Full Throttle With Jay Ward And Ray Evernham In Cars 3

Start your engines! We are excited to present an exclusive interview with two incredible talents behind the hit animated film Cars 3. Today, we have the privilege of chatting with Jay Ward, the creative director who breathed life into this high-octane world, and Ray Evernham, the legendary voice behind Ray Reverham. Get ready to dive into the thrilling universe of Cars 3 as we explore the creative process, behind-the-scenes stories, and the passion that drove these two to create such an unforgettable movie experience. Buckle up and join us for this exciting ride!

We began by asking Jay how he initiated Cars 3:

We knew after Cars 2 we wanted to tell another story, and we also knew we wanted to get back to sort of more the roots of Cars 1.  We also knew what people love about Pixar films;  they love that emotional journey of a character and the transformation of a character.  That was the impetus.  Then we thought, “Okay if we’re telling the story about McQueen he’s already a hero, he’s already great at what he does.  What do we tell?” and we started with a comeback story.  Kind of more like a Rocky 3 kind of.  He gets knocked down by the young guy and does he get back up?  That would have been great movie and an easy story to tell  What we found along the way, what was more exciting, was telling a story about mentorship, paying it forward, and about telling the story of somebody who had limited themselves in life.  That, “No you are good enough.  You can do this.” 

Additionally, we asked Jay about the challenges he faced in getting everything right:

This is the challenge of any of our films.  John Lasseter’s big word is authenticity.  Whatever world it is, it has to be authentic.  Like for Nemo, people had to go Scuba Diving.  They had to go under water.  They had to see what it looks like to look up from the water up, it’s different right?  For Wall-E, they studied so much stuff about space.  For this film, Cars is a known world.  People know it.  We all drive Cars, and we’re familiar with them.  We can’t get away with just making stuff up and more than that John’s a gear head.  That’s where I come in. 

Is John’s like, “I want all the details right.”  My job is to get all those things right – that the  Car guys go, “Hey they got that right.  That sounds correct, that’s looking right.”  Yet the person who doesn’t know anything about Cars is like, “I love this movie.  That character was so cute.”  It’s gotta’ work for both.

Furthermore, we inquired if Ray had any input into his character, noting that for those unfamiliar, Ray is not only a character in Cars 3 but also a NASCAR legend.

I didn’t have that kind of input.  What  we did was just sit and talk a lot.  The Pixar team asked a lot of questions and I told a lot of actual stories of how things worked.  It was amazing to see them take that and be able to adapt it into the characters.  They would send me something and say, “But what do you think about this?” especially with um Jackson Storm.  After being inNASCAR and racing so long, I saw the tendencies of Cars were going right – they’re getting lower, they’re getting wider, they’re getting sharper, the air dynamics are coming from the bottom, the tires are getting wider, and the profile’s changing.  We just talked about all those things, and they made notes and just kept bringing it to life.  

At this point, Jay interjected:

“Oh he did.”  I mean honestly, we knew Jackson Storm was supposed to look like the future of NASCAR.  The idea was to make Lightning McQueen look old, which is hard to do because he looks good.  He looks cool, but he had to feel like yesterday’s news all of a sudden.  When Jackson Storm shows up it’s like, “Whoa he’s totally– this guy’s from the future.”  Part of that was in the design.  When we show designs for Ray,  we said, “Ray what, what a NASCAR look like 20 years from now if you can make it up?”   And he’s like, “You guys are onto something good.”  So he did help.

Moreover, we asked about finding a balance in Pixar movies that appeals to both children and their parents. Jay responded:

John’s always said that we don’t make children’s films.  We make films that work for children and adult.  If you start out by saying, “We’re going to make a great children’s film” then that’s all you’ve made.  If you make a great film,  it’s going to work for all ages.”  

If you think back before we had a film rating system, if you go back to the 40’s or 50’s, every film had to work for all ages.  You can watch The Wizard of Oz as an adult or as a kid and you enjoy it.  That’s what I think we strive for with Pixar – is to tell great stories that work for all ages.  You want to watch it more than once, because you’re going to see something you didn’t see the first time.  I have young kids and my kids like watching movies the over and over again, so even if I’m not watching, if I’m driving them and I hear them.  I’m still laughing and still remembering things and that’s pretty special. You don’t get that with all films.  There’s some kids films that we watched and even my kids will watch it once they’re good.  They liked it, they walked out, “Hey that was fun.”  They’re not going to get that on Blu-Ray or DVD.  They don’t want to see it again, but a great story they want to see again and again.

Additionally, we asked Ray about the experience of seeing some of the stories he shared with Pixar come to life on the big screen:

It’s been a fire hose of emotions in some ways.  I’ve got a blended family.  There’s 24 years difference between my children, and my son is on the autism spectrum at 26 year old and I have a 2 year old.   It has brought them closer together.  In some ways, when I look at Lightning that’s Jeff Gordon. I’ve watched him through his career.  Then through this movie, some of the lessons that Lightning had to learn about the emotion and the relationships and the people were more important than winning the races and the trophies.  When that’s gone you, you just have  stuff and without the relationship with people,  it didn’t mean anything.  I actually found out more about my life and my career and, and I think that, that working on this movie has helped me appreciate my adaption into the Hall Of Fame more.

Furthermore, we inquired about how their interest in cars began. In response, Ray shared:

I’ve never not wanted to be.  I remember playing in the driveway with little cars and just being crazy about it.  I went to local short tracks around N.J. where I was born with my Uncle and my Dad.  I have never ever in my life wanted to do anything else.  There’s just something I’ve had some connection with, and honestly that’s what got me through school.  It’s what got me through high school, and helped me do everything in my life.  I was always working towards either trying to build a race car or earn money to buy something for my Street Car or do something.

Jay then elaborated:

Cars are more in my DNA.  My Dad owned a little automotive wholesale shop in Riverside Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City.  He would buy cars and he’d fix them up and sell them.  I lived with my Mom, but I’d go out and visit him in the summer.  He’d buy cars and take them back to the shop.  I’d sit in the front and draw cars on a little blotter pad while he’d be wheeling the cars in the back. Wheelin’ and detailin’, and it was just fun. We’d go out and buy stuff.  

Then I used to on the weekends we’d go to the junkyard. I don’t know why, but I love going to the junkyard.  I would go in the seats and find old toys from other kids and look in glove box for papers and it was weird.  It was like you seem to do that.   They will not let kids go to a junk yard now because if you get hit by something, you get sued. When you were a kid,  you remember that.  You could go into a junkyard, and they were like, “Go ahead kid look around”.  Basically anything you can fit in your pocket, it was yours right.  Out in the junkyard, it was better than Disneyland.

As you can see, the magic of Cars 3 goes far beyond the screen. The passion, creativity, and dedication these two bring to their work have shaped an unforgettable film. It also has left a lasting impact on fans of all ages. Whether you’re a long-time admirer of the Cars franchise or new to the excitement, the insights shared by Jay and Ray offer a deeper appreciation for the artistry and heart that drive this beloved series. We hope you’ve enjoyed this exclusive look behind the scenes. Thank you for joining us on this exhilarating journey!