Who composed the music for Pixar's Cars 2?

Michael Giacchino composed the music for Pixar's Cars 2.

Giacchino wrote the film score for Cars 2, bringing a spy-film sound to the sequel's international racing story. The music combines orchestral action writing with themes suited to Tokyo, Italy, and London, reflecting the film's broader setting and secret-agent plot. His score supports both Mater's comic adventures and the more serious espionage scenes.

Randy Newman composed the music for the original Cars and returned for Cars 3, which makes him an easy but incorrect answer for Cars 2. Giacchino, meanwhile, had already become closely associated with major animated and live-action projects, including Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Cars 2 therefore placed a different established Pixar collaborator at the center of its musical identity.

The soundtrack also includes songs by artists other than the score composer. For example, the end-credit song “Collision of Worlds” was performed by Brad Paisley and Robbie Williams. That distinction matters: Giacchino is the composer credited for the film's original instrumental score, not the performer of every song heard in the movie.