List of Cars characters: Difference between revisions
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'''Finn McMissile''' (voiced by [[Michael Caine]]) is a British secret agent who recruits [[Mater (Cars)|Mater]], whom he mistakes for a cleverly disguised American agent, to help in his mission. Finn McMissile is a master British spy. Though charming and eloquent, it’s his stealth maneuvering, intelligence and years in the field that enable him to thwart unexpected attacks from bad guys, making quick daredevil escapes. Finn’s design is sleek and timeless, but he’s also prepared for any tricky situation with an arsenal of ultra-cool gadgets and weaponry, including front and rear grappling hooks, a missile launcher, deployable magnetic explosives and a holographic disguise emitter. As a seasoned professional in the game of international espionage, Finn believes there is a conspiracy brewing during the World Grand Prix. His clandestine work surrounding the global exhibition race puts him on a collision course with Mater. Caine depicted his character Finn based on his previous role [[Harry Palmer]] from the ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The IPCRESS File]]'' and its sequels. |
'''Finn McMissile''' (voiced by [[Michael Caine]]) is a British secret agent who recruits [[Mater (Cars)|Mater]], whom he mistakes for a cleverly disguised American agent, to help in his mission. Finn McMissile is a master British spy. Though charming and eloquent, it’s his stealth maneuvering, intelligence and years in the field that enable him to thwart unexpected attacks from bad guys, making quick daredevil escapes. Finn’s design is sleek and timeless, but he’s also prepared for any tricky situation with an arsenal of ultra-cool gadgets and weaponry, including front and rear grappling hooks, a missile launcher, deployable magnetic explosives and a holographic disguise emitter. As a seasoned professional in the game of international espionage, Finn believes there is a conspiracy brewing during the World Grand Prix. His clandestine work surrounding the global exhibition race puts him on a collision course with Mater. Caine depicted his character Finn based on his previous role [[Harry Palmer]] from the ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The IPCRESS File]]'' and its sequels. |
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Originally, Finn was supposed to appear in the first ''Cars'' movie. In a sequence that never went beyond the storyboarding stage, [[Lightning McQueen|Lightning]] and [[Sally Carrera|Sally]] visited a drive-in theater where a James Bond-type film about a superspy car named Finn McMissile was playing.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-sneaks-june-cars-20110116,0,427784.story 2011 Movie Preview: 'Cars 2']</ref> The design of Finn is inspired by several cars, the roofline and doors of the [[Volvo P1800]] (possibly inspired by [[Roger Moore]]'s [[Volvo P1800#The Saint's Volvo 1800|ownership of one]] while filming ''The Saint'' TV espionage series in the early 1960s), the grill and fenders of the [[BMW 507]], and some minor elements of the iconic James Bond [[Aston Martin DB5]]. The look of the car has been slightly modified; Finn has a different grill that looks like a suave mustache, but like Bond, he does have plenty of gadgets.<ref>[http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/134-disney-pixar-getting-back-in-the-fast-lane-with-cars-2 Disney/Pixar Getting Back in the Fast Lane With Cars 2]</ref> His small tailfins were inspired by a 1958 British sports car called the [[Peerless (UK car)|Peerless]]—one of the few British cars with fins.<ref name="skfacts">[http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-news/movies/cars-2-introduces-1000-characters-fun-facts-minor-spoilers/ ‘Cars 2′ Introduces Nearly 1,000 New Characters and More Fun Facts]</ref> He is outfitted with a plethora of gadgets, including: two (Front) bumperette grappling hooks, a left headlight spy camera, a right headlight missile launcher, side mirror digital read-outs, a deployable glass cutter, front wheel hub magnetic explosives launcher; (side) side vent deployable machine guns, (rear) wheel hub deployable surveillance probes, rear bumperette grappling hooks, a rear turn signal oil blaster, an undercarriage mounted quad harpoon gun, a hydrofoil for oversea travel, a roof-deployed holographic disguise emitter, and submarine-mode for underwater escapes.<ref name="skfacts"/> Finn made a cameo in ''[[Toy Story 3]]'' on a poster in Andy's room. His license plate is 314 FMCM, which includes a reference to his initials. The number 314 indicates Caine's birthday, March 14. |
Originally, Finn was supposed to appear in the first ''Cars'' movie. In a sequence that never went beyond the storyboarding stage, [[Lightning McQueen|Lightning]] and [[Sally Carrera|Sally]] visited a drive-in theater where a James Bond-type film about a superspy car named Finn McMissile was playing.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-sneaks-june-cars-20110116,0,427784.story 2011 Movie Preview: 'Cars 2']</ref> The design of Finn is inspired by several cars, the roofline and doors of the [[Volvo P1800]] (possibly inspired by [[Roger Moore]]'s [[Volvo P1800#The Saint's Volvo 1800|ownership of one]] while filming ''The Saint'' TV espionage series in the early 1960s), the grill and fenders of the [[BMW 507]], and some minor elements of the iconic James Bond [[Aston Martin DB5]]. The look of the car has been slightly modified; Finn has a different grill that looks like a suave mustache, but like Bond, he does have plenty of gadgets.<ref>[http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/134-disney-pixar-getting-back-in-the-fast-lane-with-cars-2 Disney/Pixar Getting Back in the Fast Lane With Cars 2]</ref> His small tailfins were inspired by a 1958 British sports car called the [[Peerless (UK car)|Peerless]]—one of the few British cars with fins.<ref name="skfacts">[http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-news/movies/cars-2-introduces-1000-characters-fun-facts-minor-spoilers/ ‘Cars 2′ Introduces Nearly 1,000 New Characters and More Fun Facts]</ref> He is outfitted with a plethora of gadgets, including: two (Front) bumperette grappling hooks, a left headlight spy camera, a right headlight missile launcher, side mirror digital read-outs, a deployable glass cutter, front wheel hub magnetic explosives launcher; (side) side vent deployable machine guns, (rear) wheel hub deployable surveillance probes, rear bumperette grappling hooks, a rear turn signal oil blaster, an undercarriage mounted quad harpoon gun, a hydrofoil for oversea travel, a roof-deployed holographic disguise emitter, and submarine-mode for underwater escapes.<ref name="skfacts"/> Finn made a cameo in ''[[Toy Story 3]]'' on a poster in Andy's room. His license plate is 314 FMCM, which includes a reference to his initials. The number 314 indicates Caine's birthday, March 14, 1933. |
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His belief about the World Grand Prix turns out to be true, as it was all just a setup by Miles Axlerod to make alternate fuel seem dangerous and make cars run on his own fuel (which Finn encountered earlier on in the film) with no choice. |
His belief about the World Grand Prix turns out to be true, as it was all just a setup by Miles Axlerod to make alternate fuel seem dangerous and make cars run on his own fuel (which Finn encountered earlier on in the film) with no choice. |
Revision as of 20:04, 30 June 2011
This is a list of characters from the 2006 Pixar film Cars and the 2011 Disney/Pixar film Cars 2.
Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment team
Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, and occasionally called "Stickers" by Sally, is the main protagonist and is voiced by actor Owen Wilson in the films and by Keith Ferguson on other occasions. He is named after Glenn McQueen, a Pixar Animator who died of melanoma in October 2002, although the car shares certain traits with actor and race car driver Steve McQueen. His overall profile was inspired by stock cars and a "more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racer", e.g., Lola and Ford GT40.[1] His number, 95, is a reference to the year Pixar released its first feature-length movie, Toy Story.
