Lightning McQueen

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lightning McQueen
Cars character
Lightning McQueen as he appears in Cars wearing his rookie paint job
First appearanceCars (2006)
Created byJohn Lasseter
Joe Ranft
Jorgen Klubien
Voiced byOwen Wilson (films, Cars: The Video Game, Mater and the Ghostlight, Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, and Cars on the Road)
Keith Ferguson (most video games, Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, and Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool)
Ben Rausch (Cars 3: Driven to Win)
In-universe information
Speciescustom built stock car
Significant otherSally Carrera

Lightning McQueen is a fictional anthropomorphic stock car and the main protagonist of the Pixar franchise Cars. He is primarily voiced by Owen Wilson. His appearances include the feature films Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3, as well as in the TV series Cars Toons and Cars on the Road. Lightning is also a playable character in each of the Cars video game installments. Lightning McQueen is the face of the Cars brand, and he is a popular mascot for Disney.

Lightning is a professional racer in the Piston Cup racing series, which emulates the NASCAR Cup Series, and acquires several Piston Cup victories during his career. In Cars 2, he competes in the World Grand Prix, a short-lived event promoting a new alternative fuel called Allinol. At the end of Cars 3, he briefly assumes the role of Cruz Ramirez's crew chief and mentor before returning to racing.

In most Cars media, Lightning is the resident racecar of Radiator Springs, Arizona and is sponsored by Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment. Although his design is inspired by various real vehicles including NASCAR, his overall appearance resembles a C6 Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper (SR II), and Ford GT (2005). His body is painted red with yellow and orange lightning bolt stickers featuring his racing number on his sides. His appearance undergoes updates through the films, but generally maintains the same image. Lightning is seen briefly with no paint or decals in Cars 3.

Development

Concept and creation

Director John Lasseter, who had previously worked on Toy Story had for many years toyed with the idea of making a film about cars, having a particular love of cars and being a fan of NASCAR racing. In the summer of 2000, he and his family went on a two-month road trip that avoided interstate highways, which forced him to take a slower journey. Out of this experience, he began to develop the story idea for the film. "I discovered that the journey in life is the reward", he recalled. In 2001, he and a group of Pixar staff took a trip on Route 66. Over nine days, they toured a number of places along the route, including Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, and studied the landscape. Lasseter conducted research about automotives, befriending design chief J Mays of the Ford Motor Company. During development, Pixar's animators also benefited from having Porsche 911 coupes delivered to Pixar's offices for inspection. Lasseter and the production team also met with General Motors designers in the early 2000s to discuss the new Chevrolet Corvette design. At that time, the story concept was very different to the final film and according to Pixar producer Darla K. Anderson it evolved over time. Cars reflects Lasseter's sadness over the decline of small towns on Route 66, which he said "died overnight" following the construction of interstate highways after World War II.[1]

Characterization

Lightning McQueen's appearance is not attributed to any single car model:

He's the new rookie, he's kinda sexy, he's fast, he's different. So he's invented. We took the best of our favorite things, from GT40s to Chargers… just sketching them out, we came up with what McQueen looks like.

— Bob Pauley, one of two Cars production designers[2]

In order to create a cocky but likable character for McQueen, Pixar looked at sports figures like boxer Muhammad Ali, basketball player Charles Barkley, and football quarterback Joe Namath, as well as rap and rock singer Kid Rock.[2]

For the other race cars, we looked at how race cars drive. For McQueen, we looked at surfers and snowboarders and Michael Jordan, these truly great athletes and the beauty of how they move. You watch Jordan in his heyday against every other player, he's playing a different game. We wanted to have that same type of feeling, so that when they're talking about 'the rookie sensation,' you're seeing that he is really gifted.

