Cars 2 takes Lightning McQueen and Mater to Japan, Italy, and England.
The film expands the franchise from a Route 66 setting into an international spy and racing adventure. Lightning enters the World Grand Prix, while Mater becomes involved in an espionage plot after being mistaken for an undercover agent.
The major locations include Tokyo, the Italian coastal town of Porto Corsa, and London. Each setting provides a different visual style and racing environment, allowing the filmmakers to move beyond the American stock-car culture emphasized in the first movie.
Cars 2 was released in 2011 and was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. It is the second feature film in the Cars series. The film’s global itinerary is sometimes reduced to its spy-story elements, but the international World Grand Prix is equally central to its structure.