World of Cars

"Life is a highway, a spy mission, and the finish line."

- The film's tagline

World of Cars (also known as Cars Origins: Lightning McQueen outside North America) is a 2020 animated road-comedy and spy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. It is an installment of the Disney Reborn Multiverse. Distributed by Disney+, it features an ensemble voice cast that includes Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Armie Hammer, Cristela Alonzo, Katherine Helmond, Tony Shalhoub, Paul Dooley, George Carlin, Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Michael Wallis, Eddie Izzard, Thomas Kretschmann, Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, Lea DeLaria, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Guido Quaroni, Jerome Ranft, with John Turturro and Chris Cooper, as well as cameos provided by dozens of NASCAR personalities and other celebrities.

Development on World of Cars began in late 2017 after the release of Cars 3 and by March 2019, pre-production on the film was underway. Wallis confirmed that the film would involve somewhere in Route 69.

It was released on February 1, 2020, receiving positive to mixed reviews from critics, who praised John Lasseter and Brian Fee's directions, the emotional weight of the story, and the voice talent performances (particularly Wilson, Hunt and Helmond), but criticism for its animation, long duration, and as well as the inclusion of Cars 2. The film is dedicated to the memories of Helmond, who died in February 2019, and former racing driver Junior Johnson, who died in December 2019.

Synopsis
Disney+ presents a whole new world populated entirely by anthropomorphic talking cars and other vehicles. Piston Cup champion Lightning McQueen finds himself in Radiator Springs, learning that life is more important than crossing the finish line. After racing for six years as a veteran, McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of high tech race cars that he is still the best race car in the world. McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater accidentally becomes sidetracked with international espionage.

Plot
In a world populated by anthropomorphic talking vehicles, the final race of the 2005 Piston Cup season ends in a three-way tie between retiring veteran Strip "The King" Weathers, frequent runner-up Chick Hicks, and brash rookie sensation Lightning McQueen; the tiebreaker race is scheduled for one week later at the Los Angeles International Speedway. Lightning is desperate to win the race, not only to be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, but also because it would allow him to leave the unglamorous sponsorship of Rust-Eze, a bumper ointment company, and take The King's place on the prestigious and lucrative Dinoco team. Eager to get to California as soon as possible, he pushes his big rig, Mack, to travel all night long. While Lightning is sleeping, Mack nods off and is startled awake, causing Lightning to fall out the back of the trailer and onto the road. Lightning wakes up in the middle of traffic and speeds off the highway in search of Mack, but instead ends up in the rundown desert town of Radiator Springs, where he inadvertently damages the pavement of the main road.

The next day, Lightning is ordered by the town judge, Doc Hudson, to leave town immediately, but the local lawyer, Sally, requests that Lightning should instead be assigned community service to repave the road, to which Doc reluctantly agrees. Still in a rush to leave town, Lightning repaves the road shoddily, and is ordered to repave it again. During this time, he begins to warm to the town, and befriends several of its residents. He learns that Radiator Springs was once a popular stop along U.S. Route 66 until it was bypassed with the construction of the Interstate System and mostly forgotten, and that Doc was a famous three-time Piston Cup winner whose career ended prematurely from a serious crash. He bonds with Sally, who found happiness when she gave up a fast life in LA to live in Radiator Springs, and now dreams of putting the town back on the map. Lightning finishes repaving the road, reinvigorating the town's residents, and decides to spend an extra day in Radiator Springs with his new friends, but his time there is cut short when Mack and the media descend on the town. Lightning reluctantly leaves to reach California in time for the race while Sally chastises Doc upon discovering that he was responsible for tipping off the media to Lightning's whereabouts.