In the beginning of the film, Lightning McQueen is a talented yet overconfident race car, especially towards his pit crew. He hopes to be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup race and gain a lucrative endorsement deal from Dinoco Oil in the final race of the season, but finishes in a three-way tie with perennial runner-up Chick Hicks and veteran Strip "The King" Weathers after losing his huge lead on the final lap because of two blown rear tires. McQueen also wanted the Dinoco deal because of his dislike to his somewhat awkward Rust-Eze sponsorship and the rusty cars within it.
He gets lost in Radiator Springs on his way to California and meets new friends who seek to restore their town to its former glory. It is there he befreinds Mater and falls in love with the town attorney and hotelier, Sally Carrera. He changes his look at the end of the movie to help out the townsfolk, and his appreciation for his benefactors is restored. He learns valuable lessons such as true friendship; how greed affects others; keeping promises; teamwork; and that life is about the journey, not the destination. These values lead him to rejuvenate Radiator Springs back to its heyday and relocate to the town forever to make it his racing headquarters.
After Hicks rams Weathers in the final tie-breaker Piston Cup race, McQueen stops on the finish line and reverses to help push Weathers the rest of the way across the finish line, allowing him to complete his last race and retire with dignity, much to the crowd's pleasure. McQueen is offered the Dinoco sponsorship, but declines it to remain with the team who gave him his big break.
In Cars 2, McQueen is a permanent resident of Radiator Springs and has become a bona fide worldwide celebrity winning four Piston Cups. After his latest win, McQueen expects to relax with Sally, Mater and the other residents of Radiator Springs when Mater gets him entered into the first ever World Grand Prix, a three-part race that takes him and his best friend around the world.
McQueen has a fresh custom paint job and real working headlights since he only had stickers in the first film.
Mack
Mack is a 1980s-era Mack Super-Liner truck bearing license plate "RUSTEZ3", voiced by John Ratzenberger. A dedicated member of the Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment Team, Mack pulls Lightning McQueen's trailer to his races. After McQueen's entire pit team quits, Mack remains as the rookie racer's only friend. McQueen exhorts Mack to drive through the night to his tiebreaker race with Chick Hicks and Strip Weathers in Los Angeles, hoping to reach the venue first and to hang out with the Dinoco team. During the long drive, Mack falls asleep and falls victim to the Delinquent Road Hazards, a group of reckless street racers. The Delinquent Road Hazards knock Mack all over the road, causing one of McQueen's bobble heads to fall off its perch and hit a button, opening his trailer door and dump a sleeping McQueen onto the road.
When Mack awakens, he is unaware that McQueen has gotten lost and has ended up in Radiator Springs. Eventually, Mack travels to Radiator Springs and, under threat of being fired by McQueen's agent, Harv, transports McQueen to Los Angeles. There he serves as McQueen's pit crew until a group of McQueen's friends from Radiator Springs show up to help. After the race, Mack moves to Radiator Springs with McQueen.
During the end credits, Mack is at the drive-in theater watching car versions of other Pixar films (A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Monster's Inc) and while he enjoys the car-versions of other characters his voice actor played (Hamm, The Piggy Bank, P.T Flea, and The Abominable Snowman), he realizes that they're all the same actor and says "They're just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?" He is also shown at Flo's Cafe in the short film Mater and the Ghostlight, as well as in the video game based on the film. Mack returns in Cars 2, along with McQueen's trailer.
John Ratzenberger was given the part in honor of his father, who drove a Mack truck.[2]
Lightning McQueen's pit crew
Lightning McQueen's pit crew are generic forklifts who quit after McQueen didn't go to the pits for tires, which nearly cost him the season's final race. One of them, presumably the acting crew chief, since the official crew chief had recently been fired, is referred to by McQueen as "Chuck", who retorts angrily afterwards, "And my name is not Chuck!" In the credits, he is referred to as "Not Chuck" (a pun) and is voiced by Mike "No Name" Nelson.
Harv
Harv is Lightning McQueen's agent. Never seen on-screen, McQueen speaks to Harv via his speaker phone when McQueen and Mack are on route to the tiebreaker race and again when Mack is in Radiator Springs to pick up McQueen. Consequently, little is known of Harv's character except that he threatened to fire Mack if he doesn't get McQueen into his trailer.
Harv is voiced by actor Jeremy Piven and is based on his character Ari Gold from the HBO series Entourage. In the United Kingdom edition of the movie, Harv is voiced by Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. This equivalent of Harv is implied by Clarkson to be a 1979 Ford Granada Ghia, while the American version is said to be a 1996 Oldsmobile.
Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze
The Rust-eze Brothers, Rusty and Dusty, are the spokescars and owners of Rust-Eze, the team that sponsors Lightning and that gave him his "big break". Rusty is a 1963 Dodge Dart and Dusty, a 1964 Dodge A100. Rusty and Dusty are voiced by real-life brothers Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi (respectively) of National Public Radio's Car Talk. The '63 Dart bears an intentional resemblance to Ray Magliozzi's infamous green Dart, named "The Dartre". In a deleted scene shown on the DVD, these two would have had no association with Lightning McQueen other than a chance encounter at a truck stop, where Mack was allowed to stop briefly. According to their respective die-cast, Rusty's license plate states "Rust" and Dusty's sports "Eze". The license plates also show that they're from "R Fair City", a reference to how the brothers refer to their hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts on Car Talk.
Dinoco team
Strip "The King" Weathers
Strip "The King" Weathers is a Dinoco Blue veteran racecar voiced by NASCAR veteran Richard Petty. He is based on Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird; his number, 43, was also Petty's racecar number, and the "Dinoco Blue" color is taken from Petty's Superbird on display at the Richard Petty Museum. He is one of the racecars in the 2005 Piston Cup three-way tie, along with Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen.
He is Dinoco's "Golden Boy", having won seven Piston Cups (the same number of NASCAR Cup Series championships won by his voice actor), and is hoping for another win in the tie-breaker race. He tells Lightning McQueen to remember the importance of his team, but the rookie does not pay any attention, being more preoccupied with the thought of taking over the Dinoco sponsorship after Weathers' retirement.
On the final lap of the tie-breaker race, Hicks rams Weathers, sending him into a dangerous rollover crash (reminiscent of Richard Petty's Daytona 500 crash in 1988). When McQueen sees this, he realizes that Weathers' career might end the way Doc Hudson's did. After stopping short of the finishing line, allowing Hicks to win, McQueen pushes Weathers across the finish line to let him finish his last race before retirement, much to the audience's delight. Weathers is last seen visiting the racing museum in Radiator Springs with his wife and another Piston Cup racer, Dale Jr, stating that Hudson was his inspiration.
In the Danish edition of the movie, Weathers is voiced by eight-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. In the Finnish edition of the movie, The King is voiced by Finnish two-time Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen.
Lynda Weathers / Mrs. The King
"Mrs. The King", as Mater calls her, is The King's wife. She is voiced by Richard Petty's real-life wife, Lynda Petty. A 1974 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon, she is modeled after the car in which the Petty family used to go to Richard's races during the 1970s. During the races, she sits in a special VIP booth alongside Tex, rooting for her husband.
Tex Bullhorns
Tex Dinoco, voiced by Humpy Wheeler, is a gold 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and owner of Dinoco. In his packaging as a diecast car, his name is listed as "Tex Dinoco". It is unknown whether Dinoco is Tex's last name, or whether the name was simply added to give the consumer a better idea of who Tex was. In the movie, he has a Hoosier accent. Tex was mainly inspired by the gold Cadillacs with Long Horns that are used at the Big Texan Steak Restaurant in Amarillo, Texas to bring guests for dinner. He is known as Tex Bullhorns on the action figures and is said to be the King's manager also.
