Cars franchise character index
First Film | Second Film | Third Film
Cars Race-O-Rama | Planes films
First Film | Second Film | Third Film
Cars Race-O-Rama | Planes films
Characters page for Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue.
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Introduced in Planes
Propwash Junction
Dusty Crophopper
Voiced by: Dane Cook
Basis: Air Tractor AT802
.
.A crop duster from the small airport town of Propwash Junction, Dusty dreams of one day competing in the "Wings Around the Globe" rally. Unfortunately for him, he's not built for high speeds let alone racing, and has a rather crippling fear of heights despite being a plane himself. Still, he's got the determination, and that, along with some help from his friends and a bit of luck, may just see him through to his goal.
- Acrophobic Bird: He's afraid of heights. He gets over it by the climax.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S": Has "D7" written on his upper tail flap.
- Costume Evolution: His progression from crop duster to racer is reflected in his body modifications. First, he has the Jolly Wrench's emblem sprayed near his nosecone, along with a "D7" on his tail. By the time he gets to Germany, he ditches his sprayer and gains his number 7. Finally when he is repaired in Mexico, part of his Super Mode features retractable landing gear and tip tanks on his wings.
- Despair Event Horizon:
- After his crash into the ocean damages him too much to stay in the race.
- He suffers another one in the sequel when the replacement gearbox he was told was being shipped never arrived and was lost somewhere.
- Disney Death: Almost dies as a result of his gearbox failing completely thanks to his Heroic Sacrifice as described below. He’s fully repaired by Maru, and awakens five days after the accident.
- Disqualification-Induced Victory: He manages to get into the Wings Around the Globe tournament because the qualifying max 5th place contestant Fonzarelli cheated with nitro fuel, and since Dusty was in 6th place, he'd move to 5th, automatically qualifying.
- Expy: Unsurprisingly, of Lightning McQueen. Both are rookie racers and eventually become legends, both are humiliated by an opponent who’s painted green (Ripslinger and Chick Hicks), both have a mentor who’s painted deep blue and had a former job in the past (Skipper and Doc Hudson) who they refer to as "Old Timer" at some point, both overcome a negative trait they’ve had throughout their lives (Dusty’s acrophobia, Lightning’s arrogance), both suffer near-fatal accidents that question the future of their respective careers (Lightning crashes during the Los Angeles 500, Dusty’s reduction gearbox fails), both meet someone who refers to them as "Champ" (Blade Ranger and Jackson Storm), both have a yellow-painted female supporter who idolizes them (Lil Dipper and Cruz), and both manage to save their careers and gain a second one as well. Strangely enough, while the first Cars movie came out before Planes (and therefore it makes sense that Dusty would be the Expy) the second installment of Planes was released three years before the third one of Cars that actually steals a lot from it, leading you to wonder just what happened during production...
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Has cerulean eyes which represent his love of flying and gutsy personality.
- Ironic Fear: He's a plane; ironically, he's afraid of heights.note He gets over it in the climax of the first film.
- Luke Nounverber: Dusty Crophopper. He's a crop duster. Very subtle indeed.
- The Hero: Of the Planes spinoff.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the climax of Fire and Rescue, he sacrifices himself by pushing himself up a waterfall to refill his pontoons so he can save Harvey and Winnie from the fire. As a result, his gearbox fails completely and he collapses, but Maru rebuilds him along with a refurbished handmade gearbox in return.
- Nice Guy: He goes out of his way to help a blinded Bulldog to land safely. This trait endears him to the other racers, who later donate parts to him after his near-fatal dive into the ocean.
- Rags to Riches: He is first introduced as a crop duster working in a field but slowly progresses into a racing plane over the course of the race. By the second film, he's become a full-fledged racing legend.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Delivers a really good one to Ripslinger following his Turbo redesign, showing he's no longer afraid of him and doesn't care how others think of him participating.
- Super Mode: His Turbo redesign after he gets rebuilt using the donated parts counts as one because most of the parts are superior to the ones he was working with before he crashed. He even gains the ability to retract his landing gear so that he can fly fast enough to catch Ripslinger, Ned, and Zed during the final leg of the race.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: His #7 and the skull-and-crosswrench emblem.
- Unfortunate Names: Of the Phrase Name variety. Probably part of the reason that he entered the qualifying race under a cooler name, Strut Jetstream.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- He gives one to Ishani after finding out that she set him up and almost getting him killed, despite her saying that she didn't intentionally mean to hurt him.
