Cars 3 was the first Pixar Cars film directed by Brian Fee.
Fee made his feature-directing debut with Cars 3, which Pixar released in 2017. Before directing, he worked as a storyboard artist at Pixar and contributed to several films, including the first Cars and its sequel. His experience with the franchise helped connect the third film to the characters and racing world established earlier.
Cars 3 centers on Lightning McQueen’s response to the rise of younger, technologically advanced racers. It introduces Jackson Storm as his major competitor and Cruz Ramirez as an important new character.
John Lasseter directed Cars, while Cars 2 was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. Brian Fee’s involvement therefore marks a change in the franchise’s directing team, even though the film retains Pixar’s established Cars setting and recurring characters.