At the race, Lightning races distractedly and soon falls into last place. He is then surprised to discover that Doc, having a change of heart, has taken over as his crew chief and several of his other friends from Radiator Springs are helping in the pit. Inspired and recalling tricks he learned from Doc and his friends, Lightning quickly emerges to lead the race into the final laps, but at the last minute, Chick, refusing to lose to The King again, sideswipes and sends The King into a dangerous crash. Recalling Doc's fate, Lightning stops just short of the finish line, allowing Chick to win, and drives back to push The King over the finish line. As a result, the angered crowd and media condemn Chick's victory while also praising Lightning's sportsmanship. Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship, but declines and insists on staying with Rust-Eze out of loyalty for their past support. Back at Radiator Springs, Lightning reunites with Sally and announces that he will be setting up his racing headquarters there, putting Radiator Springs back on the map.

Finn McMissile, a British spy, infiltrates an oil rig owned by a group of lemon cars to rescue a fellow spy. He witnesses the lemons, seemingly led by Professor Zündapp, load an electromagnetic pulse emitter, disguised as a camera onto a shipping crate. After finding out the agent he came to rescue is dead, he flees and fakes his death.

McQueen, now a four-time Piston Cup champion, returns to Radiator Springs. However, Italian formula race car, Francesco Bernoulli, challenges McQueen to race in the newly created World Grand Prix, led by its creator Sir Miles Axlerod, who intends to promote his new environmentally friendly fuel, Allinol. McQueen and Mater — along with Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, and Sarge — depart for Tokyo for the first race of the Grand Prix.

At a World Grand Prix promotional event, Mater makes a scene after leaking oil and eating a bowl of Wasabi, angering McQueen. While cleaning up, Mater interrupts a fight between American spy Rod "Torque" Redline (whom McMissile and his new partner Holley Shiftwell attempt to meet) and lemons Grem and Acer. Redline passes his information to Mater, whom Holley mistakes as a spy. Meanwhile, Redline is captured and killed by Professor Zündapp, who reveals that Allinol combusts when hit with an EMP pulse. Zündapp informs his superior, an unknown mastermind, that Redline passed on his information.

At the first race, three cars are ignited by the camera. McQueen places second in the race after Bernoulli, due to Mater accidentally giving him bad racing advice while evading Zündapp's henchmen with help from Holley and Finn. McQueen snaps at Mater, who is abducted by Finn while attempting to return to Radiator Springs. After traveling to Paris to collect more information from Finn's old friend Tomber, they travel to Porto Corsa, Italy, where the next race is being held. During the race, Mater infiltrates the criminals' meeting, just as the camera is used on a few more cars, causing a multi-car pileup, while McQueen finishes first. Due to increased fears over Allinol's safety, Axlerod lifts the requirement to use it for the final race. However, when McQueen decides to continue using it, the criminals plot to kill McQueen in the next race in London. This spooks Mater, causing him to blow his cover and allow him, Finn, and Holley to be captured.

Mater, Finn, and Holley are taken to and tied up inside Big Ben. Mater learns that the camera did not function on McQueen, but the criminals tell him they planted a bomb in his pits as a backup plan, spurring him to break free and escape. Finn and Holley escape soon after, but realize that the bomb is on Mater's air filter. Mater had already arrived at the pits when they tell him this, so he flees down the race course while McQueen chases after him. Finn apprehends Professor Zündapp while he attempts to escape. The other lemons arrive and outnumber Finn, Holley, Mater, and McQueen, but they are soon rescued by the arrival of the other Radiator Springs residents. Mater then uses evidence he has seen to reveal that Axlerod is the mastermind of the plot and the car who placed the bomb on Mater. Mater forces Axlerod to deactivate the bomb, and he and the other lemons are arrested.

Mater receives an honorary knighthood from the Queen, while Sarge reveals that he changed McQueen's fuel from Allinol (which, it turns out, is only gasoline) to Fillmore's organic biofuel, explaining why the camera did not work on him. Finn and Holley ask if Mater can join them on another mission, but he politely declines, and then participates with the World Grand Prix competitors in a race at Radiator Springs.

Throughout the 2016 Piston Cup season, McQueen, now a three-time Piston Cup champion after the recent death of Doc and the other veteran racers of the Piston Cup racing series suddenly find themselves struggling to win against next-generation rookies like Jackson Storm, who utilize advanced technology and modern training methods. As Storm's breakout success attracts other rookies to the series, most of the veterans either retire or are fired to make way for the new generation. In the final race of the season, McQueen desperately attempts to overtake Storm but loses control and suffers a violent crash, leaving him badly injured.