— James Ford Murphy, Cars directing animator.[2]

The end result is a character which, despite the usually meticulous approach to "truth to material" in which each car's animation is mechanically consistent with its respective model's capabilities, can occasionally bend the rules to move more like an athlete than an automobile.[2]

Lightning McQueen is not named after actor and race driver Steve McQueen, but after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died in 2002.[3]

Voice

Owen Wilson, Lightning McQueen's primary voice actor, at the 2017 Daytona 500

American actor Owen Wilson is the voice of Lightning McQueen in the Cars filmography. He was cast in the original Cars film and returned to voice the character in Cars 2 and Cars 3, while also voicing him in the television series Cars on the Road.[4] Wilson said that he was cast in the role as a result of Lasseter and his children enjoying Shanghai Noon (2000), a film starring Wilson and Jackie Chan. When Wilson met with Lasseter, he told him about the upcoming animated project and thought that he would be suitable for the role.[5] Wilson admitted that he liked the "street cred" he got from his two sons for voicing the character.[6]

Character design

Lightning McQueen's design is inspired by NASCAR Generation 4 cars; however, he has a curvaceous body like that of the Ford GT40 and Dodge Viper. His exhaust pipes come from the 1970s Dodge Charger, but with four (two on each side) instead of two on one side or one on both sides.

His body also draws cues from the design of the Chevrolet Corvette along with cab elements from a Porsche 964.[7] Briefly in Cars, Lightning takes on a paint job which highly resembles a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette. In Cars 2, he receives new bodywork resembling a Dodge Viper GTS ACR.

His number was originally 57, a reference to John Lasseter's birth year, but was changed to 95, referencing the release year of Pixar's first film Toy Story.[8]

Lightning's engine sounds emulate a Gen 4 in Cars, a mixture of a Gen 5 COT and the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R in Cars 2, and a Gen 6 in Cars 3.

Appearances

Cars filmography

Cars (2006)

Main article: Cars (film)

Lightning McQueen is a rookie racecar in the Piston Cup series and secretly disdains his sponsor, Rust-eze, hoping to be chosen by the more prestigious Dinoco team. Initially, Lightning is portrayed as ungrateful, obnoxious, selfish, and sarcastic, believing he doesn't need a crew chief or much help from his pit crew to win races. During the final race of the season, Lightning blows his rear tires and finishes in a three-way tie with the soon-to-retire Strip Weathers (The King) and perennial runner-up Chick Hicks. On the road to Los Angeles for a tie-breaker race, Lightning realizes he has no true friends. After an encounter with a quartet of tuner cars, Lightning becomes separated from his transporter, a Mack truck named Mack, and ends up in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town along U.S. Route 66. He is soon arrested for accidentally destroying the town's main road and impounded there.

In Radiator Springs, Lightning meets a tow truck named Tow Mater, who takes a liking to him immediately. The local judge Doc Hudson, Sally, and the other townsfolk vote to have Lightning repave the road he destroyed as community service. He rushes and doesn't repave the road properly at first before reluctantly starting over. In the process, Lightning learns about the history of Radiator Springs and begins to relate to the town and its inhabitants. Lightning soon becomes best friends with Mater and falls in love with Sally. As he becomes friends with the residents, Lightning begins to care more about other cars rather than just himself. He also learns a move called "turn right-to-go-left" from Doc and how to drive backward from Mater, which he later uses in the tie-breaker race.

During the final lap of the race, Lightning witnesses Chick Hicks perform a pit-maneuver on The King, causing him to suffer a rollover crash. He forfeits the win to help The King finish the race and is praised for his sportsmanship, so much so that Dinoco race team owner Tex Dinoco offers to hire him to succeed Weathers. Lightning declines, choosing instead to stay with Rust-eze out of newfound loyalty and respect for them. Tex instead offers to do him any favor whenever he needs it. Lightning uses the favor to get Mater a ride on the Dinoco helicopter.

Lightning returns to Radiator Springs to take residence there and establish his racing headquarters, putting Radiator Springs back on the map. He reunites with Mater and Sally, and becomes Doc Hudson's pupil.

Cars 2 (2011)

Main article: Cars 2
Lightning McQueen replica promoting Cars 2

Five years after the events of the first film, Lightning McQueen, now a four-time Piston Cup champion,[9] returns to Radiator Springs to spend his off-season with his friends. Lightning's stay is interrupted when Mater inadvertently causes him to participate in the inaugural World Grand Prix, sponsored by former oil tycoon Miles Axelrod, who hopes to promote his new biofuel, Allinol. Lightning is reluctant to bring Mater along at first, fearing that other cars wouldn't understand Mater, but agrees after being persuaded by Sally.

