The plot will be inspired by Rocky III
A retired Lightning will be goaded into racing by Jackson Storm. Lightning's injury as seen in the trailer will occur and he will become reclusive and depressed. Cruz Ramirez will be revealed to have been sent by Chick Hicks, who wants Lightning to win against Storm. This film will be the darkest Pixar film yet
The trailer along shows McQueen brutally crashing, and i'm not sure if he'll live. Methinks McQueen dies at the end. Lighting McQueen will be disrespected by New Generation Racers
Even though Lighting McQueen is now a veteran racer, most of the new generation racers especially Jackson Storm will see him as a washed-up racer and doesn't respected him. It does help that the plot synopsis say Lighting McQueen and other veteran racers are being pushed out by new and younger racers.- Confirmed.
This movie will get a PG-Rating
Unlike the first two Cars movie which got G-Rating. This one will get PG-Rating considered the dark tone of it. It doesn't help that most of kids who watched the teaser trailer of Cars 3 were both crying and scared when they see Lighting get a severe car crash. That sequence ISN'T so G-Rating!- Jossed. It is rated G, somehow.
This movie will be a Pixar first and will be rated PG-13
Because with the "What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?" response to the trailer and reports of families being greatly upset by the Darker and Edgier tone it presented, they might as well go all the way to establish that this movie will be one of the most intense the company has ever put out—and having such a rating would do just that.- Jossed. It is rated G.
Lighting McQueen will try to get back in a race that Doc Hudson was unable to do
Doc Hudson didn't attempt to return to the race after being told he is history! Lighting didn't want to end up like Doc and want to come back to the race!- Confirmed, McQueen does return after his crash.
Finn McMissile, Holley Shiftwell, and the rest of Cars 2 will not make an appearance but will mentioned in passing on occasion
Despite the fact that Cars 3 takes place chronologically after Cars 2 the events that happened either won't be brought up, or the more favorable option, be mentioned in passing. Holley and Finn aren't really needed for this type of plot so Mater in his ramblings will mention how Finn and Holley are on some sort of mission and can't make it to the ending.- The "non-appearing part" is Confirmed. The only returning character introduced in Cars 2 is Jeff Gorvette, in a cameo.
Lightning will survive the accident.
Come on, he's the star of a kid's film! You really think they're gonna kill off that cash cow? However, he will not be able to race again and will have to learn to live with that and/or perhaps train a rookie race car.- The premise already confirms that this is the case.
- Confirmed
- Confirmed, it's mostly a light-hearted comedy.
Cruz will have a one-side crush on Lightning.
In addition to the surprising mature tone of the trailers and where the story is going Cars 3 will new role for their female lead. With both Lightning and Mater being with their respective love interests (if Holley and the events of Cars 2 will be acknowledged) than the reasonable shipping assumption would to the only other character that has a major role: Jackson Storm.- Jossed. Their relationship is strictly teacher-student, without any hint of romantic.
...Or not based on what we know of Cruz now. Described as having "stars in her eyes" when she'll first meet Lightning at the Rusteze Racing Center and having been a long time fan of him, it can be assumed that she might have a crush on him, with Lightning being either Oblivious to Love or politely lets her know that he cares about her as Just Friends. Possibly also develops as being Like Brother and Sister or even Lightning almost as a Parental Substitute for Cruz.
By the end, while unrequited they still have developed a close bond.
- Sort of Confirmed. They do become close friends
Storm will have a Heel–Face Turn when Lightning beats him
He will learn humility and respect for his elders similarly to Lightning's Character Development in the original film.- Jossed. Lightning never beats Storm on screen, and the consequences of him losing to another #95 car aren't explored.
Cars 3 will be about Lighting McQueen trying to keep up with younger, sleeker race cars, only to suffer a Career-Ending Injury (the notorious crash from the teaser) and be forced to retire.
Much like his mentor Doc Hudson, the experience will leave McQueen bitter for a while, but hopefully his friends in Radiator Springs will see him through these tough times and help him adjust to life after his racing career.- Jossed. Cruz Ramirez will attempt to train McQueen back into shape after his initial injury.
Chick will come back in Cars 3.
Whether it be The Cameo, or as an important character.- Confirmed. Chick is now a racing talk show host.
Cars 3 will begin with "I... was speed."
It'd make an interesting Call-Back, to say the least. The crash in the teaser won't really happen in the movie.