Four months later, McQueen is still recovering in Radiator Springs, isolating himself from his friends and spending his time watching footage of Doc. After receiving some encouragement from Sally, McQueen decides to return to racing and calls his sponsors from Rust-Eze, Rusty and Dusty, who reveal that they have sold the team to a new owner named Sterling. In a new state-of-the-art training center, Sterling assigns McQueen to train under racing trainer Cruz Ramirez. McQueen struggles to adapt to Cruz's modern methods and fails to improve, damaging an expensive simulator in the process, so Sterling tries to force him into retirement. McQueen offers a deal: if he can win the first race of the season, he can continue racing as long as he wants; otherwise, he will retire immediately. Sterling is worried about damaging McQueen's marketability, but accepts the deal, but assigns Cruz to join him.

McQueen tries to train on nearby Fireball Beach but ends up spending most of his time teaching Cruz how to drive on the sandy terrain. McQueen then attempts to join a race incognito at a famous dirt track called Thunder Hollow, but inadvertently enters a figure-8-style demolition derby with Cruz, which she wins. McQueen's identity is also discovered, adding to his humiliation. Distraught at the apparent waste of training time, McQueen rages at Cruz and in the process accidentally breaks her trophy. Cruz reveals that she had wanted to be a racer just like McQueen all her life, but never started a race due to her feeling intimidated and outclassed by the other racers. She resigns as McQueen's trainer and heads back to the training center.

Guilty and with no other options, McQueen calls his friend Mater for advice. He suggests that McQueen tracks down Doc's mentor Smokey, in Doc's hometown of Thomasville, so McQueen catches up to Cruz and convinces her to rejoin him. In Thomasville, McQueen meets up with Smokey, who reveals that despite the fact Doc never raced again, he found new happiness in training McQueen. After McQueen accepts that he will never be as fast as Storm, Smokey and his friends help McQueen learn new tricks to overcome his speed disadvantage, using Cruz as his sparring partner. However, during the final practice race, Cruz suddenly overtakes him and he suffers a flashback to his crash, shaking his confidence.

At the race in Florida, McQueen starts last, but with coaching from Smokey in the pits, manages to gradually push up the ranks. Sterling, who still believes McQueen can't win, orders Cruz back to the training center, despite her wanting to stay and watch the race. Overhearing the exchange and remembering Cruz's dream of racing, McQueen instead has his crew outfit her to take his place, which includes painting on her his #95. While shaky at first, Cruz is able to push up the ranks thanks to McQueen coaching her using a combination of what he taught her and her own training methods, and eventually ends up right behind Storm. Storm, feeling threatened, tries to intimidate Cruz, even to the point of ramming her against the wall in the final lap. Cruz, however, uses one of Doc's old tricks to outmaneuver him and wins the race.

As Cruz celebrates her victory, Sterling offers her a role on his team, but she instead takes a counteroffer from legendary owner Tex Dinoco. Sterling reminds McQueen about his bet, but as McQueen started the race that Cruz finished using the same number, he gets a share of the win, thus winning his bet. Sometime later, McQueen and Cruz return to Radiator Springs, where McQueen reveals that Tex, after seeing Sterling's callousness, has bought Rust-eze from him, and McQueen, now decked in Doc's racing colors, decides to continue racing and train Cruz.