Dinoco Transport Helicopter
The Dinoco Transport helicopter is based on a Bell 430. It is seen on top of the Dinoco tent during the races, and Mater gets a ride in it over Radiator Springs at the end of the film, after Lightning had promised Mater the chance to ride in one earlier in the film.
Hostile Takeover Bank team
Chick Hicks
Chick Hicks (voiced by Michael Keaton) is "a generic Pixar design, 'a stock 1980s American car'" according to Pixar publicity coordinator Amanda Sorena[3] but strongly resembles a GM G-body, with features from both the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Buick Grand National. He is the main antagonist of the first film, beating both Lightning McQueen and The King to win the Piston Cup. He has spent his entire career trailing Strip "The King" Weathers, and is bitter about this fact. His sponsor is the "Hostile Takeover Bank." His pit crew are mean to Guido for being tiny, although his skills are superior to their own.
Determined to do whatever it takes to win, Hicks will often ram other cars to cause a wreck (though how he always gets away with this without being penalized is never explained). He hates McQueen, but tends to copy him, and adopts the nickname 'Thunder' which McQueen originally used as a put-down. Other than hating McQueen, Hicks also hates The King, as Hicks himself always come behind him in second place. Hicks and McQueen also share the same dream of being the new face of Dinoco Oil.
On the final lap of the tie-breaker race, Hicks becomes so determined not to come in behind Weathers again that he rams the older racer so violently that he is sent flying off the track and into a devastating and horrifying roll-over wreck. He expects a huge ovation after McQueen deliberately lets him win the Piston Cup, but the crowd and media snub his victory, and is forced off the stage with his trophy in humiliation, much to his anger. In many ways, Hicks represents what Lightning McQueen could have become.
Hicks is seen again in the Cars Race-O-Rama video game as the main antagonist, in which he tries to take revenge for his humiliation back at the Piston Cup race and recruit rookies for him to groom in his mold by closing down McQueen's racing academy and opening up his own in Radiator Springs.
Radiator Springs populace
Mater
Sir Tow Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) is a rusty tow truck and the deuteragonist of the two films. He was inspired by a 1951 International Harvester[4][5] tow truck but bears more of a resemblance to a 1955–57 Chevrolet or GMC; the actual inspiration may be the 1955–56 version since the hood which Mater recovers at the end of the film after a twenty-year absence lacks the "gunsights" of the 1957 model. His license plate reads "A113." Mater runs "Tow Mater Towing and Salvage." Along with the movie, he also stars in an animated short, Mater and the Ghostlight, and acts as an announcer in the Cars video game. He speaks with a thick Southern accent with a bit of hillbilly twang and uses incorrect syntax. Mater is also the (self-proclaimed) world champion backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been." In the movie, Mater befriends and supports Lightning throughout his adventure in Radiator Springs. He travels to L.A. for the tie-breaking race. At it, when McQueen is spun out, he races backwards after being spun out, implying that he learned to drive backwards from Mater. In the end, McQueen gives Mater an opportunity to fly in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted.
In Cars 2, Mater is thrilled to join McQueen on a trip around the world after getting him into the first annual World Grand Prix, leaving Radiator Springs for the second time. When McQueen and his pit crew arrive in Tokyo, Mater learns that the world outside of Radiator Springs is quite different and he's also mistaken for an American spy, leading him into an adventure of espionage. Caught between helping McQueen and his new role as a spy, Mater gets involved in a chase across the globe between British spies and international villains.
Sally Carrera
Sally Carrera (voiced by Bonnie Hunt) is a royal blue 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera. Her California license plate number is 301PCE. She also appears in the Cars video game, in which she is a playable character. Sally, Lightning McQueen's love interest, is the snazzy town attorney of Radiator Springs. She came to the town several years before, when, in her own words, "I never felt – happy. So I left California then just drove and drove, and finally broke down right here (Wheel Well Motel). Doc fixed me up, Flo took me in – well, they all did – and I never left." Sally then fell in love with the town, and the land around it, and settled down in the town. Sally runs the Cozy Cone Motel. Later, she and Lightning reopened the Wheel Well Hotel. She calls McQueen "Stickers," first as a way to tease him (because of his fake headlights), and later as a friendly nickname. In the UK cars magazine Top Gear, Sally was included in the magazine's list of the 10 sexiest cars in the world.[6] Sally reappears in Cars 2 with her and McQueen now in a relationship, but her role in the film is drastically limited as she only appears in the beginning and end of the film.
Doc Hudson
Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman in his last non-documentary film and by Corey Burton in the video games); also known as "Dr. Hudson" or simply "Doc". His license plate reads 51HHMD (a reference to his year and track number (51) model (Hudson Hornet) and profession (medical doctor). Doc's stickers say "twin H power", which was an optional dealer-installed dual carburetor intake manifold, with twin 1-barrel carburetors and air filters. It was standard on 1952 model Hornets. Doc was once known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet (#51), one of the most famous racecars to have ever lived; he won three Piston Cups, and still holds the record for most wins in a single season (27, a reference to real-life Hornets winning 27 NASCAR races in 1952). All that changed for the famous Hornet when a terrible crash on the track during the final lap of the 1954 Piston Cup championship race saw him put out for the season. Upon his return, he was received with a complete absence of fanfare and told that he was a has-been who had been passed up for the next rookie in line. He kept a newspaper article on the career-ending crash as a reminder never to return to the life that nearly killed him. Jaded by the racing scene, he left that world, apparently taking out time to study medicine. The famous No.51 disappeared into obscurity, leaving many wondering where he had gone. He instead opted for a simple navy blue paint job and the life of a physician in the tiny town of Radiator Springs, the "shining Gemstone" of the Mother Road – Route 66. He runs Doc's Clinic as a "doctor of internal combustion". As times changed and the town got bypassed in favor of Interstate 40, Doc stayed on, even when the population had dwindled to a meager dozen or so residents. He is respected, well-loved, and serves not only as the town's physician, but as its judge as well. However, nobody in the town had any idea of his past as a racer; he was just an ordinary Hudson Hornet to them.
Upon meeting the young hotshot Lightning McQueen, Doc saw far too much of his past in the rookie. He was less than happy when McQueen discovers his past. After McQueen finished fixing the road he damaged and decided to stay for a while, Doc was unable to bear having him around any longer and called the news and press to immediately take him away to the Piston Cup, declaring that it is best for everyone. But seeing how disheartened everyone was by his unplanned departure, Doc realized that McQueen had become more important to them than he thought. He eventually admits the truth to everyone about his Racecar days and he took back his old No. 51 colors to become McQueen's pit crew chief, bringing nearly the entire town (except Sally, Red, and Lizzy who watch the race on TV) to the Piston Cup to support Lightning as his pit crew (and in an ironic twist of fate, finally received that long awaited fanfare for his return). By the end of the film, Doc opts to keep his racing colors, and becomes a trainer as well as a friend to the young McQueen. Just like McQueen, Doc learned some lessons: friendship, promises, how greed affects others, and that secrets can't be kept forever. A racing museum subsequently opens in Radiator Springs and is named after him.
