Cars 3 Thomasville Speedway

Get Ready for What’s Coming, Paul Newman Races Again in Cars 3

Screen legend and avid race car driver, Paul Newman, worked on many films and was the voice of Doc Hudson in the original 2006 animated pic from Pixar, Cars. Newman passed away in 2008, but his voice featured new dialogue in the “Cars 3” trailer, his name is listed in the credits, and a voice impersonator was not used. How is that possible?

“The Paul Newman voice you hear in that trailer is not actually in the film. There’s other Paul Newman stuff in the film. That was for the trailer. But we have lots of Paul Newman in the movie which was because when John [Lasseter] was recording Paul Newman in Cars 1 John always kept the tape [running]…we were always recording and Paul would tell stories in between takes and John just like [twirling motion with hand] ‘keep it going.’ We had 28 hours of Paul Newman stuff that we were able to listen to and repurpose.”

Cars 3 Doc Hudson flashbackWith 28 hours of recordings of Newman just sitting around and telling stories, you can safely bet that Doc Hudson will be a prominent character in the sequel being released this summer. According to members of the Cars 3 creative team, the relationship between Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson will be a key part of the new movie.

Based on the current info on Cars 3, there is a strong chance that the Hudson Hornet will appear in the movie in flashback scenes. The next film in the Cars franchise will reportedly contain four racing legend characters who knew and worked with the Hudson Hornet in the past, and that leaves open the possibility of hearing the voice of a young Paul Newman in some scenes. According to writer Mike Rich, the team found additional recordings of the late actor at the Newman Foundation, which gave the film, even more, material to work with.

Pixar chief John Lasseter reportedly set an edict for the producers to follow: “you’re not doing a soundalike for Paul Newman, so figure it out.” Seems like they did.

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Cars 3 is slated to open in cinemas June 16.

Contributing Author at Fuel Curve

Before becoming an automotive journalist, Derek was diving into engine bays and wiring car audio systems for competitions since high school. Granted, there were a few leftover pieces after reassembling everything but nothing ever fell apart on the road. Today Derek applies his enthusiasm and gearhead knowledge into the latest cars, unraveling today's complex automotive technology, and learning the rich history behind classic cars.