enough to beat the competition. When he inevitably wins regardless, it sets up his ego to break in the third movie when he legitimately loses to someone who is just naturally better than him.

As it stands right now, there is almost nothing that connects Cars 2 to the rest of the franchise. Cars 3 feels more like what Cars 2 should have been than Cars 2 actually was. The only valuable information that we learn about in Cars 2 that carries over to Cars 3 is that Doc Hudson died.

Scott, I’m going to stop you right there on this rant because you bring up a good point about Doc.

Oh thank god. If you didn’t stop me I could continue for hours. Why is Cars 2 so racist and ableist??? Anyway, just… go ahead.

Thanks, bud. Don’t worry, I’ll take it from here. (clears throat)

But Scott IS right. About EVERYTHING. When you look at Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3, its very hard to try and justify the existence of Cars 2 outside of just being a fun romp that could’ve otherwise been...I don’t know, a Disney Channel special like the Toy Story of Terror or something similar. Cars 2 is the first time the second installment of a trilogy ever felt like filler to me, and the second installment of a trilogy should NEVER feel like filler.

The reason why I say that is because when we properly transition INTO 3 from 2, there’s little to no trace that Cars 2 ever existed. Mater’s girlfriend Holly Shiftwell is gone, My Cocaine is gone. Even Mater’s My Hero Academia-ass rocket jets are gone. As Scott stated, the only thing that properly carries over from 2 to 3 is the acknowledgement that between the events of Cars 1 and Cars 2, Doc Hudson unfortunately passed away.

And while part of the reason why is because Doc’s voice actor Paul Newman ALSO unfortunately passed away after portraying the character in the first Cars movie, another reason why Doc’s passing was the the only thing to make it to 3 from 2, is because his legacy as the Hudson Hornet was the thread Cars 3 chose to expand on. Allow me to explain.

THE THREAD

If I were to associate the thread and even the THEME of the Cars trilogy with a tried and true phrase and saying, it would have to be the Roman idiom “So close, and yet so far.” Which, if you think about the plot of the first movie and the sport surrounding the franchise as a whole, the fact that said idiom became lyrics for an Elvis Presley song adds just a tad bit of irony to the situation.

I say that because it’s unfortunately the case with the Cars trilogy in both its thread and its theme. Doc Hudson’s legacy and his overall bond with Lightning since becoming his pit crew chief is the obvious thread Cars 3 utilizes from Cars 1 in order for its narrative to be reached, but doesn’t really fully expand upon the seeds planted by the 2006 original that result in the film’s outcome reaching the point that it did.

Not to say that the film didn’t already use the reveal of Doc Hudson being the Hudson Hornet from the original to its advantage, mind you. The connection supplied by the thread Cars 3 brought over from Cars 1 just wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been.

Remember Readers, the purpose of a plot thread is to-

Ooh! Ooh, you’re about to explain the Thread, aren’t you?

Y-Yeah. Yeah, I am.

C-Can... Can we... Can we do it together?

...Sure! Yeah, okay! Sure! Y-You wanna start it off?

Oh, I’d LOVE to! *Ahem* Remember Readers -- and y’know, the wonderful nerds watching this -- The purpose of the plot thread in a proper trilogy is to stitch all three patches together in order for it to become a single piece.

And in order for it to be that support, the thread has to be an element of the first film’s plot that plays a significant role in the third in a way that makes all three films work together as one cohesive story.

From there, you can use the third film to reveal new information about what's being carried over from the first, and expand upon it in various ways.

BOTH: The most common form being a plot twist (Pause). JYNX! You owe me a Coke!

See, I’ve been able to finish someone else's sandwich before, but that was just AWESOME!

Now I said what I said earlier Readers, because, technically, Cars 3 does, in fact, do this.

And it does so by the introduction of a brand new character named Smokey, voiced by Chris Cooper, who was Doc’s pit crew chief during his Hudson Hornet days and was there to witness the crash that caused him to retire.

Now if you’ve seen my installment of a Proper Movie Trilogy on The Karate Kid, then you know that I don’t really care for the expansion of a thread being the reveal of a new character unless there’s proper setup for their existence in the first installment. Thankfully Cars 2006 succeeded in establishing the proper setup regarding the importance of a pit crew chief early on in the franchise. Lightning talks about how he doesn’t need a chief or a crew during his young and arrogant mindset in the first act, rejects Doc’s advice when he’s trying to pass on his knowledge about drifting before finding out that he’s the Hudson Hornet, and then is elated when Lightning discovers that members of Radiator Springs offered to be his pit crew and Doc rolled in to be his pit crew chief.