Dusty: You set me up.Ishani: Look, I didn't ever meant to hurt you.Dusty: Why?Ishani: It's complicated, ok?Dusty: You could have got me killed out there today!Ishani: I really thought that you just turn around.Dusty: (angrily) Well you were wrong, and I was wrong about you.- He also gives one to Skipper after finding out that he lied to him about his war record, breaking the Jolly Wrenchers' motto "Volo Pro Vertias" (which means telling the truth).
Dusty: One mission. So much for Volo Pro Vertias.
Skipper
Voiced by: Stacy Keach
Basis: Vought F4U Corsair
An old war veteran shacked up at Propwash Junction, he is initially reclusive and hasn't been seen flying in years, instead being wheeled around by his assistant Sparky. When Dusty requests his assistance in training him for the "Wings Around the Globe" rally, he initially refuses, but soon begrudgingly accepts to train the aspiring young racer.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After he revealed his tragic past to Dusty, he asked Dusty this question:Skipper: If you knew the truth about my past, would you have ask me to train you?
- Big Damn Heroes: Arrives just in time to pull Ripslinger off Dusty before he and his minions can bump Dusty out of the race.
- Blue Is Heroic: He is desaturated, navy blue and is one of the protagonists of the story.
- Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in the Cars Short "Air Mater."
- Expy: Of Doc Hudson.
- Mentor Archetype: Serves as Dusty's mentor and crew chief following his victory at the Wings Around The Globe.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Lost his entire squadron during the battle of Glendalcanal.
- Throwing Off the Disability: Due to his advanced age (he is a WWII vet after all) he is apparently no longer in flight-worthy condition,* and has to be wheeled around by his assistant Sparky with his wings in the "stowed" position. He almost takes off for the first time in years at one point to invoke this trope, but then decides against it. Later it is revealed that he can fly, but cannot bring himself to due to the trauma of losing his squadron at Glendalcanal. When Dusty is being attacked by Ripslinger in the final race, he finally overcomes his guilt and takes to the skies again to save him.
Sparky
Voiced by: Danny Mann
Basis: Military Forklift, though he bears a superficial resemblance to the Hyster H60 series.
.A forklift and Skipper's assistant.
- Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in the Cars Short "Air Mater." Counts as Early Installment Character-Design Difference too, because he is recolored a solid gray in the "Planes" movies.
- Older Than He Looks: He doesn’t look or sound as old as Skipper, yet he was his medic in WWII.
- Undying Loyalty: He was a Navy medic that served on the USS Flysenhower with Skipper. After Skipper's accident, he stayed with Skipper and still helps him in the present day.
Chug
Voiced by: Brad Garrett
Basis: 1950's Ford F1 Tanker Truck*
A fuel truck and Dusty's best friend.
- Boisterous Bruiser: Although he isn't seen doing actually bruising, as a fuel truck, he's big, and he's definitely one of the most cheerful and friendly characters in the movie, though don't call him leaky.
- Expy: Of Mater. He is a big good-hearted friend of the main character who happens to be a truck. He’s not as ditzy as Mater though.
- Genius Bruiser: He is also the one who notices Ripslinger's habit of banking towards the cameras at the end of races he won, and notifies Dusty of said habit, which ends up being a major factor in helping Dusty win the race. Given how much a Forgetful Jones he is, this may be closer to Genius Ditz.
- Forgetful Jones: This guy forgets who "Strut Jetstream" is until Dusty shows up even though he was the one to sign Dusty up for the qualifying rounds under that name, and Dottie has to practically walk his memory by the hand for him to remember that the group is going to Mexico.
Dottie
Voiced by: Teri Hatcher
Basis: Hyster H60 Series Forklift, much like Sparky without the military markings.
A mechanic at Propwash Junction.
- Anger Born of Worry: When she discovers Dusty has been practice-racing again, she gets mad, telling him how he could damage himself if he pushes it too far.
- Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.Dottie: I got a love-hate relationship with you, Dusty. Love that you're my best customer, hate what you're doing to yourself.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She is light purple.
- Is the Answer to This Question "Yes"?: Dottie pulls this but ends up having to be direct because her question was so inside her area of expertise nobody else in the scene could tell the answer.
Leadbottom
Voiced by: Cedric the Entertainer
Basis: Boeing-Stearman Model 75
A dirt-loving old biplane and Dusty's boss during his crop dusting days. He balks at Dusty's lofty goal of being a racer, preferring that he focus on what he was made for.
- Mean Boss: Leadbottom may not be the worst kind of example. But he never shows any support for Dusty when he wants to be racer. In the second film, when he gets word of Dusty being unable to race, he immediately tries to get him back to crop dusting. Even though it's clear that Dusty doesn't want to do it anymore.
