What is the Work?[]
Cars is an animated film franchise produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It follows hotshot race-car Lighting McQueen as he aims to be the best race-car in the world.
Who are the Candidates?[]
Montgomery "Lightning" McQueen is the main protagonist of the Cars franchise.
Mater is the deuteragonist of the Cars franchise.
What Makes Them Shonen Heroes?[]
Lightning McQueen[]
- Heroic/Honorable: McQueen has given up his chance at winning the Piston Cup in favor of pushing the damaged King over the finish line as well as helping Mater defeat Miles Axlerod in order to save the world.
- Courageous/Reckless: McQueen is willing to put others before himself.
- Energetic: McQueen is rather hotblooded and has a fascination for speed.
- Stubborn: McQueen is willing to go his own way despite being warned by others and refuses to listen to Doc's advice.
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: McQueen wants to become the best race-car in the world.
- Hard-Working: In order to compete with his rival Jackson Storm, McQueen trains hard in order to keep up with him.
- Optimistic: Despite his moments of angst, McQueen typically manages to look at the bright side.
- Determined: McQueen is highly competitive to the point of doing what it takes to win.
- Confident/Cocky: McQueen believes in his ability to win, which led to him having quite an ego.
- Believes in the Power of Friendship: Despite his occasional moments of annoyance towards Mater, McQueen deeply values him as his best friend to the point of openly admitting to him that their friendship matters to him more than anything else.
- Possesses Plot Armor: In the third film, McQueen survives his injuries after crashing during his race.
- Short-Tempered: Though normally easygoing, McQueen has moments of being irritated and provoked, specifically when it comes to Doc's snarky remarks and Mater's stupidity.
- Has Rivals/Mentors: Chick Hicks and Jackson Storm are his main rivals and McQueen is mentored by Doc Hudson and Smokey.
- Has an Idol: Though he didn't have much respect for Doc at first, McQueen eventually begins to look up to him after learning about his accomplishments from his career as a race-car.
- Mischievous: While not as open about it as Mater, McQueen has a smart-alecky attitude and is more often than not willing to participate in Mater's antics.
- Rebellious: McQueen refuses to rebuild the road he had damaged as Doc demands him to at first.
- Is a Primary-Color Champion: McQueen has a vivid red paint job with a yellow lightning bolt motif on his sides as well as having blue eyes.
- Is a Challenge Seeker: McQueen will take on any challenge in order to become a better racer.
- Is a Mascot with Attitude: McQueen is known being a bit of a hotshot due to his sometimes cocky attitude, has a thing for speed and enjoys racing.
Mater[]
- Heroic/Honorable: Mater has saved the world from Miles Axlerod, who attempts to create an oil monopoly and rule the world by harming race cars.
- Courageous/Reckless: Mater risks his life in order to stop a bomb implanted on him from exploding.
- Energetic: Mater is highly excitable and hyperactive.
- Unintelligent: Though he has moments of being street-smart, Mater is overall quite naive, inattentive, impulsive and generally dense.
- Optimistic: While he has moments of depressions and self-doubt, Mater is overall a very cheerful person.
- Determined: Mater refuses to back down from a fight, no matter the odds stacked against him.
- Confident: Mater has a lot of faith in himself despite acknowledging that he is not the smartest in the world.
- Believes in the Power of Friendship: Mater views McQueen as his best friend, going as far as wanting him to join on his adventures and caring for his well-being.
- Possesses Plot Armor: If he didn't know that Axlerod could deactivate it, Mater would die from an explosion via a bomb implanted on him.
- Mischievous: Mater enjoys pulling pranks on his enemies.
- Forgiving: Mater forgives McQueen for lashing out at him.
- Is a True Hero: As a result of saving the world, Mater gets honored by the Queen.
- Is an Underdog: Mater starts out as a ordinary tow truck with no espionage experience before becoming a hero who saved the world.
Verdict?[]
Yes. McQueen's arc to be the best in the world mirrors a typical Shonen story. As for Mater, the second film showcases a zero to hero arc in his case.