The car is based on the real-life Fabulous Hudson Hornet in NASCAR competition driven by Herb Thomas and Marshall Teague. Newman, a racing enthusiast and former driver, drew upon his experiences for the grumpy old race car's personality. Newman was one of the film screen legends during his prime, but his mainstream film acting career faded as he got older, similar to how Hudson's racing career faded away. Paul Newman died from lung cancer in September 2008. Pixar decided having Doc Hudson appear in Cars 2 would be inappropriate, and based on a conversation between Lightning and Mater, Doc passed away prior to the second film. The scenario is identical to when Will Lee died, so Mr. Hooper, his character on Sesame Street, also died. However, Doc's memory lives on, as the Piston Cup was renamed after him. During the Japan leg of the World Grand Prix, the commentators note that Doc was widely considered to be one of the best dirt-track racers in the world.
Sheriff
Sheriff (voiced by Michael Wallis) is a 1949 Mercury Club Coupe police car, bearing Carburetor County license plate 001. Sheriff is painted in the classic law enforcement black and white, with a single red light dome, two sirens, and curb feelers. Sheriff was the first resident of Radiator Springs to appear in the first film and also the first to meet Lightning McQueen during a police chase when McQueen was speeding through the town, trying to find Mack. Upon catching McQueen, who had become ensnared in power lines and fencing, Sheriff borrows a line used by actor Joe Higgins, who played a sheriff in early 1970s Dodge commercials: "Boy, you're in a heap of trouble." At one point in the film when Sally gives McQueen some gas, Sheriff worried that McQueen would try to escape the town, noticing McQueen's expression, while looking in the direction of the Interstate. Sheriff then turns on his gumball. Lightning chooses to accompany Sally, rather than making an escape attempt, resulting in Sheriff switching off his emergency lighting. This suggests the beginning of trust in Lightning by Sheriff. He later befriends Lightning McQueen, even offering him a police escort to California and even giving a few sniffles when he thought Lightning had left after finishing fixing the road (though he denied it claiming he was glad Lightning was gone), and joins his pit crew for the championship race.
Sheriff reappears in the second film, seeing Lightning and his race crew off to the World Grand Prix. When Mater goes missing, Sally mentions that Sheriff has the police scouring Radiator Springs for Mater. During the climax of the film, Sheriff arrives along with the other Radiator Springs resident as new members of McQueen's pit crew, and is informed by Mater of the lemons cars' plot to kill McQueen in order to turn all vehicles in the world against alternate energy and rely on gasoline for profit. Sheriff also partakes in the final melee against the Lemon cars, putting a parking boot on one on them, immobilizing him for good.
Luigi
Luigi (voiced by Tony Shalhoub) is a 1959 Fiat 500. He is a Scuderia Ferrari fan, and has followed racing his entire life. His license plate reads 445-108, which is the latitude and longitude for the main Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.[7] Luigi owns a tire shop, Casa Della Tires, which is known for its "Leaning Tower of Tires," a tower of several tires shaped like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. His assistant is an Italian forklift truck named Guido. Inside his shop are many framed pictures of World Sportscar Championship endurance racing Ferraris from various points in history. At first, Luigi and Guido do not respect Lightning McQueen when he comes to Radiator Springs (owing to the substantial havoc that he inflicted upon the town when he first arrived), because he is not a Ferrari ("Luigi follow only the Ferraris"), but later on they learn to show courtesy to McQueen, fitting him with whitewalls. During the big race, Luigi and Guido work as part of Lightning's pit crew, excited to be working on a real race car even though it's not a Ferrari. In the end, McQueen directs a group of Italian sports cars – a Ferrari (voiced by Michael Schumacher) and two Maserati Quattroportes – to his shop, having recommended it. The presence of a celebrity Ferrari in their store causes both Luigi and Guido to faint from shock and happiness.
For the Italian version of the film, Luigi was voiced by comedian Marco Della Noce; one of Della Noce's most popular characters was "Oriano Ferrari", a parody character meant to represent the leader of Ferrari's pit stop crew.[8]
In Cars 2, Luigi is a part of Lightning's pit crew, in charge of the racer's tires. In Japan, he is naturally overjoyed to see so many Ferraris at a party prior to the first race of the World Grand Prix. He also hesitantly begins to explain to Mater what a rendezvous is, but he and Guido do not believe Mater when he believes he has a date ("We don't believe you", "We still don't believe you") Luigi and Guido are overjoyed to be back in their home of Italy, and rejoin their large group of family and friends. A little more is discussed of Luigi's past with Guido: Luigi's uncle mentions that Luigi and Guido often fought over how they worked with tires, but they always made up after their fights. Luigi joins his friends in a melee against Professor Zundapp's Lemons at the film's climax, and finally believes Mater's claims of a girlfriend when Holley Shiftwell confirms the fact in person at Radiator Springs.
Guido
Guido (voiced by Guido Quaroni) is a forklift, who works at Luigi's Casa Della Tires, and is Luigi's best friend. The only language Guido can speak and understand fluently is Italian, though he appears to understand English, and even speaks a few phrases, including "Pit stop" but pronounced "Peet stop!" His dream is to perform a pit stop for a real racecar. Near the end of the movie, as a member of Lightning's new pit crew, he performed the fastest pit stop in Piston Cup history, changing all four tires in four seconds, shocking Chick Hicks' pit crew (and making their moustaches/grills fall off in the process) who had earlier made fun of him.
In order to preserve the "language barrier" gags between Guido and the other characters in the Italian dub, his lines (and the other cars' lines in Italian) have been rendered with the Emiliano-Romagnolo accent spoken in the town of Modena, Italy, home of the Ferrari car manufacturer and racing team. Alex Zanardi, an Italian race driver who is a native of Bologna, the largest city in the Emilia-Romagna region (and thus presumably familiar with that dialect), voiced Guido for the Italian version. Coincidentally, or as a pun by the authors, the name "Guido" is a perfect homonym for the Italian inflected verb meaning "I drive". In Cars 2 Guido serves the same purpose he served in the first film's climax in Lightning's pit crew throughout the film. He also removed all tires from some of the Lemons when the malicious cars surrounded Lightning and Mater, but failed to remove the bomb from Mater's nose. Guido dryly does not believe Mater when he says he has a date, but has a literally jaw-dropping moment when he sees that Mater was telling the truth about his new girlfriend Holley Shiftwell.
Ramone
Ramone (voiced by Cheech Marin) is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala Lowrider who owns the Ramone's Paint and Body Art store, where he paints himself and other cars, including Lightning McQueen later in the film. His license plate reads "L0WNSL0", which is a reference to his catchphrase, "Low and slow." He is married to Flo, whose restaurant is next door to his store. Ramone is usually depicted as purple with a yellow and orange flame job, but throughout the film he changes his paint job every morning to keep his skills sharp, owing to a lack of customers. This situation changes after Radiator Springs becomes vibrant again.
The Lowrider was (and is) a favored car among Chicanos in urban areas thus the casting of Cheech Marin—himself Mexican American. The slit-like grills on the hood resemble a pencil-thin mustache.
In a deleted scene that told the story of how Ramone and Flo fell in love, the only customer Ramone has refused to paint was his future wife Flo. When she asked him, "Whassamatta, you too good to paint me?" he promptly and smoothly replies, "No way, you too good for me to paint," and saying that he couldn't touch a classic like Flo, which made her heart melt. The story took place in Radiator Springs of 1974. Ramone reappears in Cars 2, making a few appearances in the Radiator Springs scenes, though he joins everyone else to help McQueen in England. In the melee scene, Ramone disables one of the lemon cars by spraying paint into the car's eyes, blinding him.