During the night before the first race in Tokyo, Lightning and Mater enjoy exploring the city together. Later at a pre-race party, Lightning is briefly embarrassed by Mater, who mistook wasabi as pistachio ice cream. After losing the first race on account of Mater's involvement with spies Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell (of which Lightning is unaware), Lightning angrily yells at him and tells him he does not need or want his help anymore, causing Mater to feel hurt and leave. Soon after, Lightning receives a note from Mater telling him that he left before he could apologize and begins to regret his actions. Later, Lightning wins the second race in Porto Corsa, Italy; more cars suffer engine damage in the race, causing controversy and increased fears over Allinol's safety. In response, Axelrod decides to remove Allinol as a requirement for the final race in London. Lightning chooses to continue with Allinol on account of Fillmore telling him the fuel is safe and for not trusting Mater in Japan, unknowingly endangering himself.

Before the London race, Lightning considers dropping out so he can look for Mater, but is persuaded by Axelrod to continue. After completing a few laps Lightning spots Mater in the pits and tries to apologize for his outburst in Tokyo. When Lightning approaches him, Mater speeds away because of a bomb planted in his engine that will detonate if Lightning gets too close. Lightning manages to catch up and realizes that Mater was telling the truth about having a girlfriend and being on a spy mission. McQueen then apologizes to Mater and tells him to always be who he truly is, and inspires him to confront Miles Axelrod, who is revealed to be the mastermind behind the plot, and forces him to disarm the bomb. Following the arrest of Axelrod, Lightning happily declares that Mater can come to all races from now on. Back in Radiator Springs, it is revealed that Lightning's Allinol supply was switched with Fillmore's organic fuel by Sarge prior to the start of the World Grand Prix, thereby protecting Lightning from danger during the race in London. A mini grand prix is then held in the town, featuring all the World Grand Prix contenders.

Cars 3 (2017)

Main article: Cars 3

Five years after the events of the second film, Lightning McQueen, now a seven-time Piston Cup champion and racing legend, races in the series with his long-time racing friends Cal Weathers and Bobby Swift. High-tech rookie racer Jackson Storm appears suddenly as the first of a next-generation of racecars and begins to win race after race. Lightning pushes himself too hard while trying to compete with Storm in the season's final race and damages his engine, causing him to lose control and suffer a rollover crash.

After being rebuilt, Lightning decides to continue racing. He heads to the Rust-eze Training Center and trains with Cruz Ramirez, a yellow high-performance coupe, during the off-season in hopes of increasing his top speed and beating Storm. Lightning's new sponsor Sterling, a successful business car, tells him he will have to retire if he loses his next race, with Sterling planning to profit off Lightning's retirement merchandise. After several unsuccessful attempts at training, Lightning asks Mater for help, who gives him the idea to seek out Doc Hudson's old crew chief and mentor Smokey, a Hudson pick-up truck, and eventually meets him at the Thomasville Motor Speedway in a fictionalized version of Thomasville, Georgia.

After completing training with Smokey, Lightning runs the first half of the Florida 500 with Smokey as his crew chief before pulling out and giving Cruz her chance to become a racer with him as her crew chief. Cruz and Lightning share the victory due to Lightning starting the race, and the pair receive a sponsorship under the merged Dinoco–Rust-eze brand. Lightning decides to continue racing but spends the rest of the season as Cruz's mentor and crew chief.

Other media

Cars: The Video Game (2006)

Main article: Cars (video game)

Considered a direct continuation of the first film, Lightning finds himself at the start of the next Piston Cup season. With the help of the citizens of Radiator Springs, Lightning prepares to start his quest for the Piston Cup, taking lessons from Doc Hudson, Fillmore, and Mater. With the use of his new skills, Lightning once again finds himself in a position to win the Piston Cup, much to the irritation of Chick Hicks.

Lightning's racing gear is stolen from Mack on Interstate 40 when Chick enlists the aid of the Delinquent Road Hazards. Lightning is able to retrieve his equipment and bring the delinquents to justice before winning the next race, which sends Chick into a frenzy. Lightning later challenges Chick to a Grand Prix in Radiator Springs, followed by one more Piston Cup race in Los Angeles. Lightning wins these events, taking the Piston Cup in his sophomore season.

