“Cars 3” teaser trailer released

Disney released a teaser trailer Monday morning for the Disney-Pixar animated film, “Cars 3,” which will be in theaters June 16.

So Lightning McQueen obviously suffers a sort of catastrophic race crash during the film, reminiscent of Strip “The King” Weathers’ crash in the climax of the original “Cars” film.

The Wikipedia page about the film, basing it from a USA Today story in May, summarized the film as follows:

The film will focus on Lightning McQueen, now a veteran racer, as he participates in races around America with new-friend Cruz Ramirez, new-enemy Jackson Storm and returning characters such as Mater, Sally and Ramone.

Owen Wilson will return as Lightning McQueen, as will Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera and Cheech Marin as Ramone.

The USA Today article also had this nugget from the film’s director, Brian Fee, a storyboard animator from the first two “Cars” films:

The story will stay in America, hitting historical race sites throughout the country.

“This movie is a love letter to racing and the American way,” says Fee. “We’re inspired by the Americana you see traveling through the South where every small town has a dirt track.”

The domestic nature of the “Cars 3” story is a departure from “Cars 2,” which took place primarily in Europe as a sort of James Bond homage. “Cars 2” wasn’t as well-received, although it continued to do well at the box office.

This summer marked the 10th anniversary of the original “Cars,” which sparked a wave of new travelers on Route 66.

“Cars” grossed more than $460 million in worldwide box-office receipts during the summer of 2006. “Cars” generated more than $10 billion in merchandising sales and counting — the most of any Pixar movie by far. It inspired a popular Cars Land attraction at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim in 2012.

The original film’s tale of a wayward race car in the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs put Route 66 in the spotlight. Pixar animators traveled Route 66 during their research, and they became inspired by people and places of the Mother Road. More about the real-life people and landmarks in the film here.

(Image from “Cars 3” courtesy of Disney)