So not only has the first Cars movie factored in the importance of the pit crew chief -- or as Scott likes to put it, the importance of a coach in a sports story revolving around the underdog -- but it also paved the way of making Lightning and Cruz look for Smokey to help train him all the more believable and naturally fit in with what was initially set up in the first movie.

But, if you’ve seen my installment of A Proper Movie Trilogy on Blade, then the case of introducing Smokey as Doc’s old chief -- despite the proper setup to keep it from feeling like a lazy use of implementing the formula -- didn’t feel like it was enough of an expansion of the concept of the Thread for me.

Especially when the movie goes out of its way to try and adjust the theme and messages the original Cars movie made in ways that can be made less problematic

Scott: *Visibly holding in his excitement*

Scott?

(Sudden burst of excitement in reaction to name call) Yeah! Ye-Yes! Yes?

(Smiles) Do you wanna talk about the shift in theme from Cars 1 to 3 and how it plays into the thread?

Oh, I thought you’d never ask!

So my problem with the Cars movies, specifically Cars 1, is that the theme of the story seems to be “everything was better in the past” full stop. I’m being a touch hyperbolic. It’s more about the experiences we give up for the sake of convenience. Sally explains that Route 66 and Radiator Springs were better back in the day before a highway was built that cut out traffic. People now drive to save time, when in the past they drove to have a good time. It doesn’t take much to read this as a fear of progression.

They don’t renovate Radiator Springs to be more in line with modern times. They instead talk about restoring it to how it was in the past. Heck, one of the skills that McQueen learns which helps him in the final race is driving in reverse, as if going backward is truly the way forward.

I just feel like the uneasiness that the characters have about the world progressing forward is a fine theme to explore in any other movie where the characters aren’t literal pieces of sentient technology. Which is why I appreciate Cars 3, the best Cars movie. And if you disagree with me, my twitter handle is @Readus_101. Go yell at me over there.

Cars 3 does still have moments that paint training with burgeoning technology as bad and not nearly as effective as going out to race on “sacred dirt.” But it doesn’t commit all the way to that idea. If anything, it somewhat ironically backpedals on this idea.

What helps Cruz win the race in the end isn’t just repeating what she’s learned from McQueen and previous racers from the past, but also using new techniques that she herself came up with. And I think that’s beautiful! Again, I keep stressing this, but these are sports movies, and each generation of athlete learns so much from those that came before, while also adding their own twists and ideas to keep the game fresh and get an edge over the competition. The way Cars 3 demonstrates this is genuinely just so wonderful, but it can be improved.

Which is why when you take into consideration the entirety of Scott’s argument regarding the theme and the lackluster yet still properly prepared expansion of the thread Cars 3 brings over from the 2006 original, there is, in fact, room to improve both. Let me break it down for you.

THE RECONSTRUCTION

In 2006’s Cars, rookie race car Lightning McQueen meets retired race car Doc Hudson -- aka the Hudson Hornet -- who, after trying to distance himself from both the world of racing after his crash and McQueen’s initial cockiness decides to become his pit crew chief and show him the ropes as his coach figure

And in Cars 3, we discover that Doc Hudson is survived by HIS pit crew chief Smokey, who offers to train McQueen in his race against smart car racer Jackson Storm. And it's afterward that Lightning makes the decision to pay it forward by offering to become Cruz’s pit crew chief in the same race.

So lets better establish the connection between Doc’s decision to become Lightning’s chief and mentor with that of Lightning’s decision to do so with Cruz, and do so in a way that not only strengthens the thread the initial third movie provided and make it more recognizable, but also better adjusts the themes 1 and 3 share overall

The way we do this is through the use of Smokey -- the new character given to us as the initial expansion of the franchise's thread which is the overlap of Doc’s legacy and the necessity of a pit crew chief.