In the end, Lightning, Mater, and Sally decide to take a celebratory trip across the country. When asked if he brought his trophy, Lightning notes he did not but left it in a good place, revealed to be at Doc's clinic next to the Hornet's own three Piston Cups.

Although Rust-eze still sponsors Lightning, players are able to unlock and use his Dinoco paint job while playing as him in Story Mode, Arcade Mode, and Versus Mode.

Cars Toons (2008 - 2014)

Main article: Cars Toons

Lightning McQueen appears in the animated series Cars Toons, which premiered on the Disney Channel on October 27, 2008. The series centres around his friend Mater.[10]

Cars on the Road (2020)

Main article: Cars on the Road

An animated spin-off series titled Cars on the Road premiered on Disney+ on September, 8, 2022. The plot involves Lightning McQueen (voiced by Wilson) and Mater setting off on a road trip to the east of Radiator Springs to meet Mater's sister.[11]

Theme parks

Lightning McQueen in Cars Land

Lightning McQueen is a character at Cars Land, a themed section of Disney California Adventure, which debuted on 15 June 2012 and features a ride named Radiator Springs Racers.[12]

Reception

Critical response

Lightning McQueen's debut in Cars received a mixed response from critics. Lisa Schwarzbaum writing for Entertainment Weekly said that McQueen's story arc, in which he learns that loyalty and community are more important than personal advancement, was nothing new and had already been done in numerous films including in Over the Hedge and by Michael J. Fox in Doc Hollywood.[13] Paul Arendt of the BBC also noted the similarity to Doc Hollywood and expressed boredom over an "arrogant racing car" learning a lesson about community and teamwork.[14] Nick Schager of Slant described his story arc as the "maturation of narcissistic stock car rookie" and thought his character development was a simplistic transition from "materialistic, self-involved jerk to noble role model".[15] Philip French of The Guardian described Lightning McQueen as a "cocky, callow, young racing car, a flashy red affair" but noted the many positive lessons that he learns over the course of the film.[16] Mick LaSalle writing for the San Francisco Chronicle opined that the film raises too many questions about the motivations of its protagonist, describing him as an "armless, legless, cumbersome creature, inhabiting a lonely landscape in which no real connection is possible".[17] Conversely, Michael Agger of Slate praised the "heartwarming on-screen bondings" in the film, particularly scenes involving McQueen and Mater, and a dating sequence with Sally.[18] The Washington Post's Stephen Hunter found similarities to Lightning McQueen in the boxing stories of the 1930s as a "champ who's really a chump" who learns lessons in humility and respect. He also likened him to American racing driver Jeff Gordon.[19] Jeff Otto of IGN found Wilson's vocals "a bit irritating" and commented on the lack of chemistry between Wilson and Bonnie Hunt's Sally.[20]

Legacy

Lightning McQueen has been described by critics as one of the greatest or most iconic movie cars.[a] In motorsport, the Japanese team APR Racing drove the Lightning McQueen-based livery No. 95 Toyota MR-S during the 2008 Super GT Series.[27] In April 2021, fifteen years after the release of Cars, "Lightning McQueen crocs" trended on Twitter, after the Crocs shoe company released a limited edition pair of adult crocs designed in the character's likeness.[28] In October 2021, Wilson appeared in a sketch on Saturday Night Live which involved him recording Lightning McQueen's dialogue for a fourth Cars film. In the script, the character is increasingly presented as the villain of the story.[29] In November 2023, he was added as a DLC car in the vehicular soccer video game Rocket League.[30] A debate over Lightning McQueen's status as the greatest of all time raged with fans on social media in November 2023, eventually involving American sports journalist Stephen A. Smith, who opined that he could not be regarded as such, having only tied with Strip 'The King' Weathers by winning seven Piston Cups.[31] In February 2024, American racing driver Kyle Busch referred to the character after being in the middle car in a three-wide finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He commented, "I hate that we had a Lightning McQueen-style finish there", referring to a moment in Cars when the character finishes in a three-wide race by sticking his tongue out to reach the finish line.[32]

