Cars 2 was Pixar’s first sequel that was not part of the Toy Story series.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 followed Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 as Pixar’s third feature-length sequel. It was therefore the studio’s first sequel centered on a franchise other than Toy Story. The film expanded the Cars setting from Radiator Springs to an international spy adventure.
The story pairs Lightning McQueen with Mater during the World Grand Prix, while Mater becomes involved in an espionage investigation involving Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. This gave the sequel a much broader geographic and genre scope than the original film.
Cars 2 should not be confused with Cars 3, which was released in 2017. The Incredibles 2 and Finding Dory were also later non-Toy Story sequels, but neither came before Cars 2 in Pixar’s feature-film sequel history.