Earlier this month, Pixar unleashed its first-look at Cars 3, and fans were stunned by the franchise and its dark turn. The teaser trailer was brief, but it packed a weighty punch for viewers. The clip showed Lightning McQueen getting involved in a horrifying car accident during a race which sent him flying, and Cars 3 is now capitalizing on the shocking image with a new poster.
Earlier today, Yahoo! Movies uploaded an exclusive poster for Cars 3 that fits the film’s dark tone. The image shows Lightning McQueen flipped upside down and airborne as sparks fly from its under-carriage. Underneath McQueen, the film’s tagline can be read: “From this moment, everything will change.”
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While plenty of fans are surprised by the film’s tonal shift, Disney and Pixar have been upfront about Cars 3 and its emotional story. Earlier this year, Disney’s animation chief John Lasseter told Entertainment Weekly the third film will be “a very emotional story.” Cars 3 will show McQueen looking back on his career and late mentor Doc Hudson who had his racing career squashed following a crippling wreck. Favorite characters like Mater and Sally are slated to return for Cars 3 while a few new faces also make themselves known to fans.
Judging by the teaser trailer, Cars 3 will likely see McQueen experience a devastating wreck like Doc Hudson did decades ago. The souped-up racer will surely work to get back into fighting shape, but McQueen may find the challenge is too great to overcome alone or at all.
If you are not familiar with the Cars films, then you should now the first movie debuted in 2006. The animated feature was loved by fans and Owen Wilson’s work as McQueen was praised by critics. The film told the story of McQueen, a hotshot racing car, who ended up in the small town of Radiator Springs to prepare for an upcoming race. A sequel to Cars was released in 2011, and the less-enthused film followed McQueen and friends as they went abroad to race again.
By the looks of it, Cars 3 will put McQueen back into a similar headspace as the first film if he’s meant to wrestle with his insecurities. If everything is really going to change after the movie debuts, then fans of the lighthearted series may need to prepare themselves when Cars 3 hits theaters next year.
Cars 3 is set to hit theaters Summer 2017.
[H/T] Yahoo! Movies
