Cars 2 takes Lightning McQueen and Mater on an international spy adventure.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 expands the franchise beyond Radiator Springs and introduces a global racing event called the World Grand Prix. McQueen competes in races in Japan, Italy, and England, while Mater becomes involved in an espionage plot after being mistaken for an American secret agent.
The film introduces British spy Finn McMissile and intelligence agent Holley Shiftwell. Their investigation concerns a conspiracy connected to the World Grand Prix and a new alternative fuel. Mater’s accidental involvement creates the story’s comedy, while McQueen initially struggles to understand how far their friendship has been tested.
Cars 2 is distinct from the other two main Cars films because its central structure is a globe-spanning spy story. Cars focuses on McQueen’s personal transformation in Radiator Springs, and Cars 3 returns to competitive racing and the next generation of racers.