Flo
Flo (voiced by Jenifer Lewis) is the owner of Radiator Springs only gas diner, "Flo's V-8 Cafe" and is married to Ramone, the town's body artist. (The story of their romance is told in the previous paragraph.) Her license plate reads "SHOGRL", the same as the license plates applied to many Motorama show cars, and an obvious pun on the term "showgirl". A shot of Flo's rear end during the cruising scene shows a secondary plate above her license plate which reads "Motorama 1957." According to a deleted scene, she is indeed a Motorama showcar and came to Radiator Springs during a national tour. She appears to be inspired by three early- to mid-fifties show cars: the 1951 Le Sabre (front-end lines, the basic hood shape, lights mounted near the corners, and front-quarter trim), the 1951 Buick XP-300 (side trim), and the 1956/57 Chrysler Dart (cockpit, deck lid, and tailfins).[9]
Flo reappears in Cars 2, as she arrives to help Lightning and Mater battle the lemons (who were sent to kill Lightning by Miles Axlerod).
Fillmore
Fillmore (voiced by George Carlin in Cars, Cars: The Video Game, and Cars Toons (via archives), Brian George in Cars Mater-National, Mark Silverman in Cars Race-O-Rama and Lloyd Sherr in Cars 2[10] following Carlin's death in 2008) is a Volkswagen Type 2 microbus of late 1950s/early 1960s vintage as evidenced by his pointed front turn signals and small rear window. Fillmore's license plate reads "51237", which is a reference to May 12, 1937, the birthdate of George Carlin. He is a stereotypical hippie, with his license plate positioned to resemble a soul patch. His name is a reference to the Fillmore East, a venue that was an epicenter for rock performances throughout the 1960s and 1970s (The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix all made notable live recordings there, to name a few). He owns an organic fuel shop (Fillmore's Organic Fuel) which features several flavors, and believes gasoline companies are lying to the public. In the morning, when next-door neighbor Sarge plays Reveille and raises the Flag of the United States, Fillmore interrupts Sarge's bugle reveille with Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." This is much to Sarge's irritation, as he shouts at Fillmore:
- Sarge: "Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!"
- Fillmore: "Respect the classics, man. It's Hendrix!"
Despite this, he is friends with Sarge, and the two can be seen chatting throughout the film.
He has a sticker on his rear that says "I brake for Jackalopes". The jackalope is a mythical creature which features in the theatrical short "Boundin'" shown with The Incredibles. He has appeared in every Disney Cars game so far. As voiced by George Carlin, Fillmore's voice is similar to "Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman", a part of Carlin's comedy routine.
Fillmore reappears in Cars 2, joining McQueen's pit crew for the World Grand Prix. Fillmore initially supports Allinol as it supposedly doesn't use oil, even convincing McQueen it is safe after several accidents involving other cars using Allinol. However, for the final race, McQueen's Allinol is replaced at the last minute by Fillmore's organic fuel. This is what prevents Lightning from being killed in the race. Apparently, Fillmore knew all about the fuel switch, as he revealed it to Lightning.
Sarge
Sarge (voiced by Paul Dooley) is a Willys Jeep. A veteran with a military green paint job and a slightly stylized Sergeant Major (E-9) insignia on his sides, he appears to be a World War II era Willys MB. His license plate reads "41WW2", which indicates the date the Willys MB entered the service of the U.S. Army (1941 World War II). He runs a surplus store, named "Sarge's Surplus Hut", next door to Fillmore and acts as part of Lightning's pit crew, gassing him up during the race. Near the end of the film, it is revealed he later opens an Army Camp to train SUVs and 4x4s in rugged and dirt terrain, including T.J. Hummer, Murphy, Frank "Pinky" Pinkerton, and Charlie Cargo.
Sarge reappears in Cars 2, using assistance from the British Army to aid in the melee against the lemons. Prior to the final leg of the World Grand Prix, he secretly switches McQueen's supply of Allinol (the alternative fuel developed by race founder Sir Miles Axlerod) for Fillmore's organic fuel blend. The change saves McQueen from being destroyed as part of Axlerod's plot to discredit alternative fuels.
Lizzie
Lizzie (voiced by Katherine Helmond), a 1923 Ford Model T coupe, is the widow of Radiator Springs' founder, Stanley, and the elderly owner of a roadside souvenir and accessory shop (Radiator Springs Curios). Her license plate, "MT23", is a reference to her model and year. Her name is derived from Tin Lizzie, one of the Model T's popular nicknames. She appears to have gone somewhat senile, and has a crush on Lightning McQueen. When she is shown teasing Luigi and Guido in the film, stating that "the new road makes your place look like a dump." Luigi angrily says that she is a crazy, devilish old woman; but despairs at the truth of her words.
Lizzie reappears in Cars 2.
Red
Red (voiced by Joe Ranft) is a mid-1960s closed-cab pumper bearing Carburetor County license plate "002." He is shy and emotional, often bursting into tears and/or hiding whenever he is upset. He spends most of his time gardening and washing things, such as the statue of Stanley next to his fire station. It was stated by Mater that Red hated McQueen for accidentally killing his flowers, but it is clear that Red had forgiven McQueen and warmed up to him, especially since he burst into tears and fled when he thought McQueen left without saying goodbye (which he didn't, but was, unfortunately, forced to do later). In the movie, Red never spoke (not counting his sobs and gasps). Joe Ranft died in a car accident in August 2005, 11 months before the movie was released.
Red reappears in Cars 2 with no voice actor. He only makes a small appearance in the battle against the lemons, where he arrives just in time to blast some of the lemons away with a fire hose.
Stanley
Stanley is Lizzie's late husband and was the founder of Radiator Springs. Stanley was probably a Stanley Steamer, a steam-driven automobile. A statue of Stanley stands outside the town hall, and although it was broken off its pedestal and dragged through the streets on a cable by Lightning McQueen, it was fortunately undamaged, and another mishap placed the statue right back where it was. Although dead, Stanley continues to exert an influence on the town, particularly over Lizzie, who often talks to his statue in memory of him. At one point, the statue is sent flying through the air ("Fly away, Stanley. Be free!" - Fillmore) but returns to the pedestal luckily.
The Stanley statue reappears in Cars 2 where it was shown to be less old and broken, possibly updated.
Frank
Frank is a generic orange combine harvester that resembles a bull, and the guardian of the tractors. After Lightning McQueen's first encounter with Frank during a night of tractor tipping with Mater, Lightning starts dreaming that he, The King, and Chick Hicks (the last of whom does not even survive) are beaten by Frank in the tie-breaker race after beginning to feel that he is being distracted by his time in Radiator Springs. He is last seen with the tractors at the drive-in theatre scenes. He is also seen in the short Mater and the Ghostlight when Mater races past him, waking him up. Frank seems to be the soothing master of the tractors and the leader of the herd.
