The Gang’s all here, but…
Almost all of the original cast have returned for the long awaited sequel. Sadly though, Doc Hudson will not be making a comeback; legendary actor and racer Paul Newman, who gave life to the beloved character passed, away in September 2008 due to cancer. With no suitable voice actor to mimic the character’s distinctive gravely voice, out of respect for the great man, it was decided by Pixar not to include the character in the story even though he appears in some of the promotional materials for the movie. In addition, comedian George Carlin who voiced hippie fuel specialist Fillmore also passed away due to heart failure in June 2008, while Joe Ranft (Pixar producer and story writer), the man behind Red the fire truck, died on August 2005 in a car accident. Although Red is still in the movie, he has no lines, while Fillmore's post has been taken over by Lloyd Sherr.
World Grand Prix Grid
Miles Axlerod | A former oil tycoon turned environmentalist, Land Rover L322 Miles, has converted himself into an electric vehicle and created the World Grand Prix to promote his newly created wonder fuel called Allinol. He is voiced by British comedian Eddie Izzard.
Francesco Bernoulli | Reigning Formula Racer champion and hailed as a favorite to win the World Grand Prix, he regards Lightning McQueen as a fierce rival. The Formula One hotshot is voiced by John Turturro, who also plays Agent Simmons in the Transformers movie trilogy.
Raoul CaRoule | Dubbed the “World’s Greatest Rally Car”, this French off road ace is a master of Gymkhana and is based on a Citroen C4 rally car of reigning FIA WRC champ Sebastien Loeb.
Nigel Gearsley | A former Hillclimb racing expert, this British Grand Tourer represents Great Britain with Lewis Hamilton in the World Grand Prix. Nigel takes the form of an Aston Martin DB9R GT racer.
Jeff Gorvette | Considered as the greatest American driver to represent the U.S.A., Jeff brings his experience as a Grand Touring car and oval-racing specialist to try and win the World Grand Prix for the Star-Spangled Banner. The Chevrolet Corvette C-6R is voiced by four-time NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon.
Lewis Hamilton | A young determined British racer, Lewis joined the World Grand Prix to add to his impressive list of wins. Taking time off from the Formula One season, the McLaren MP4-12C is voiced by none other than Hamilton himself.
Max Schnell | Roaring in from Germany, Max uses his extensive knowledge of engineering to tackle the World Grand Prix. He's heavily modified with fender flares and spoilers mirroring the Mercedes-Benz's and Audi's in DTM. Interestingly, in the German version of Cars 2, Max will be voiced by 2010 FIA Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel.
Carla Veloso | The lone female racer in the World Grand Prix, Carla hails from Brazil and is proud to represent her country as a Le Mans Prototype.
Shu Todoroki | Shu, a Japanese endurance racing champion resembling a Mazda LMP-2 prototype racer, has a lot to prove as his coach is a Mazda 787B - the lone Japanese car ever to win at Le Mans.
Miguel Camino | Miguel brings his Spanish flamboyance and flair to the World Grand Prix. He appears to be a combination of a Lotus Evora and an Ascari KZ1.
Rip Clutchgoneski | Shaped like a Formula One-inspired Caparo T1, Rip represents the newly independent republic of New Rearendia, a fictional country that take after the nations that became independent from the former USSR.
Brent Mustangberger | A very excitable commentator for the World Grand Prix, Brent is an icon in American sports broadcasting circles just like the 1964 Ford Mustang Fastback he's based on. He's joined by David Hobbscap in the broadcast booth and voiced by veteran ESPN commentator Brent Musberger.
David Hobbscap | Voiced by veteran British race car driver and now Speed TV commentator David Hobbs, he provides colorful commentary to the World Grand Prix as a 1963 Jaguar Lightweight E-type.
The Finish Line
All this racing action - plus the equally exciting action behind the pit wall - will guarantee to keep you on the edge of your seats. And with this much racing celebrity-based characters in the movie, Disney and Pixar are looking to score maximum points at the box office like its predecessor. The movie will be released in U.S. theaters on June 24, 2011 with a Philippine run to start on August 24, 2011 in standard 2D, Disney 3D, and IMAX 3D format-theaters. Time to start saving up on those World Grand Prix race tickets for the family!