- No Social Skills: Leadbottom’s social skills are without a doubt terrible. He always talks about how good smelly vitaminamulch is, despite others being disgusted by it, and is only concerned about Crop Dusting.
Mayday
Voiced by: Hal Holbrook
The fire truck of Propwash Junction. While a dedicated citizen and firetruck for Propwash Junction, his age and state of mild disrepair makes him unfit for serving as the sole fire vehicle in town. Still, he does what he can, despite the odds.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Also doubling as an Ascended Extra, he appeared in the first movie as a non-speaking background character. He gets more attention in the second film, where he gets an upgrade so he can keep up with modern safety standards.
- The Glasses Gotta Go: Loses his glasses as part of Dottie's upgrade.
- Meaningful Name: He's named after the distress call used in radio communications during emergencies.
Wings Around the Globe racers
El Chupacabra
Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui
Basis: Gee Bee Model R Sportster
A Mexican racing plane, he's one of the fastest prop racers ever built. Appropriately, he's an aerial version of the Masked Luchador.
- Berserk Button: Don’t make fun of his name, otherwise he’ll shame you.
- Cape Swish: He dramatically swishes his cape at anyone shamed by him. No one takes it seriously though.
- Cool Mask: He wears a green luchador mask.
- Never Bareheaded: He never takes his mask off once.
- No Guy Wants to Be Chased: When he successfully serenades Rochelle with Dusty's help, he quickly finds that it worked a little too well.
- Dusty: (noticing El Chupacabra is covered in kiss marks) What happened to you?El Chupacabra: That song; It flipped a switch. (gets dragged away by Rochelle for more kisses before pulling himself away) She is like a jaguar now. (gets pulled away again) Be gentle with me!
- Only Friend: El Chu is the only racer other than Ishani and Rochelle who doesn’t insult Dusty when he checks in.
Ripslinger
Voiced by: Roger Craig Smith
Basis: Custom-built carbon-fiber racing plane, a hybrid of a Zivko Edge, a Corvus Racer, a Nemesis NXT, and the P-51 racing plane "Precious Metal"
, a Corvus Racer, a Nemesis NXT, and the P-51 racing plane "Precious Metal"A famous racing plane and one of Dusty's inspirations for becoming a racer. However, he is actually an arrogant narcissist who is dismissive of a "Farm-boy" like Dusty aspiring to race like him.
- Achilles' Heel: As shown on the instant replay of his past wins, Ripslinger always slows down and leans for the cameras whenever he crosses the line. Chug discovers this big weakness and Dusty uses this to his advantage which allows him to finally pass Ripslinger and win.
- Attention Whore: As mentioned in Achilles' Heel, he decelerates and leans for the cameras whenever he approaches the finish line, all to sate his want for admiration.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of Planes, and Dusty's main rival.
- Broken Pedestal: Dusty admired him at first. Ishani also said that he was "once a great champion."
- Catchphrase: "You're caught in the Rip-tide!"
- Character Tic: Every time he reaches the finish, he leans to the side so the cameras can "get his good side". Chug eventually discovers this, which Dusty takes advantage of to win.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Dusty takes advantage of his habit of leaning toward the cameras as he flies toward the finish line, flying past him and winning the race.
- Humiliation Conga: Not only does he lose the race, but, still reeling from the shock, he crashes into some portajohns. Covered in used oil, he is carted past the crowd and the cameras, and has to endure Roper's Toilet Humor taunts about his stench.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In the videogame, his missions center around him committing acts of vandalism. In the ending, Skipper reveals he was caught in the act and suspended.
Ishani
Voiced by: Priyanka Chopra
Basis: Beechcraft 2000 Starship
A beautiful racing plane from India who has become the Pan-Asian champion.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Receives this from Dusty when he learns she made a deal to trick him into nearly falling back, which almost led to him getting killed.
- Flight of Romance: With Dusty. Except it was part of a deal she made with Ripslinger to trick Dusty into falling behind.
- Heel–Face Turn: She quickly regrets tricking Dusty. She makes up for it by donating the rotor Ripslinger gave her to him so he can get back in the race.
- Implied Love Interest: To Dusty. He is heavily implied to have a crush on her, and the two have a sort of Flight of Romance over India.
Bulldog
Voiced by: John Cleese
Basis: De Havilland DH.88 Comet
The oldest racer on the circuit, hailing from Great Britain.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Being guided by Dusty to the end of the second leg after getting oil all over his windshield is what gives him a change of heart and considers Dusty one of them.