Piston Cup Announcers
Darrell Cartrip
Darrell Cartrip is an announcer for the Piston Cup races. He is a 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and a former Piston Cup Racer. His character is based on former NASCAR racer and Fox Sports commentator Darrell Waltrip, who also provides the character's voice. Cartrip utters, "Boogity boogity boogity!" as the tiebreaker race starts; the real-life Waltrip is also known to use the phrase at the start of every NASCAR race on Fox. He also says "I'm so excited, they're gonna have to tow me out of the booth!" Cartrip appears in the Cars video game as the sole announcer; he is also a playable character in the Piston Cup VS. and Arcade mode. On his side it says, "Boogity boogity boogity" and on the back of him it says, "DWstore.com" (the online store for the three NASCAR on FOX analysts). These do not appear in the video game. The car is based on a real-life 1977 Monte Carlo Waltrip drove with DiGard Racing, although it does not have the actual number (#88) or livery (a green and white Gatorade livery) from its three years used on the circuit. The most famous of those cars was the infamous "Bertha," known for its weight-reduction ruse by crew chief Gary Nelson and Buddy Parrott where up to 45kg of buckshot was added to a box near the battery, and on parade laps, Waltrip pressed a lever to drop the buckshot on track to lighten the car. With 16 of Waltrip's 84 career wins, it is displayed at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama. Darrell would later return in Cars 2 as one of the three announcers of the World Grand Prix.
Bob Cutlass
Bob Cutlass is an announcer for the Piston Cup races and friend of Darrell Cartrip. He is voiced by Bob Costas, the renowned NBC sportscaster and journalist and his name, like Darrell Cartrip's, is a play on that of his voice actor. The character's name is obviously a reference to the Oldsmobile Cutlass. Cutlass is actually supposed to resemble a 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora, even though the Aurora was never offered in a 2 door model.
Other vehicles
Mia and Tia (known as The Twins)
Mia, (voiced by Lindsey Collins), and Tia, (voiced by Elissa Knight), are identical twin 1992 Mazda Miata sisters who are Lightning McQueen's self-proclaimed biggest fans. After McQueen's disappearance, the twins are devastated that McQueen apparently will not make it to the race. Chick Hicks then swoops in and consoles them, loading them up with his own merchandise and a free Hostile Takeover Bank-sponsored paint job. Mia and Tia accept the offer, not because they are Chick's fans, but because the color green complements their eyes. By the end of the movie, they are McQueen's fans once more, turning against Hicks after he deliberately causes Strip "The King" Weathers to wreck in the tie-breaker race. Mia and Tia eventually move to Radiator Springs and work as waitresses at Flo's V8 Cafe, as seen during the end credits. In Lightning McQueen's daydream about the Dinoco Sponsorship, the twins are Dinoco blue, except for the scene in the penthouse, where they are painted gold. In a deleted scene on the Cars DVD, the twins are waitresses at a truck stop at which McQueen stops.
When they first meet Lightning, Mia and Tia flash their pop-up headlights at him, similar to groupies pulling up their shirts to flash celebrities.
Mia and Tia also appear in Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales because of his crazy doings.
Van and Minny
Van (voiced by Richard Kind) and Minny (voiced by Edie McClurg) are husband and wife. They are lost and pass through Radiator Springs while trying to find their way back to Interstate 40. Minny also mentions that Van did the same when they were heading up to the "Crazy Days" (a parody of Derby Days[11]) in Shakopee. Van refuses to ask directions, claiming not to need them due to having a GPS. Both of them are equipped with car alarms, which they arm after their encounter with Lightning McQueen when he begs them to call for help. After the end of the credits, we find out that Van and Minny have ended up somewhere lost in the desert, having never asked for directions, and Van has almost been driven to insanity. Their names combined is a pun on "minivan". Van is a 2003 Ford Windstar and Minny appears to be a 1996 Dodge Caravan. Minny speaks with a pronounced Minnesota accent.
Van and Minny reappear in Cars 2. While Minny is mezmerized by Mater's spy story, Van does not believe one word of it until Holley Shiftwell arrives to confirm it.
Delinquent Road Hazards
The Delinquent Road Hazards are a group of four modified tuner cars that intentionally cause trouble on the highway and are minor antagonists in the beginning of the first film: Boost (Purple Neon/Silver 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse), DJ (Blue 2004 Scion xB), Wingo (Green and purple 2000 Nissan Silvia S15) and Snot Rod (Orange 1970 Plymouth Barracuda). They catch Mack nodding off to sleep on the way to California, and amuse themselves by nudging him onto the rumble strips along the shoulder. The resulting vibration causes Mack's trailer door to open and a sleeping McQueen to roll out of the trailer. When the chronically-sniffly Snot Rod sneezes, Mack is startled awake, and accelerates away, leaving the still-sleeping McQueen behind near Radiator Springs, thus making the Hazards mostly responsible for McQueen's disappearance. However, in an act of poetic justice, during the end credits the Hazards are seen speeding on the outskirts of Radiator Springs just as the Sheriff arrives and places them in the impound lot. It is then later revealed that Doc Hudson himself sentenced the Hazards to messy roadwork towing Bessie for their actions. In the Italian dub, three of the Hazards are voiced by former F1 drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella (Boost), Emanuele Pirro (Wingo) and Jarno Trulli (DJ).
Kori Turbowitz
Kori Turbowitz (voiced by San Francisco Bay Area DJ Sarah Clark) is a 1997 Ford Puma; a news reporter who shows up in the movie three times.
Jay Limo
Jay Limo, like his voice actor Jay Leno, is a talk show host. He resembles the latest generation of the Lincoln Town Car. He remarks "I don't know what's going to be harder to find; Lightning McQueen or a crew chief who'll work for him!"
Albert Hinkey
Albert Hinkey (voiced by Douglas "Mater" Keever[12]) is an RV that proclaims that he is Lightning's "biggest" fan.("Biggest" being a pun because he is such a large vehicle.) He is seen in the background of races. He has another friend that is a fan of Lightning also that is voiced by Larry Benton.
Fred
Fred (voiced by Andrew Stanton) is a starstruck, very rusty old car. Everybody knows his name, because his license plate says "FRED." When McQueen says his name, he shouts, "He knows my name! He knows my name" and, in his excitement, his front bumper falls off. Later, when he is unable to gain access to the tie-breaker race and Mario Andretti (who would be waved through the gate on sight as a celebrity) likewise reads his license plate, Fred says, "Mario Andretti knows my name! You gotta let me in now!" He is seen again in the end credits spinning around in a circle with rust falling out from under him. When he stops, his front bumper falls off again. He also shows up in Mater National and Race-O-Rama.
TJ Hummer
TJ Hummer is a vain Hummer H2 that Sarge teaches in his boot camp during the end of the movie. Unlike the other SUVs in the boot camp, TJ refuses to go off road, fearing that he will get dirt on his rims, but Sarge forces him to do so. His name may be a play on the action character T.J. Hooker.
Sven "The Governator"
Sven "The Governator" (based on and voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a Hummer. His only line is "Lightning McQueen must be found at all costs!" The name and vehicle refers to Schwarzenegger's then-current position as California governor, the first three Terminator films he starred on, and the fact that he was one of the first Hummer H1 owners. He is voiced by Schwarzenegger (uncredited).
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a 2006 Ferrari F430 sports car voiced by Schumacher himself. He is a Ferrari in reference to his recent championships with Ferrari F1. He appears at Luigi's shop at the end of the movie after being told by Lightning McQueen that "this is the best place in the world to buy tires", and asks to order a few sets of tires for himself and a pair of Maserati Quattroportes who accompany him. After Luigi faints from the excitement of having "a real Michael Schumacher Ferrari in his store", Schumacher speaks to Guido in Italian, and Guido subsequently faints. The Italian phrase he speaks is, "I hope that your friend recovers, I was told that you are fantastic."
Jerry Recycled Batteries
Jerry (voiced by Joe Ranft) is a 1979 Peterbilt 352 that Lightning McQueen mistook for Mack. He has the words "Recycled Batteries" on his side.
