History WesternAnimation / Cars2

HotPaintJob: Lightning, courtesy of Ramone, gains a rather flashy one for the World Grand Prix, complete with a raised spoiler and actual working lights.

* BlandNameProduct: Even though most of the cars are referred to by their real model names (even the lemons), Hugo is an exception. Whoever owns the Yugo trademark doesn't have a sense of humor.

* ActorAllusion: This is not the first time Creator/BruceCampbell appear in a [[Film/TheLoveBug Disney film featuring sentient cars]].

* GoryDiscretionShot: Rod’s explosion to death is only shown barely as a reflection in the photo of he and Mater in the bathroom.

* BilingualBonus: After the Japanese bartender dishes out a big glob of wasabi which Mater mistakes for pistachio ice cream, he backs up and delivers the line "okuyami moshiagarimasu", which translates to something along the lines of "You have my condolences". Averted on the DVD release, which features a default subtitle track that is just the bartender's line, translated as "My condolences."

* NeverTrustATrailer: Most of the film's trailers and marketing indicated that Finn would mistake both Mater and Lightning for secret and rope them into the mission, and some promotional screencaps show Lightning and Finn interacting in scenes where only one of them is present in the finished product [[note]]Most notably, one shows [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/9/9c/Cars2_FinnMaterLightningMcQueen.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140322140921 Finn leading McQueen and Mater in their tour around Tokyo]] and another shows [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/d/d6/Disney-Cars-2-Wallpaper.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150806193700 McQueen driving alongside Mater and Finn during the tarmac chase]][[/note]]. [=McQueen=] and the other Radiator Springs residents are not involved or aware of the spy storyline for the bulk of the film, and Mater is only mistaken for a secret agent because the real agent plants the MacGuffin on him.
-->'''Finn:'' [[MissingTrailerScene These Americans are clearly master spies.]]

* [[BreatherEpisode Breather Movie]]: This movie serves as one for the threequel, which will come out six years later and it’s where Lightning’s racing starts to go downhill.

* BusCrash: It's mentioned that Doc Hudson passed away sometime between ''Cars'' and ''Cars 2''. This is because Paul Newman died two years after making the first film.

*** The Spanish release features Formula One racer Fernando Alonso as himself and uses an Spanish sports broadcaster as one of the race announcers.

* CarsWithoutTiresAreTrains: One of the activities that Mater drags Lightning into in the beginning of the movie is driving on abandoned railroad tracks without tires. Of course, subverted, as RealityEnsues with Lightning and being unable to get traction on the rails.

* ChekhovsSkill: Mater's ability to recognize old and obscure engine parts at a glance. Sadly [[RedHerring averted]] with the ''Series/{{Jackass}}''-worthy stunts Mater puts [=McQueen=] through at the beginning.

* ConcealmentEqualsCover: subverted: when [[spoiler:Mater]]'s captors overturn a table and take cover behind it, it gets absolutely ''shredded'' by the Gatling guns - they only have to thank their luck that [[spoiler:Mater]] doesn't know what he's doing and shooting way high.
* ContinuityNod: When Mater talks to Francesco on the talk show, he explains that [=McQueen=] wants to rest after having completing the latest racing season because he's learned to slow down and enjoy life -- which was the {{Aesop}} of the first film.

* CoolBoat: The boats with Lemon cars have are based of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_class_littoral_combat_ship Independence-class littoral combat ship]].

* EspionageTropes: Lots.

** When Lightning [=McQueen=] and his pit crew arrive at Tokyo, Japan to meet Miles Axlerod, while they are all talking to Axlerod Sarge is frowning while everyone else is smiling, suggesting that he is thinking that Axlerod is up to no good. [[spoiler: Guess who's actually right!]]

* FurryConfusion: The first film had Volkswagon Beetles only appear as literal bugs. However, this one has "human" VW Beetles.

** By Holley when she somehow manages to hack into Mater's headset and tells him to leave the pits so he can help Finn.
** By Holley again as she tries to tell a disguised Mater to abort the mission in Porto Corsa after Axelrod announces the final race is cancelled.

** Axlerod sponsors the World Grand Prix to promote his alternative fuel, Allinol. Subverted when [[spoiler:It's actually regular gasoline, and he's sabotaging his own race to discredit all alternative fuels]].

* GroundByGears: Around the climax of the movie, Finn and Holly are tied to the giant clock gears of the Big Bentley by the bad guys, with them edging closer to being crushed by another gear each minute. Holly manages to save themselves by making the clock run in reverse.

* HotPaintJob: Lightning, courtesy of Ramone, gains a rather flashy one for the World Grand Prix, complete with a raised spoiler and actual working lights.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Miles Axlerod, who promotes Allinol as the future of fuels, claiming that it will make fossil fuels like gasoline obsolete, leaks oil and frames Mater for the leak at the Tokyo party, only for the racers to discover that Allinol is nothing more than regular gasoline which causes engines to blow up when hit with an electromagnetic pulse laser as a ploy to discredit alternative fuels.

* MidairCollision: Another Pixar example would be the scene where Mater and Finn [=McMissile=] are both attempting to flee from Grem and Acer at Tokyo Airport, and in the process one of [=McMissile's=] projectiles collides with those of the villains.

** The look on the two thug cars who get diverted into a pub, and then breaks the table where the patrons were enjoying their beer. The patrons are not pleased about that...

* StrappedToABomb: Mater's filter is replaced by a bomb as a contingency plan to kill Lightning [=McQueen=]. [[spoiler:He later uses it to coerce a confession from the BigBad]].

* TalkingYourWayOut: When he's surrounded by the Lemons' {{Mooks}}, Mater tries to invoke this by sympathizing with them as outcasts and laughingstocks. [[spoiler:It doesn't work]].

* CulturalTranslation: Some foreign releases had minor World Grand Prix race cars replaced with cars representing their own countries. Australia has Frosty Winterbumper, Russia has Vitaly Petrov, China has Long Ge

* AllThereInTheManual: The salescar with eyes in her headlights that Mater encounters in Paris is named Celine Dephare.

* BigNo: Rod screams one just before the Lemons make him burn to death.

* DemotedToExtra: Most of the original cast. All the Radiator Springs residents who aren't part of Lightning's pit crew (including Sally) only show up at the beginning and in the third act.

* CoversAlwaysLie: On the poster for this film, Lightning [=McQueen=] is in the centre, making him the hero. In this film, the real hero is Mater. Averted with the Blu-Ray + Digital release, which solely features Mater on the cover.

* OddballInTheSeries: This is the only movie so far where racing is not the CentralTheme, and someone other than Lightning is the main focus.

* DemotedToExtra: Most of the original cast.

* [[TooImportantToWalk Too Important To Drive]]: One of the high-ranking Lemons has a tow-truck Mook drag him around, which Mater replaces to infiltrate the Lemons' meeting.