Voice cast
A 1951 Hudson Hornet, who is later revealed to be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. A young Piston Cup rookie. A 2002 996-series Porsche 911 Carrera, who is McQueen's girlfriend. A 1951 International Harvester L-170 "boom" truck. A British spy car. A beautiful young British desk agent, new to field work, who is Mater's girlfriend. McQueen's new racing rival. A 2017 CRS Sports Coupe, who is Lightning McQueen's trainer. A 1923 Ford Model T, who is the widow of the late Stanley. An old train, who works on the Ornament Valley Railroad. A 1959 Fiat 500. A 1941 Willys model jeep, in the style used by the US Military. A 1960 VW Bus. Lloyd Sherr, who continued voicing Fillmore after Carlin's death, served as his double. A 1959 Chevrolet Impala Lowrider. A 1957 General Motors Motorama show car. A 1949 Mercury Club Coupe (police package). A British electric car, who created Allinol, and is the secret mastermind of the lemons. The doctor from Germany, who is Axlerod's assistant. A statistical analyst. A rich business car and the new Rust-eze team owner. An intimidating monster school bus at the Thunder Hollow demolition derby. A 1985 Mack Super-Liner. A generic 1980s stock car and McQueen's former racing rival. Screenwriter Bob Peterson served as a substitute for Keaton. McQueen's racing rival from Italy. Doc Hudson's former mechanic and crew chief.
 * Paul Newman as Doc Hudson (archival recordings)
 * Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen
 * Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera
 * Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater
 * Michael Caine as Finn McMissile
 * Emily Mortimer as Holley Shiftwell
 * Armie Hammer as Jackson Storm
 * Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez
 * Katherine Helmond as:
 * Lizzie
 * Galloping Geargrinder
 * Tony Shalhoub as Luigi
 * Paul Dooley as Sarge
 * George Carlin as Fillmore (archival recordings)
 * Cheech Marin as Ramone
 * Jenifer Lewis as Flo
 * Michael Wallis as Sheriff
 * Eddie Izzard as Sir Miles Axlerod
 * Thomas Kretschmann as Professor Zündapp
 * Kerry Washington as Natalie Certain
 * Nathan Fillion as Sterling
 * Lea DeLaria as Miss Fritter
 * John Ratzenberger as:
 * Mack
 * Hamm
 * The Abominable Snowplow
 * P.T. Flea
 * Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks
 * John Turturro as Francesco Bernoulli
 * Chris Cooper as Smokey
 * Guido Quaroni as Guido
 * Jerome Ranft as Red
 * Bob Peterson as Dr. Damage
 * Lloyd Sherr as Tony Trihull
 * Peter Jacobson as Acer
 * Joe Mantegna as Grem
 * Jeff Garlin as Otis
 * Isiah Whitlock Jr. as River Scott
 * Margo Martindale as Louise Nash
 * Junior Johnson as Junior "Midnight" Moon

Additionally, several other voice actors reprise their Cars roles: Mike Nelson as Not Chuck, Sarah Clark as Kori Turbowitz, Ray Magliozzi as Dusty Rust-eze, Lindsey Collins as Mia, Elissa Knight as Tia, Andrew Stanton as Fred, E.J. Holowicki as DJ, Jonas Rivera as Boost, Adrian Ochoa as Wingo, Lou Romano as Snot Rod, Sonoko Konishi as Chuki, Richard Kind as Van, Edie McClurg as Minny, Jason Isaacs as Siddeley and Leland Turbo, Sig Hansen as Crabby the Boat, Jeremy Maxwell as Arvy Motorhome, Jason Pace as Faregame, Andra Day as Sweet Tea, Bruce Campbell as Rod "Torque" Redline, Franco Nero as Uncle Topolino, Vanessa Redgrave as Mama Topolino, Michel Michelis as Tomber, Stanley Townsend as Vladimir Trunkov, Ivan and Victor Hugo, Patrick Walker as Mel Dorado, Velibor Topic as Alexander Hugo, John Mainier as J. Curby Gremlin, Angel Oquendo as Bobby Swift, Kathy Coates as Kathy Copter, Madeleine McGraw as Maddy McGear, Jan Rabson as T.J. Hummer, Jess Harnell as Chuck Armstrong, Jim Ward as Chief Chick, Rodger Bumpass as Wide Chick Pitty, AJ Riebli as Albert Hinkey, Diedrich Bader as Brick Yardley, Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi as Daisu Tsashimi, Michael Bell as Houser Boon, Bob Bergen as Dan Sclarkenberg, and Craig Good as Skip Ricter.

