Cars 2 is the Pixar Cars movie set partly during an international spy adventure. The 2011 sequel sends Lightning McQueen and Mater to races in Japan, Italy, and England while Mater becomes involved with British agents.
The story begins with the World Grand Prix, an international racing event created by Miles Axlerod. Mater is mistaken for an American spy and becomes entangled in a plot involving secret information, surveillance, and a dangerous fuel conspiracy. This gives Cars 2 a broader action-spy structure than the small-town road story of Cars or the racing comeback story of Cars 3.
Cars 2 was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. It features returning voices including Owen Wilson as McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. The film’s locations are fictionalized within a world populated by vehicles, but its travel route clearly draws on recognizable landmarks and national settings. Its spy focus is the reason it is often described as the franchise’s most overtly international installment.