Cruz is apparently brought into Team McQueen to train Lightning – allowing him to continue to be competitive against the newest generation of racecars: Namely Jackson Storm
The newest “Hot Shot Rookie” who is also the obvious antagonist of the movie
Cruz Ramirez in the final design – sketch phases
Cruz Ramirez in the final design – sketch phases
We’ve heard the rumors and have seen some clues about the newest characters (in this case, cars) movie in the Pixar collection – Cars 3. The advance trailer shows the star – Lightning McQueen in what appears to be a horrific accident while racing the newest ‘hot shot rookie’ about 10 years after the original movie debuted. The concept – McQueen is the last of his generation racing, against cars that are built for more speed that McQueen is equipped for. Enter the Throttle Gal – Cruz Ramirez. Cruz is NOT a racecar – but instead is a trainer. She hails from the generation of the newest nemesis – Storm, but relates to McQueen’s generation.
John Lasseter (Chief creative officer of Pixar), along with Jay Ward (Cars creative director) and Jay Shuster (Production Designer at Pixar Animation Studios) were on hand to explain the concept of the Cars franchise, along with the design of the cars in the movie from the inception of the franchise through to this newest in the trilogy. Lasseter started by explaining how the oil in his veins led to the idea of this franchise, and stated that they ‘always keep the car guys – and Gals in mind, and wanted to get the details right.” (Yes, he used the word Gals…) They spend a tremendous amount of time researching every detail imaginable for their movies. This made me especially happy when they revealed the details about the newest female movie lead – Cruz Ramirez. Cruz has (according to Pixar) a lightweight alloy body running on an Aerodynamic Venturi Channeled chassis, with a 0-60 og 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 202mph, powered by a DOHC V-6. This actually puts her faster than McQueen’s specs, yet just shy of Storm. Yet, they purposely did not make her a fellow racer – rather she is the newest member of Team McQueen. She is brought on the train McQueen to take on the newest cars, and especially antagonist Jackson Storm.
Personally, I am excited about this move. Ward and Shuster took turns describing their new female lead. They commented about design features; how they wanted her fast, strong and able to “hold her own.” I guess we will have to wait for the movie’s release this summer to see how she ‘holds her own.” Perhaps it’s because I have 3 boys who I’m sure will want to see this opening weekend that I will be there when this debuts, or maybe it’s just because I personally love this Pixar franchise, but I will be there with high expectations. I hope all the rumors are true and that the hype around this movie carries through for a most excellent experience for every Throttle Gal – even the animated ones.