Numerous drivers and other racing-related personalities from NASCAR and other sports have cameos: Richard Petty as Strip "The King" Weathers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Junior #8, Bob Costas as Bob Cutlass, Darrell Waltrip as Darrell Cartrip, Artie Kempner as Artie, Douglas Keever as Doug R.M., Humpy Wheeler as Tex Dinoco, Brent Musburger as Brent Mustangburger, David Hobbs as David Hobbscap, Lewis Hamilton as Hamilton, Mario Andretti as Mr. Andretti #11, Michael Schumacher as Michael Schumacher Ferrari, Mark Winterbottom as Frosty Winterbumper, Colin Cowherd as Colin Cowling, Kyle Petty as Cal Weathers, Shannon Spake as Shannon Spokes, Darrell Wallace Jr. as Bubba Wheelhouse, Chase Elliott as Chase Racelott, Ryan Blaney as Ryan "Inside" Laney, Daniel Suárez as Daniel Swervez, Mike Joy as Mike Joyride, Jeff Gordon as Jeff Gorvette, and Ray Evernham as Ray Reverham. Donald Flock, a longtime partner of Keever, voices Larry Camper at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Leno cameo as Sven and Jay Limo during the montage of reports on Lightning McQueen's disappearance. Jerry Trainor returns to voice Todd Marcus, a retired Piston Cup racer for No Stall from Cars: Fast As Lightning. Elizabeth II and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge voice the Queen and Prince Wheeliam during Miles Axlerod's expose; Elizabeth II replaces Vanessa Redgrave from Cars 2. During the "Real Gone" opening scene, Sheryl Crow cameos as Elvis for the "Uh" line. Claudia Leitte voices Carla Veloso from the Cars 2 Brazilian-dubbed release, and Greg Ellis returns as Nigel Gearsley from Cars 2: The Video Game. Teresa Gallagher voices Mater's computer, and Jeremy Piven voice cameos as Harv, McQueen's unseen agent.

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Dave Foley reprise their vocal roles from previous Pixar films during an end-credits sequence featuring automobile spoofs of Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and A Bug's Life. Gary Clark Jr. and ZZ Ward provide unseen cameos as Roy Gauge and Ericka Dent, the main hosts of the Racing Sports Network media series. Director John Lasseter cameos as John Lassetire, Jeff Gorvette's crew chief, and co-directors Brian Fee and Brad Lewis cameo as Al Oft the Lightyear Blimp, and Tubbs Pacer, the leader of the Pacer family. Due to their confirmed deaths, archival recordings of John Cygan, Lynda Petty and Tom Magliozzi were used for Richard Clayton Kensington, Lynda Weathers and Rusty Rust-eze.

Production
Regarding a possible Cars 4, Cars 3 producers Kevin Reher and Andrea Warren stated speaking to Cinema Blend that "If there's a good story to tell, I mean, our heads kinda break after having gotten this one done, like "oh my ***" what could you do the further adventures of? But like any sequel, from Toy Story 4 to Incredibles 2, as long as there's a good story to tell it's worth investing, we do love these characters, we love them as much as the public does." Regarding which character would be the main protagonist in the film, Reher and Warren stated that "if Cruz is a breakout character, kind of like Mater was, she would be involved in a 4". Owen Wilson stated at a Cars 3 press event that possible stories have been discussed for a Cars 4, though he would personally like for a fourth Cars film to delve into aspects of the thriller genre, akin to Cars 2. In an interview with Screen Rant, Lea DeLaria expressed interest in reprising her role as Miss Fritter while promoting the release of the short film, Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool with the Cars 3 DVD and Blu-ray release.

The film was officially announced as World of Cars during the 2018 Comic-Con.

Post-production
Coming soon!

Casting
Much of the original cast are expected to reprise their roles from previous films.

On January 31, 2019, Gary Clark Jr. and ZZ Ward were announced to voice Roy Gauge and Ericka Dent from the Racing Sports Network media series.