- Cool Old Guy: He is the oldest racer and is also generally nice.
- Eye Scream: Gets oil spilt all over his eyes after springing a leak in a windstorm during the second leg. Dusty manages to guide him to the end.
- I Am Very British: He says a lot of stereotypical British dialect and even has the Union Jack implemented into his paint job,
- I Owe You My Life: Said this exact words after Dusty saved him.
- Quintessential British Gentleman
- Stiff Upper Lip: He tries to insist he doesn't cry because he's British (though it's obvious he is crying grateful tears).
Rochelle
Voiced by: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Basis: Bay Super V, a conversion of the Beechcraft Bonanza.
, a conversion of the Beechcraft Bonanza.A French-Canadian rally champ and El Chupacabra's love interest.
- "No. Just… No" Reaction: Her initial reaction to seeing El Chu singing "Love Machine". When he does a Softer and Slower Cover, she approves.Rochelle: No, no, no, no, no. A thousand nos.
- Pink Means Feminine: She's bright pink.
Ned and Zed
Voiced by: Gabriel Iglesias
Basis: Zivko Edge 540 and the MX Aircraft MXS.
and the MX Aircraft MXS.Ripslinger's henchmen from New Zealand.
- Conjoined Twins: According to Dottie, it’s rumored they were born as one plane, but separated at birth.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: To tell the two apart, Ned's paint scheme is green in front and white in behind, while Zed's is the opposite.
- Theme Twin Naming: Both their names end in “-ed”.
Announcers and Authority
Judge Davis
Voiced by: Jonathan Adams
Basis: Either an early North American P-51 Mustang, a Curtiss P-40, or a combination of the two. His design is based on "Ina: the Macon Belle", a P-51C Mustang flown by Lt. Col. Lee "Buddy" Archer of the 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen).
, a Curtiss P-40, or a combination of the two. His design is based on "Ina: the Macon Belle", a P-51C Mustang flown by Lt. Col. Lee "Buddy" Archer of the 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen).- Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in the Cars Short "Air Mater."
Roper
Voiced by: Sinbad
Basis: Nondescript Propane/Natural Gas Forkift; similar in appearance to the "Pitties" seen in Cars
A fork lift who acts as referee and commentator for the Wings Around The Globe rally.
Introduced in Planes: Fire & Rescue
Piston Peak Air Attack
Blade Ranger
Voiced by: Ed Harris
Basis: AgustaWestland AW139
A fire & rescue helicopter who is the chief of the Piston Peak Air Attack Squadron. He is initially dismissive of Dusty as a celebrity, but nonetheless reluctantly accepts the responsibility of training him as a Fire & Rescue aircraft.
- A Father to His Men: He has never left anyone behind, not since his best friend Nick died in a fateful accident that made him quit his life as a TV actor.
- Big Good: Is the Chief of the Air Attack Team
- Body Horror: When a fire forces him and Dusty to hide in a nearby mine, Blade Ranger uses his body to shield Dusty from the heat, which causes some serious burn melt on his left side. This is the equivalent of a second-to-third degree burn to a human.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His days on CHoPs came to an end when there was an accident on set and lost his co-star Nick Lopez as a result.
- Deadpan Snarker: Dusty seems to bring this out in him as the crop duster-turned-racer botches things up during his training.
- Dynamic Entry: When he first appears, he flies out of the smoke. He also does this when he comes to help Dusty rescue a couple of old campers stuck on a bridge.
- Grumpy Old Man: A veteran helicopter who does not hesitate to trash talk people who make him upset.
- Perpetual Frowner: A smile on him is rarely seen.
- They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: When Cab refers to him as "Blazin' Blade", the others secretly show Dusty how Blade Ranger used to be a TV star, but have no idea why he quit and became a firefighter aside from speculation. They do however make it clear that if he's not going to tell them, then they won't pry.Dynamite: Whatever the reason is, it's his business, and we're not asking."
Lil' Dipper
Voiced by: Julie Bowen
Basis: Grumman G-21 Goose and Canadair CL-415 Superscooper
and Canadair CL-415 SuperscooperA water scooper plane and Dusty's biggest fan.
- Stalker with a Crush: Bloody hell, does she have it bad for Dusty. She even likes watching him sleep.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Huge Girl to Dusty's Tiny Guy.
Windlifter
Voiced by: Wes Studi
Basis: Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane
A soft-spoken Cherokee heavy-lift helicopter.
- Emotionless Boy: He doesn't manage to crack a single emotion when speaking.