Bessie
Bessie is a tarmac laying machine that is used to fix roads. When Lightning McQueen accidentally destroys the road with the statue of Stanley, the residents of Radiator Springs sentence him to fix the road with her. She is later seen at the end of the movie when the Delinquent Road Hazards have to fix the road with her as punishment for speeding. Sometimes Bessie boils over and splats tar onto the car(s) pulling her. Bessie is a "non-living" vehicle, it cannot move by itself, and it has no voice actor in the film.
Other racecars
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8, is a Piston Cup racecar, and is voiced by the NASCAR driver, closely resembling his No.8 NASCAR car which was driven until 2008, with the exception that the Budweiser stickers were replaced by Dale Earnhardt Inc. stickers to avoid advertising beer in the first film. He has one friend named the King. He is a 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo stock car. Junior was first seen in the race at the beginning of the first film where he was approaching the track and is later seen in the pits. He was seen again during the "McQueen's Missing" scene saying that he hoped that Lightning was okay, then at the tie-breaker Junior is seen wishing The King good luck in his last race. Junior was last seen at the Radiator Springs racing museum with The King and his wife Lynda, admitting to being amazed by Doc Hudson's many season winnings during the 1950s. Dale Jr. doesn't appear in the video game.
Mario Andretti #11
Mario Andretti voices his eponymous character, who is a former racecar that believes every day is a great day for racing. He is based on the 1967 Holman Moody Ford Fairlane that the real Andretti drove to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500. In the Spanish edition of the movie, Andretti is voiced by Formula One champion, Fernando Alonso.
Cars 2
New characters currently seen in Cars 2 are:
Finn McMissile
Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine) is a British secret agent who recruits Mater, whom he mistakes for a cleverly disguised American agent, to help in his mission. Finn McMissile is a master British spy. Though charming and eloquent, it’s his stealth maneuvering, intelligence and years in the field that enable him to thwart unexpected attacks from bad guys, making quick daredevil escapes. Finn’s design is sleek and timeless, but he’s also prepared for any tricky situation with an arsenal of ultra-cool gadgets and weaponry, including front and rear grappling hooks, a missile launcher, deployable magnetic explosives and a holographic disguise emitter. As a seasoned professional in the game of international espionage, Finn believes there is a conspiracy brewing during the World Grand Prix. His clandestine work surrounding the global exhibition race puts him on a collision course with Mater. Caine depicted his character Finn based on his previous role Harry Palmer from the The IPCRESS File and its sequels.
Originally, Finn was supposed to appear in the first Cars movie. In a sequence that never went beyond the storyboarding stage, Lightning and Sally visited a drive-in theater where a James Bond-type film about a superspy car named Finn McMissile was playing.[13] The design of Finn is inspired by several cars, the roofline and doors of the Volvo P1800 (possibly inspired by Roger Moore's ownership of one while filming The Saint TV espionage series in the early 1960s), the grill and fenders of the BMW 507, and some minor elements of the iconic James Bond Aston Martin DB5. The look of the car has been slightly modified; Finn has a different grill that looks like a suave mustache, but like Bond, he does have plenty of gadgets.[14] His small tailfins were inspired by a 1958 British sports car called the Peerless—one of the few British cars with fins.[15] He is outfitted with a plethora of gadgets, including: two (Front) bumperette grappling hooks, a left headlight spy camera, a right headlight missile launcher, side mirror digital read-outs, a deployable glass cutter, front wheel hub magnetic explosives launcher; (side) side vent deployable machine guns, (rear) wheel hub deployable surveillance probes, rear bumperette grappling hooks, a rear turn signal oil blaster, an undercarriage mounted quad harpoon gun, a hydrofoil for oversea travel, a roof-deployed holographic disguise emitter, and submarine-mode for underwater escapes.[15] Finn made a cameo in Toy Story 3 on a poster in Andy's room. His license plate is 314 FMCM, which includes a reference to his initials. The number 314 indicates Caine's birthday, March 14, 1933.
His belief about the World Grand Prix turns out to be true, as it was all just a setup by Miles Axlerod to make alternate fuel seem dangerous and make cars run on his own fuel (which Finn encountered earlier on in the film) with no choice.
Holley Shiftwell
Holley Shiftwell (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is a British spy-in-training who aids Finn McMissile in his mission. She is Mater's love interest in the film. Holley Shiftwell is a beautiful young British desk agent, turned spy-in-training who’s stationed in Tokyo. Well-educated and sharp, she knows every trick in the book—or rather, she relies on every trick in the spy manual. She’s armed with the latest state-of-the-art spy equipment imaginable, from hidden cameras and concealed weapons to a telescoping utility arm and a holographic pop-up display. Holley is a highly motivated agent, but is fresh out of the academy, so her experience is based on lessons learned in school rather than real-life situations. When seasoned international spy Finn McMissile requires Holley’s technical expertise for his latest top-secret field operation, she finds herself pursuing a rendezvous with the most unlikely candidate—Mater, an innocent caught up in the intrigue, who is mesmerized by the beauty of his newest friend.
Holley's name is a reference to Holley Performance Products, Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance carburetors and fuel systems located in Bowling Green, KY. Her design has a close resemblance to the Jaguar XJR-15. Her license plate is HS1201, which includes her initials. The number 1201 is Emily Mortimer's birthday (December 1). Holley is equipped with gadgets including: (front) projection lamps above headlights that emit a heads-up display, headlight cameras; a (side) right wheel concealed gun and a electro-shock device, a telescoping utility arm, (undercarriage) mounted dual trackball platforms for controlling the heads-up display, and retractable wings for flight.[15]
Siddeley
Siddeley (voiced by Jason Isaacs) is a state-of-the-art British twin-engine spy jet. He is 176 feet long with a 157-foot wingspan and is shown to reach record-breaking mach 1 speeds. Outfitted with all the latest in high-tech spy equipment, including cloaking technology, defensive weaponry and afterburners, Siddeley is Finn’s steadfast partner-in-fighting-crime around the globe. His tail has A113 painted on it, a recurring gag in the Pixar films.[16] His name is a reference to the British aerospace company, Hawker Siddeley.
Rod “Torque” Redline
Rod “Torque” Redline (voiced by Bruce Campbell) is considered by many as the greatest American spy in the world. Recruited after the Cold War for both his brains and brawn, Torque is a tough-as-nails Detroit muscle car with a mastery of disguises. In his latest deep-cover operation, he obtained vital information about the plot to sabotage the World Grand Prix. So Rod plans a rendezvous with his British counterparts to share his discoveries at the World Grand Prix welcome reception in Tokyo, Japan. But with the bad guys hot on his tailpipe, Rod is forced to ditch the intel early and with the first party guest he sees – a rusty American tow truck named Mater. He is later captured and killed. Torque is a visual portmanteau of a Dodge Challenger and a Ford Mustang. His license plate reads "M1911A1," a reference to the handgun used historically by the United States Armed Forces.