When we first meet him after Lightning and Cruz arrive at the old track in search for him, there’s a moment he and McQueen share to themselves after introducing them to the local greats that shared a track with Doc and leaving the bar. Smokey takes him to a garage, and shows McQueen an entire pinboard full of newspaper clippings of his accomplishments, saying that communication between him and Doc began again in the form of Doc sending Smokey letters:

/And every last one of them was about you/

Now this scene does the job it's supposed to do, no questions asked. It’s supposed to tug on the heart strings regarding the relationship between Lightning and Doc after the Piston Cup race in Cars 1. It’s supposed to be a heartwarming tribute to the late Paul Newman, the voice of Doc, who passed away after filming the first movie, even going about pulling a Marlon Brando Jor-El in Superman Returns by using unused voice over recordings from the first movie in order to animate new scenes.

Which is probably why even though Smokey stated that Doc wrote letters to him about Lightning, we always only see newspaper clippings and pictures of the two instead of actual handwritten -- er, TIREwritten -- letters.

That’s because any letter that would’ve been presented, would only have felt right if they were initially scripted to be read from Doc’s voice in order to stay true to that tribute feeling. So instead of either trying to find someone that could mimic Paul Newman’s Doc or have either Smokey or Lightning read the letter out loud and risk it not fitting the mood Pixar was going for, they instead opted for visual representations like pictures and newspaper clippings in the foreground while using what they have of Newman to properly capture the moment.

And while I absolutely respect that decision, I have to acknowledge that having either Smokey or Lightning -- I would’ve personally gone with Lightning -- READ one of Doc’s letters in question would’ve been the PERFECT opportunity to better fortify the thread Cars 3 chose to utilize from the 2006 original.

The letter in question would be about Doc sharing to Smokey his regret regarding not only how he called the press to get Lightning out of Radiator Springs all those years ago, but also in how he found both forgiveness in himself and a new love for racing by deciding to be his pit crew chief.

He takes the time to thank Smokey for always being there for him and dealing with his own cockiness and arrogance back when he was at the top of his game, now that he has a newfound appreciation for what Smokey did for him back in the day. And because of that, he mentions how important the decision to become Lightning’s mentor was; how much his mindset had changed upon seeing the newer generation McQueen belonged to regarding the appreciation of both past and present, now that he’s no longer the isolated hermit that was more set in his ways when we first meet him in Radiator Springs

Then as we see the flashbacks of the scenes originally in the montage as the letter is being read, one line near the end of it is given a significant amount of attention when it's read out loud: I used MY last chance to give the kid his first.

And because he’s already moved by hearing how being in Doc’s life had changed him, both the decision to be his chief and that last line resonates with Lightning. And it STAYS with Lightning up until the actual race, where he comes to his OWN revelation regarding Cruz’s want to be a racer, and says his OWN version of the line to HER when he makes the decision to tag her in.

/Which makes it my last chance to give you your FIRST chance/

Now the reason why this helps the exposition to the thread originally brought over from 2006’s Cars as opposed to JUST the introduction of the character of Smokey, is that not only do we get more of an expansion and thought process on Doc’s decision to gather Luigi and Guido to be Lightning’s pit crew for the Piston Cup in Los Angeles, but we also get to see how his decision to become Lightning’s pit crew chief and coach TRULY changed his original outlook of being a relic in a world that he thought he couldn’t be part of anymore, which -- given the plot of Cars 3 -- reflects Lightning’s current journey of self-realization.

And I think that’s just so perfect and beautiful. The first Cars movie, to me, landed too much on the side of “things were better in the past.” I think by carrying the thread of Doc Hudson’s life and legacy into Cars 3, but seeing how his outlook changed to appreciate his role in the present as McQueen’s pit crew chief is exactly that fine tuning that the theme desperately needed.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with appreciating aspects of the past. I mean, obviously, if you’re specifically appreciating how things used to be even more racist and sexist and homophobic, then fuck you. What I mean is, I like antiquing. I watch art restoration videos on YouTube. I’ve been to a renaissance fair. Obviously each of those have at least a foot in the door of modern times (even my antiques have LEDs in them because I’m a history destroying monster). But I appreciate history. It’s one of the main things I talk about on my channel. But it’s been said that history should be used so that we learn from it, not repeat it like we’re driving around and around in a circle on a racetrack.

Do you think that’s why the first Cars movie lands on that theme? Because racing is literally just repeating the same exact— y’know what, never mind.

Because with just a few small tweaks as La’Ron showed, Cars 3 could have emphasized this change in theme even further. And that’s the thing. We’ve not altered what the movie was about. Cars 3 was already trying to revise the message from Cars 1.

