Cars 3 was the first Pixar feature film directed by Brian Fee.
Fee had worked at Pixar as a storyboard artist before taking the director's role on Cars 3. He had contributed to earlier Pixar productions, including work connected with the Cars franchise, but Cars 3 marked his feature-directing debut.
The film returned to a more focused racing story after Cars 2 expanded into international espionage. Its plot centers on Lightning McQueen's struggle with a younger generation of racers and his relationship with Cruz Ramirez.
John Lasseter directed Cars, and Lasseter directed Cars 2 with Brad Lewis. Brian Fee is therefore specifically associated with the third main Cars film, not either earlier installment.