The opening race of Pixar’s Cars 2 takes place in Tokyo.
Cars 2 begins with a spy sequence involving Finn McMissile before moving into the World Grand Prix storyline. The first race of that international competition is held in Tokyo, where Lightning McQueen competes against racers from around the world. The city’s neon-lit streets and night-time setting give the sequel a markedly different visual identity from the desert roads of the first film.
The World Grand Prix also visits Porto Corsa in Italy and London in the United Kingdom. Those locations are part of the same fictional competition, but Tokyo hosts its opening race. Cars 2 was released in 2011 and was directed by Brad Lewis. Mater’s accidental involvement in the spy plot makes the film more of an international espionage adventure than the road-trip story of the original.