Cars 2 features Lightning McQueen racing in Japan, Italy, and England.
The film’s World Grand Prix travels to Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London. Lightning McQueen competes in the races while Mater becomes entangled in an international espionage story involving Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell.
This international structure distinguishes Cars 2 from the original Cars, which mainly takes place in the American town of Radiator Springs. It also differs from Cars 3, which returns to a more focused racing and mentorship story centered on McQueen, Cruz Ramirez, and Jackson Storm.
Cars 2 was released in 2011 and was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. The movie combines racing with spy-film conventions, including secret identities, hidden weapons, and an international criminal plot. Mater’s misunderstandings provide much of the comedy as the story moves between its three major locations.