When McQueen makes the decision to put Cruz in the race and become her pit crew chief, we see him passing on his own techniques, techniques he learned from Doc, and techniques that presumably Doc learned from Smokey, while also encouraging Cruz to embrace her own unique moves. This is what I meant earlier when I said I loved the way that Cars 3 handles the blending of past and progress. The fact that Cruz is in this race at all is progress. She’s a new racer overtaking McQueen’s spot as he becomes her pit crew chief, passing down knowledge accumulated over generations of racers turned coaches. I adore it so much!

And I think it would have hit home even further if we experienced how Doc’s mindset changed when meeting McQueen through those letters. They would help McQueen come to terms with the inevitable progression of the world; to help him continue driving forward instead of pumping the brakes.

Oh, and I think the final shot of the film should be Cruz and McQueen racing on the old dirt track in Radiator Springs, but then the camera pans to show that Doc is also racing next to them. And then we zoom out even further to show that McQueen and Cruz are actually just on the big hi-tech simulator from earlier in the movie, and Doc is just a part of the program. This final shot would help tie in what the first movie tried to say about sacrificing unique experiences for the sake of convenience. But instead of just labeling progress as bad, it would show how they have used progressing technology to recreate experiences that they literally couldn’t have any other way, racing alongside their mentor one last time.

And then of course the credits would roll with Rascal Flatts singing a cover of Come So Far (Go So Far To Go) from Hairspray because the lyrics are loaded with car imagery. “Hey old friend, come along for the ride. There's plenty of room so jump inside. The highway's rocky every now and then, but it's so much better than where I've been. Just keep movin', at your own speed. Your heart is all the compass you'll ever need. Let's keep cruisin' the road we're on 'cause the rear view mirror only shows what's gone, gone, gone!” I mean COME ON! It’s perfect! That song may as well have been written for Cars 3!

Ah, man. So, quick confession time; I’ve NEVER seen a production of Hairspray. Not even the original movie

Okay, so what you’re gonna wanna do is NOT rectify that mistake and just wait until you come visit me in Roanoke so we can watch it together!

I like that plan. I’m on board with that plan. Which Roanoke do you live in again? There’s just SO many...

You...make a VERY fine point La’Ron. I will DM you when this video is over!

CONCLUSION

When it comes to Cars 3, it’s true that it crosses the finish line regarding delivering on the expansion of new information from the first installment. But as Scott and I explained here today, the victory lap that it failed to take was detrimental to not only properly fleshing out every avenue the thread had to offer, but also better establishing what the franchise’s theme sought out to be in the first installment.

And while we still have to acknowledge the existence of Cars 2 thanks to it being the film that first acknowledges Doc’s passing, only for it to be given more focus in Cars 3, the BETTER movie, our changes to both the thread and the theme will allow these good...two movies to run laps as a proper movie trilogy. (huffs)

You gonna be alright, bud?

Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just...please don’t make me talk about Cars 2 again.

I never MADE you talk about Cars 2 specifically Scott. Just want that on record.

Oh, yeah, I know. I was just talking to myself.

Gotcha. Well, like we stated earlier, if you want to hear my opinions on  Pixar films OTHER than Cars, I’m gonna be helping Scott with a video of his over on NerdSync. (Thinks) Ah, man. Does that mean I have to watch The Good Dinosaur?

Wait, you haven’t watched The Good Dinosaur?

Why would I watch The Good Dinosaur? Who would willingly watch The Good Dinosaur?

Yeah okay don’t tell anyone but I’ve also never seen The Good Dinosaur. I think the only people who have are the Super Carlin Brothers.

Okay, let’s just be fair. the Super Carlin Brothers watching The Good Dinosaur doesn’t count; that’s LITERALLY their job!

That is true but I think we’re safe having not watched it. We’ll be fine.

(Sighs in relief) OMG, THANK YOU!

Right now you can stream the entire Cars trilogy on Disney Plus. Because of COURSE. But if you don’t own them and want to help financially support the channel, I’ll have affiliate links available for you in the description box down below.

SO with that being said Readers, your homework assignment for the day:

Write in the comment section below what you thought of the Cars trilogy if you’ve seen it.

And if you have a film trilogy in mind that you wanna see me cover in the future, make sure you leave it in the comment section below as well.

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But until then, this is Readus 101. Class dismissed.