Cars 2 introduced Mater as a spy during the World Grand Prix.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 shifts much of its focus from Lightning McQueen’s racing career to Mater’s accidental involvement in an international espionage plot. Mater travels with Lightning to races in Tokyo, Porto Corso, and London, where secret agents mistake his unusual behavior for evidence of expert undercover work.
The movie introduces British spy cars Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. They recruit Mater while investigating a conspiracy connected to Allinol, an alternative fuel promoted during the World Grand Prix. Mater’s clumsy honesty contrasts with the polished world of international espionage.
Cars 2 was the second feature-length Cars film and the first Pixar movie to center a global spy adventure within the franchise. It is sometimes remembered simply as a racing sequel, but its structure is closer to a spy comedy with racing scenes. The film was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Brad Lewis.