Professor Zündapp
Professor Zündapp (voiced by Thomas Kretschmann) is the secondary antagonist of the second film. He is an internationally wanted weapons designer in a small, sophisticated German package. He is a brilliant, but mad monocle-wearing scientist who is plotting to sabotage the World Grand Prix. Though his true motive is unclear, Professor Zündapp is willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate all obstacles and keep the “project” on schedule. He is modeled as a Zündapp Janus 750. As it turns during the climax of the film, Professor Zündapp is acutally working for Miles Axlerod, the sponsor of the World Grand Prix, whose plan was to turn the world against alternative energy and have all cars rely on gasoline, bringing profits to the lemon cars and himself due to the fact that they own the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. In order to do so, Professor Z invented an electro-magnetic pulse weapon, disguised as a World Grand Prix camera, to use on the racers that used Allinol. He eventually implanted a bomb on Mater as a backup plan, but he was then captured and arrested by Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. He was ordered to deactivate the bomb, but he then revealed that this could only be done by the person who activated the bomb, who turns out to be Axlerod. He is currently in prison.
Grem
Grem (voiced by Joe Mantegna) is a dented, rusty orange AMC Gremlin. After years of being dismissed for his design, even being called a "lemon," Grem has a big chip on his fender that has led him to the underworld of international espionage. As a henchman for a villainous boss Professor Zündapp, Grem and his partner-in-crime Acer are trying to sabotage the World Grand Prix and the famous race cars competing in it. When Grem and Acer mistake Mater for an American agent with important top-secret information, the ruthless lemons set out on a round-the-globe chase to stop Mater from foiling their evil scheme.
Acer
Acer (voiced by Peter Jacobson) has always felt like an outcast in the car world. The beat-up green AMC Pacer joined forces with fellow “lemon” cars as henchmen for the devious Professor Zündapp, whose clandestine mission is to wreak havoc at the highly visible World Grand Prix. Acer must hunt down the American and British secret agents who've stolen crucial information about Professor Zündapp's underhanded plot—his primary target just happens to be Mater, who’s been mistaken for a spy. Acer tries very hard to be a tough guy, but he’s over-eager compared to his no-nonsense accomplice Grem.
Miles Axlerod
Sir Miles Axlerod (voiced by Eddie Izzard) is the main antagonist of the second film. He is a former oil baron who has sold off his fortune, converted himself into an electric vehicle and has devoted his life to finding the renewable, clean-burning energy source of the future—ultimately discovering what he believes is the fuel everyone should be using. Axlerod is also the car responsible for creating the World Grand Prix, a three-country race that attracts the world's top racecars—but it's really an excuse to show off his new wonder-fuel, Allinol. Though at first Professor Zündapp appears to be the villain (as he wants to sabotage the World Grand Prix), Axlerod ultimately turns out to be the real villain at the climax of the movie. It turns out that he actually hates alternative energy and still owns the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. His supposed "alternative fuel" is actually gasoline engineered to ignite if hit with electro-magnetic pulses from weapons disguised as World Grand Prix cameras. Axelrod's false persona as an electric vehicle, his alternative fuel, and the World Grand Prix were all parts of a conspiracy plot Axelrod formulated to turn all vehicles in the world against alternative energy and have them rely on gasoline, bringing profits to the lemons and himself. As the plans in Japan and Italy are working well, Axlerod attempts to suspend the use of Allinol in the final race in England to go on with his plans, but McQueen decides to remain using it. Axelrod, using his robot disguise, orders Professor Zündapp and the lemon cars to kill McQueen in the final race. Fortunately, it turns out that the Allinol McQueen's using was replaced by Fillmore's organic fuel mixture to prevent the radiation from killing him. Eventually, Axelrod arranges for Zündapp and the lemon cars to implant a bomb on Mater's air filter as a backup plan to kill McQueen. Mater later discovers that the story about the conspiracy after helping McMissile and Shiftwell arrest Zündapp and the lemon cars, and confronts Axlerod for it, and his suspicions are confirmed when he forces Axelrod into deactivating the bomb with a voice command in order to prevent from killing himself. To proceed further, Mater opens Axelrod's trunk, revealing the same engine of the unseen mastermind depicted in the photo, which Finn and Holley got hold from their American counterpart earlier, proving to be a perfect match. It is not told what happened to Axelrod after being exposed of his criminal plot, but it can be implied in the end of the movie, that he gets arrested on the charges of conspiracy to crime, murder, and embezzlement.
Francesco Bernoulli
Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro) grew up in the shadow of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy where he and his friends would sneak onto the track and race the famous banking on the circuit (in real life, last raced in 1967). He was an instant winner on the amateur circuit and soon became an international Formula Racer champion. The ladies love Francesco’s open wheels, youngsters look up to his winning spirit and fellow racers envy his speed. But Francesco’s biggest fan is Francesco himself, as evidenced by his racing number. As the most famous race car in Europe, No.1 Francesco is a favorite to win the World Grand Prix, which also makes him Lightning McQueen’s chief rival. Francesco often refers to himself in the third person.
The Queen
The Queen (voiced by Vanessa Redgrave) is a Rolls Royce car who is watching the race from her palace. She later knights Mater for his bravery in foiling Axlerod's plot. Despite this, when the bomb was deactivated, it stated "Thank you, Sir Axlerod", implying that the Queen herself knighted Axlerod before she knew about his evil plan.
Crabby the Boat
Crabby the Boat (voiced by Sig Hansen) is a Fishing vessel that is based on the F/V Northwestern. Crabby is painted and designed like the Northwestern. He is seen in the beginning of the film with Finn McMissile aboard him. As said by Crabby himself, Finn has paid him to take him to the ocean, but Finn is there to look for a car. Crabby is then pulled over by Tony Trihull, who tells Crabby to turn around. Crabby resists at first, but as soon as the Tony takes out a his missile launcher Crabby has no choice but to leave. Crabby then apologizes to Finn, saying that it's the end of the line here. But Crabby doesn't know that Finn has hitched on to Tony, leaving Crabby to call for Finn, as he refers to him as "Buddy?". Crabby then exits.
Tony Trihull
Tony Trihull (voiced by Lloyd Sherr) is a large military ship working for Professor Zündapp, serving as a minor antagonist in the second film. He first appears in the beginning when he notices Crabby and Finn in the oil reserve, odering Crabby to leave. Of course, Crabby refuses, prompting Tony to threaten him with a lazer gun. As a result, Crabby leaves, but Finn hitches a ride on the back of Tony. He appears near the end when Professor Z tries to get on him and escape, but fails and Tony is doomed to float away. He also appears sometime in the middle before the England race of the World Grand Prix, where some of the lemons climb off of him and head to Big Bentley, where they aim the camera/gun at several race cars to make them crash (as part of an evil plan to discredit all alternate fuel sources so that all vehicles would have no choice but to run on the fuel from the giant oil reserves).
World Grand Prix Announcers
Brent Mustangburger
Brent Mustangburger, an excitable 1964½ Ford Mustang in traditional racing blue, is an American sports broadcasting icon; widely considered one of the most recognizable voices in the history of automobile sports television and associated with some of the most memorable moments in modern sports. His character is based on the real life ESPN/ABC sportscaster Brent Musburger, who provides the character's voice.
David Hobbscap
David Hobbscap, a handsome British racing green 1963 Jaguar Coombs Lightweight E-Type, is a worldwide racing luminary originally from Royal Leamington Spa, England. His 30-year career in professional racing spans the globe and all types of motorsports. Now David shares that priceless knowledge as an announcer, where he’s also well known for providing comic relief during race broadcasts. A former champion with 20 starts at the 24 Heures du Mans, his storytelling comes from personal experience. Anything but your ordinary television sportscaster, David can’t wait to enlighten and entertain the World Grand Prix audiences. His character is based on the real life former British racing driver and current Speed Channel commentator David Hobbs, who provides the character's voice.
References
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