Music
Randy Newman and Michael Giacchino are scheduled to compose the film's score since the first two films. Returning songs will include "Real Gone", "Life is a Highway", "Our Town", "Sh-Boom", "Route 66", "You Might Think", "Kings Highway", "Run That Race", and "Ride".

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 5 reviews and an average rating of 7.23/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 64 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Trivia

 * Tony Shalhoub and Cheech Marin have previously appeared as Misha and Ignacio in DreamWorks Pictures' Paulie from 1998.
 * Marin voiced Banzai the hyena in The Lion King film series and Kingdom Hearts II.
 * The voice cast includes many racing drivers and personalities across the world.
 * Since January 2018, an alternate version of the Tokyo race sequence from Cars 2 was released widespread on YouTube. This film will include that footage in full high-definition alongside a new score composed by Giacchino.
 * Several sound effects of reacting audiences from Wii Sports Resort are featured during the Los Angeles International Speedway, including Strip Weathers' big crash.
 * Bob Peterson voiced Mr. Ray in the Finding Nemo films, and currently Roz in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
 * Jeff Garlin voices Buttercup the unicorn in the Toy Story franchise, as well as the captain in WALL-E.
 * Rodger Bumpass currently voices Squidward Tentacles since 1999.
 * Owen Wilson portrayed "Jedediah", a miniature cowboy figure in the Night at the Museum trilogy.
 * Armie Hammer portrayed the Lone Ranger in the 2013 reboot of the same name.
 * Bonnie Hunt voiced numerous characters in Pixar movies: Rosie the black widow in A Bug's Life, Ms. Flint in Monsters, Inc., and Dolly in the Toy Story series.
 * From 2015 to 2019, Greg Ellis voiced Mzingo the vulture in The Lion Guard, as well as additional voices.
 * Arnold Schwarzenegger has portrayed T-800 in most of his Terminator appearances and cameos.
 * Teresa Gallagher currently voices Annie and Clarabel in Thomas & Friends.
 * The film marks as one of the final projects to be directed by John Lasseter shortly after he left Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios in 2018.
 * There are numerous adult jokes in the film:
 * During the first time Lightning has to repair the main road, and after Red the firetruck ignored him, Lighting gets upset and says: "I shouldn't have to put up with this! I'm a precision instrument of speed and aerodynamics!!" Then Mater gets confused and asks, "You hurt your whaaat??" He was probably referring to Lightning's crotch, as when Mater usually says "what" at the end or middle of asking a question, he usually is referring to anything inappropriate.
 * Lightning's racing sponsor is Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment: New Rear-End Formula, a treatment for one's backside.
 * At the courthouse (when Lightning was being accused), after Lightning asks Mater if he knows Sally, Mater replies, "She's the town attorney...and my fiancée." (This could be to make Lightning feel jealous or just to tease him.) Then Lightning exclaims, "What?!" with a shocked face (he thought Mater was serious, while Mater was trying to get a reaction out of him for play). Mater then giggles, lightly taps him, and says: "Nah, I'm just kiddin'. She just likes me for my body." (He then leans to the side and moves his bottom eyelid up as if he was getting horny/aroused about the remark.)
 * As Lightning watches Sally drive away, he remarks, "Hey, do I spy a little pinstriping tattoo back there?", and the camera focuses on said tattoo on Sally's trunk. She then gets so embarrassed that she knocks over a pile of traffic cones.
 * When Lightning explains to Mater late one night that Sally is going to let him stay at the motel, Mater replies, "Ohhh, gettin' cozy at the Cone, is we?" He was probably referring to Lightning and Sally having sex at the motel.
 * When Lightning drives in on Doc Hudson fixing the Sheriff, whose undercarriage is exposed, Lightning stares and then soon looks away in embarrassment, and the Sheriff says, "Get a good peek, City Boy?" As Lightning leaves, the Sheriff remarks, "Hope you enjoyed the show!"
 * One of the sponsors in the Piston Cup for racer Claude Scruggs is called "Leak Less", a trademark of drip pans that are used to prevent oil leaks. This is equivalent to absorbent pads worn by people with urinary incontinence.