- Gentle Giant: Owing to his "Skycrane" basis model, he is an absolutely massive helicopter, but is very soft-spoken and calm.
- Perpetual Frowner: He doesn't smile that much. Despite this, he is actually quite gentle and good-natured.
- The Stoic: As noted above, its a rare day when he displays any kind of emotion.
Maru
Voiced by: Curtis Armstrong
Basis: Possibly a Hyster-series forklift with offroad tires and headlights added for rough terrain.
The forklift who acts as Piston Peak Air Attack Squadron's local mechanic and repair-car.
- Catchphrase: "It's better than new!"
The Smokejumpers
Voiced by: Regina King (Dynamite), Matt L Jones (Drip), Danny Pardo (Blackout), Bryan Callen (Avalanche), Corri English (Pinecone)
Bases: Dynamite is based on a single-cab offroad-equipped Volkswagen Amarok; Drip, Blackout, and Avalanche are based on tracked Skid-steers with various blade attachments; Pinecone is based on a telescopic handler.
; Drip, Blackout, and Avalanche are based on tracked Skid-steers with various blade attachments; Pinecone is based on a telescopic handler.A group of ATVs who work on the ground during fire emergencies.
- Furry Confusion: Unlike the other tractors and construction vehicles in the series, they're anthropomorphized.
- No Indoor Voice: Avalanche screams everything he says.
- Odd Name Out: Drip's name is the only one of the group that isn't related to a disaster, incident or foliage.
- Two Girls to a Team: Dynamite and Pinecone are the only girls on the team.
Cabbie
Voiced by: Dale Dye
A veteran USAF airplane who transports the Smokejumpers. Based on the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar.
- Old Soldier: Supplementary material confirms he was a veteran of the Korean War. Additionally, his fuselage sports faded marks that indicate his former job in the US Air Force.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He frequently trades barbs with the Smokejumpers, but he works closely with them as a tight-knit team.
Around Piston Peak
Cad Spinner
Voiced by: John Michael Higgins
Basis: Combination of a 2002-2006 model and a a 2007-2014 model Cadillac Escalade, and a Pontiac Torrent front grille design
, and a Pontiac Torrent front grille designThe Superintendent of the National Park.
- Hate Sink: It's made clear In-Universe that Blade Ranger and his team don't like him either, as he disregards the safety guidelines of the park. In the end, even his own secretary André quits working for him when he redirects all the water to the Fusel Lodge, an action that almost resulted in hundreds of his own customers at risk of burning to their deaths in the wildfire.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: His plan to save the lodge backfired on him when the Secretary of the Interior presumably found out, resulting in his replacement as Superintendent by the veteran park ranger, Ol' Jammer, as well as his demotion and reassignment to Death Valley.
- Hypocrite: You have no right to be calling anyone a "bumper-kisser", guy.
- It's All About Me: The very thing that motivates his character. Cad is only nice to the customers and keeps them happy so that they would like him, and gets foul-tempered when things don't go his way. And he's very much not happy when he's demoted and forced to welcome visitors to Death Valley while under the hot, beating sun.
- Jerkass: He regularly acts like one. To start, he treats his workers poorly, such as one instance where he threatens to fire someone for not buying the crystal glasses he wanted. He also reminds Blade Ranger of his previous career as "Blazin' Blade" where his best friend perished, argues with Pulaski about his name, and refuses to listen to any warnings about the dangers of the raging wildfires. And to top it off, redirecting the water line to the Fusel Lodge as one of his workers warns him that the firefighters need water to make retardant, and calling him "what's-your-name".
- Lack of Empathy: To the point where he willingly hogs the water from the firefighters so he can keep the Fusel Lodge for himself.
- Meaningful Name: "Cad" is probably supposed to be short for "Cadillac" (though his grille design is closer to a Pontiac Torrent) but the shortened form is very fitting.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: This rich car often makes Blade's job far more difficult than it already is, and the climatic deadly forest fire traces back to his actions, including hogging the water to keep Fusel Lodge for himself.
- Offscreen Karma: Zigzagged. How the Secretary of the Interior had him reassigned and replaced happened offscreen while Dusty was being repaired, but his fate is shown in The Stinger.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Reassigned to Death Valley as a park ranger.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Nothing he does makes Blade's job easier and his actions are indirectly responsible for the massive fire that engulfs the forest in the climax and almost kills the tourists.
Harvey and Winnie
A married RV couple.
- Happily Married: And happily retired!
- Meaningful Name: "Winnie" is a shorthand nickname for Winnebago Industries, and tends to be colloquial for their motorhome series.