It might just be a nightmare showing McQueen's concerns about the upcoming race.- Jossed. A clip released by Lasseter shows that McQueen will crash at some point in the film. Though the scene takes place at night rather than on a grey day like the teaser.
McQueen won't be allowed to return into legal racing and he will go into street racing scene.
In this case one certain BMW M3 GTR can make brief cameo appearance.- Jossed. Though he does take part in other racing series.
Cruz will crash in the end of the film
A Cruz Ramirez toy was included in the Race and 'Reck lineup, so this may be a case of Spoiled by the Merchandise. Sterling will be a Corrupt Corporate Executive
I mean, he wants to make money and he's in a kids' movie. It's also not the first time Nathan Fillion played a Pixar villain.- Seems jossed. One of the Tv spots show that Sterling will introduce Cruz to McQueen.
- If anything, Sterling looks more like a Honest Corporate Executive.
- Actually Confirmed by how he reacts in the ending to Lightning sharing the win - but then he ends up having the company brought out by Tex and most likely fired.
- If anything, Sterling looks more like a Honest Corporate Executive.
Lightning McQueen gets Drunk Later on
Not when he was racing, but later. After the crash, Lightning McQueen was sent in a downward spiral of sadness and spends all of his time crying in the Cozy Cone Accommodation from the first movie. One day, McQueen meets a truck named Smokey. Smokey promises to fix him, but is really bringing him in his carriage house to get him drunk on Junior Moon's moonshine. Lightning loves it, but it turns out handmade oil is illegal in America, so McQueen sells and drinks it illegally, living a life of crime. Ponchy Wipeout gets infected by the vocal cord parasites
Officially with blue eyelids
, an early revision
of his diecast had them colored black. Perhaps he gets burned alive in a wreck, and becomes the only non-next generation racer because he was saved by the parasite? McQueen's Crash is Off Screen in the Film
Explaining the Trailer Joke Decay and G Rating. McQueen WILL Die in the End
Lightning McQueen and Sally Carrera will get Happily Married at the end.
They've been in love for like 2 films and several shorts already. Also, one of the confirmed soundtracks will be "Freeway of Love". So, it's possible that this might happen.- Judging by their behavior, they seem to have married offscreen during the Time Skip.
- Jossed, since nothing really romantic happened and it was confirmed by Word of God that they're still dating.
Cars 2 was Mater's Tall Tales: The Movie, and the events never actually happened canonically
The events of this movie are never referenced in Cars 3, and Mater is Demoted to Extra. Might as well be the case.- Although Mater does watch all of the races, just as Lightning had promised in Cars 2.
Storm was not lying or being sarcastic when he said that Lightning was a role model to him.
He either Took a Level in Jerkass or looked up to McQueen before he lived in Radiator Springs (seeing that Storm's personality is uncannily similar to Lightning's in the first film, one could interpret that he "based himself" on Lightning). Jackson Storm, Chick Hicks and Sterling will join forces in the next movie.
After being shamed into selling Rust-eze to Dinoco, Sterling will seek revenge by sponsoring Jackson and hiring Chick to become Jackson's pit chief just like Lightning is Cruz's. The film is one big commentary on the current state of NASCAR.
The new generation of racers represents several things: one, the younger drivers such as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson taking over for veterans such as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Carl Edwards, not to mention how many of them tend to be self-absorbed jerks, and two, the cars themselves, as the current cars used in NASCAR are hardly stock at all, use alot of technology such as electronic fuel injection as opposed to carburators, and digital dashboards, and the wing used on the Car of Tomorrow from 2007-2010 before it was removed for rendering the roof flaps useless and causing cars to go airborne. Cars 4 will have Cruz as the protagonist
As she tries to live up to the legacy of Lightning, basically her version of Cars 1. And Jackson Storm will be her equivalent of Chick Hicks, The King or both. After end of the movie, karma finally catched up to Chick Hicks.
The audience got sick of Chick constantly badmouthing Lightning (and Cruz, since Chick started to badmouthing her due to being Lightning apprentice) during his violent crash and even after he and Cruz won the Florida 500, which lead to his talk show losing viewers and ultimately getting cancelled. At the end of the day, Lightning and Cruz still have their love for racing and place and people they can call home and family, but all Chick has is nothing except for his petty rivalry with Lightning and the bitter truth he's just a sad, strange little man (or car).