 * When Lightning tells Rusty and Dusty that he doesn't need headlights because the track is always lit, Rusty replies, "Yeah, well, so is my brother, but he still needs headlights." This means that he is a drunk driver. When Lightning leaves, Rusty and Dusty both yell, "Don't drive like my brother!" This is another reference to drunk driving.
 * Rusty Cornfuel's sponsor is Tow Cap: Hitch Protection. The logo shows a piece of rubber on a hitch, a reference to condoms, as a car's hitch could be compared to a man's privates.
 * Lightning tells everyone at Flo's Cafe that Doc Hudson won three Piston Cups, although when Mater hears what Lightning said, he responds, "He did what in his cup?!", misinterpreting "Piston Cup" and believing that Doc had urinated in his cup.
 * After Lightning insults Francesco Bernoulli by calling him fragile and not so fast, Francesco begins talking angrily and swearing at Lightning in Italian, before being muted to avoid offense to Italian viewers, then backs up and rubs his back tires on the floor. This means that he may have been flipping Lightning off.
 * When Mater is playfully sneaking around in the Wheel Well Motel, he tries a martini out of curiosity. However, after doing so, he notices that the taste is too strong and awful, and he still had it in his mouth, not wanting to swallow it. He looks everywhere for a place to spit it out, but he could only spit it back in the glass that he drank it from. This is equivalent to a naive person trying alcohol for the first time to see if they like it or not.
 * When Mater is in the bathroom in Tokyo, he sits on a Japanese toilet and cluelessly presses the wash button. The gadget then fires a cold spray of water up to his undercarriage, making him scream in pain and fright.
 * Before leaving the bathroom mentioned above, Mater warns Grem and Acer, "When she starts gigglin', prepare to be squirted!" This is a reference to ejaculation.
 * When Holley Shiftwell says to Mater that they should find somewhere more private, Mater gets confused and begins to think that she meant for them to go make love.
 * When Acer falls onto the chopsticks on the sushi restaurant sign, the cartoon figure appears to be a cannibal, eating his own kind.
 * In Paris, when Mater meets the owner of a headlights market, he is scared off when the owner's eyes are on the headlights. This signifies that the eyes are, in a human's case, on the breast.
 * On Siddeley, Mater says: "Boy, I've gotta go to a doctor. I keep getting these sharp pains in my undercarriage."
 * When Mater is given a vampire disguise, he remarks, "Hahahaha. I want to siphon your gas!" This is a reference to vampires and their desire to suck victims' blood.
 * In Porto Corsa, when Holley is doing her fake Italian voice to distract the Lemons outside the casino, she asks in an Italian-English accent if one of the Lemons could help her find her lost, made-up, broken-down grandfather, to which Ivan responds, "Sounds like you need some roadside assistance." Also, he shows her his tow cable as his hook comes down. Then Ivan and Alex get in a small argument about who she was talking to. This is a clear example of two criminals taking advantage of a sexy, hot lady. Additionally, "roadside assistance" from Ivan could mean that he wanted to go sexually assault her because he is a bad guy.
 * When a few cars are gambling and playing with fuzzy dice, Mary Esgocar arrives and says, "Air freshener!", which may imply that she is talking about male car body odor.
 * During Lightning's training at Rust-eze Racing Center, Cruz Ramirez hangs Lightning down at one point. She then gives him a "Drip Pan" just in case, much to his embarrassment.
 * As Lightning and Cruz are arguing about racing on the beach, Lightning exclaims that, "Life's a beach and then you drive!" Taken out of context, said passage sounds like "Life's a b**** and then you die," which Luigi and Guido, after a brief pause, appear to notice.
 * When Lightning and Cruz are locked inside the Thunder Hollow demolition derby, one of the rules Roscoe tells them is, "No cursin'! It's family night!"
 * During the demolition derby, one car says to another, "Get the __ out of my way!!", but he honks on the blank word, implying he may have meant a swearword.