Notes

  1. ^ Sources that cite Lightning as among the greatest or most iconic movie cars include:[21][22][23][24][25][26]

References

  1. ^ Ann Job (May 7, 2006). "New movie rekindles love affair with cars". Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Pete Lyons (May 29, 2006). "CARS' Guys: Here are some fans who made the film". AutoWeek. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Lewis, William Irvin (January 20, 2023). "What Kind of Car Is Lightning McQueen From Cars?". Motor Trend. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Boardman, Madeline (2024-03-25). "See the voices behind your favorite 'Cars' characters". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-26. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  5. ^ Goyal, Samarth (2017-06-15). "Here's how Owen Wilson became Lightning McQueen in animated film series, Cars". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  6. ^ Walker-Arnott, Ellie (2017-07-13). "Owen Wilson gets a lot of street cred for playing Lightning McQueen in 'Cars' - Time Out". Time Out Worldwide. Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  7. ^ Neil, Dan (June 4, 2006). "A grease geek will guide you: 'Cars' decoded". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Bettinger, Brendan (2013-06-21). "Pixar by the Numbers From Toy Story to Monsters University". Collider. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  9. ^ Atallah, Simone. "Zoom in to these favourites for the Cars 15th anniversary". Disney Australia. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  10. ^ Moody, Annemarie (2008-09-26). "Cars Toons Coming In October To Disney Channel". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  11. ^ Behzadi, Sofia (2022-08-01). "'Cars On The Road' Pixar Series Gets Premiere Date On Disney+, First-Look Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  12. ^ Gray, Alysia (2022-06-15). "Ka-Chow! Happy 10th Anniversary, Cars Land". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  13. ^ Lisa Schwarzbaum. "CNN.com - EW Review: Pixar's 'Cars' a classic - Jun 9, 2006". edition.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  14. ^ Arendt, Paul (July 28, 2006). "BBC - Movies - review - Cars". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  15. ^ Schager, Nick (2006-06-01). "Review: Cars". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  16. ^ French, Philip (2006-07-30). "Cars". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. ^ LaSalle, Mick (June 9, 2006). "'Cars' looks cool. But take it out for a spin for 2 hours and it runs out of gas". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  18. ^ Agger, Michael (2006-06-09). "Sunday Drive". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  19. ^ Hunter, Stephen (June 9, 2006). "Young and Fuelish". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Otto, Jeff (2006-06-09). "Cars". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-05-07. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  21. ^ John, Steven (April 13, 2019). "The 9 most iconic movie cars from the past decade". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2022-09-11. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  22. ^ Capparella, Joey (2019-02-04). "The Iconic Movie Cars You Missed in Walmart's Super Bowl Commercial". Archived from the original on 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  23. ^ Surrey, Miles (2023-12-21). "The Definitive Ranking of Cars in Pop Culture". The Ringer. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  24. ^ Miller, Nick (2023-09-13). "Cars in Cartoons: The Most Memorable Animated Rides". Discovery UK. Archived from the original on 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  25. ^ Claire Ruhlin (August 12, 2013). "15 Iconic Fictional Cars". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  26. ^ Richard Ingram (January 21, 2021). "The best movie cars ever". Carbuyer. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  27. ^ Tom Jennings (2010-07-23). "THE CAR'S THE STAR: Lightning McQueen". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  28. ^ Ortiz, Andi (2021-04-27). "Lightning McQueen Crocs Are a Thing and People Are Devastated They Sold Out Lightning Fast". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2024-05-07. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  29. ^ Grobar, Matt (2021-10-03). "'SNL': Owen Wilson Gets In Recording Booth For 'Cars 4', Sees Lightning McQueen Become Villain Of The Story". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  30. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (2023-11-06). "Kachow! Lightning McQueen is racing into Rocket League". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  31. ^ Milici, Lauren (2023-11-22). "Pixar fans are imitating real-world sports debates to answer the ultimate question: is Lightning McQueen the GOAT?". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  32. ^ Crandall, Kelly (2024-02-26). "'I hate we had a Lightning McQueen-style finish' - Busch". RACER. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lightning_McQueen&oldid=1222934087"