Cars 3 was the first Pixar Cars feature directed by Brian Fee.
Fee had worked as a storyboard artist on earlier Pixar films, including Cars and Cars 2, before making his feature-directing debut with Cars 3. The film returned the series to a more focused racing story after Cars 2 expanded into international espionage.
Cars 3 centers on Lightning McQueen’s struggle against younger, technologically advanced competitors. After a crash, he trains with Cruz Ramirez and confronts questions about age, competition, mentorship, and retirement. Brian Fee directed the film from a screenplay credited to several writers, including Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, and Mike Rich.
Cars was directed by John Lasseter, while Cars 2 was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. Cars on the Road is a television series rather than a feature film and was developed for Disney+. Thus Cars 3 is the specific franchise feature associated with Fee’s directing debut.