Disney and Pixar have published the first teaser trailer for Cars 3, and it suggests a serious tonal shift for the franchise.
The previous two films, which feature Lightning McQueen, a once-selfish race car, and his best friend Mater, a tow truck voiced by Larry the Cable Guy, were both lighthearted films.
But it seems that Cars 3 could have a very big tonal shift. The brief clip portrays the main character of the series, racecar Lightning McQueen, spinning out in the middle of a race, followed by a slow-motion shot of McQueen busting into a cloud of wreckage. Just before the car makes impact with the ground, the movie's ominous new tagline appears: "From this moment, everything will change."
Cars is one Pixar's most commercially successful franchises, though it’s struggled for critical affection. The franchise is best known for its light-hearted ” and merchandising-friendly ” characters than the deeper emotional stories of Pixar films.
This tiny clip seems to, at the very least, hint at Cars 3 delivering a different kind of story, one that features a grittier spin on the animated series and Twitter users were quick to comment about the teaser, calling it "sad," "emotional" and "dark."
Cars 3 releases in theaters on June 16, 2017.Scan the Qr code to watch the trailer.
