Sally Carrera

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Sally Carrera
Cars character
Sally as she appears in Cars
First appearanceCars (2006)
Created byJohn Lasseter
Joe Ranft
Jorgen Klubien
Voiced byBonnie Hunt
Sofie Volez (Cars 3: Driven to Win)
Based onDawn Welch of the Rock Café in Stroud
In-universe information
Species2002 Porsche 996
GenderFemale
OccupationTown attorney, Hotelier
Significant otherLightning McQueen
NationalityAmerican, German

Sally Carrera is a 2002 Porsche 996 Carrera and a major character in the Disney/Pixar Cars film franchise. She is the town attorney for Radiator Springs, having relocated there from California where she was a successful lawyer.[1] She is voiced by Bonnie Hunt.

In Cars, Sally is the love interest of Piston Cup racer Lightning McQueen, whom she first meets when he is sentenced to community service after destroying Radiator Springs' main road. Sally and McQueen's feelings for each other grow stronger throughout Cars, with the two entering a relationship near the end of the film. Sally appears again in Cars 2 and Cars 3 as a supporting character.

Porsche 996 Carrera 4S

Character design

Sally is a 2002 Porsche 996 Carrera on a slightly shortened wheelbase[2][3] and has a pinstripe tattoo on her engine cover. Pixar had initially wanted an older Porsche 911 for the role, but were convinced by Bob Carlson at Porsche to make her the latest model. Pixar's animators, modelers and sound crews obtained access to real Porsche 911 vehicles to meticulously create Sally as an animated Porsche that looks, moves, and responds in a similar manner to the real-life automobile.[4]

"It's the nicest body I've ever had on film. I'm telling you, it's a luxury. I really thought they were going to cast me as a Buick."

— Bonnie Hunt on being Sally, a Porsche[5]

According to director John Lasseter. "Sally is the one modern car in the town of Radiator Springs. She's beautiful. It's interesting that people mostly think of a Porsche as powerful and a guy's car, but the lines on a Porsche are so beautiful that it fits perfectly for the character of Sally."[6] Originally, Sally was intended to be a Ford Mustang, but Pixar animators found that the large grill too closely resembled a mustache.[7]

Background

Sally's personality is based on Dawn Welch of the historic Rock Café on U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma,[8] an advocate of the promotion and restoration of Stroud, Oklahoma after the town had been both bypassed by the Turner Turnpike and heavily damaged by a 1999 F3 tornado. Welch had long traveled cross-country promoting Route 66 and rallying support for keeping it alive.[9] Like Sally, Dawn Welch is a relative newcomer to U.S. Route 66, having left the travel industry to purchase the Rock Café in 1993 and list it on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

"We met people out on Route 66 and we're thinking, at first, 'What are you doing here? You've travelled the world. You're educated. You speak three languages. But you run a restaurant out in the middle of nowhere.' But then, after an hour of having dinner with this person, you think, 'Wow, this is perfect. I'm so glad you're here because you're keeping it alive.'"

— Jonas Rivera, Pixar production chief for Cars[10]

Appearances

Cars (2006)

When Lightning sees Sally in traffic court for the first time, he mistakes her as being from his own attorney's office and attempts to flirt with her. Sally is unamused with Lightning's actions at first and convinces Doc to sentence him to repave the road he destroyed as community service. Sally is later appalled at Lightning after he fails to repave the road correctly, and attends the race between Lightning and Doc at Willie's Butte, in which Lightning loses and crashes into cacti.

Wigwam Village Motel and office, Holbrook, Arizona

Later, Sally starts to warm up to Lightning McQueen after seeing what a good job he has done repaving the road. She offers him to stay at her motel for the night instead of Mater's impound; Lightning readily agrees. The next day, Sally offers Lightning to take a drive with her. She leads him to the Wheel Well Motel, an abandoned motor court in Tailfin Pass that was once the most popular stop on Route 66. It is at the Wheel Well Motel that Sally tells Lightning the story of how she left her life in California for Radiator Springs, and how the town got bypassed and taken off the map by the interstate to save 10 minutes of driving. When Lightning and Sally arrive back to Radiator Springs, she tells him how much she longs to see the town back on the map again with customers and its neon lights shining, which broke down at an unknown time before the events of the film.

When Lightning finishes repaving the road, he surprises everyone in town by saying that he will stay one extra day. When night falls, Sally arrives at the town center to find Lightning stripped of his racing spoiler and outfitted with a new paintjob and whitewall tires. Radiator Springs' neon lights start shining, and the whole town starts cruising to Sh-boom, fulfilling Sally's wish and opening up her love for Lightning McQueen. Suddenly, a swarm of news reporter cars and race officials enter the town and reveal Lightning McQueen's true identity as a famous Piston Cup racer. Sally confronts Lightning before he leaves and parts ways with him, thinking that she will never see him again. After Sally finds out that Doc Hudson gave the authorities Lightning McQueen's location, she admonishes him for sending Lightning away and returns to her motel, turning off the lights at the thought of losing the car who changed her and the other resident's lives.

Sally later watches the tiebreaker race from Radiator Springs with Lizzie and Red while Doc and the other cars go to help Lightning McQueen. She witnesses Lightning help The King after suffering a rollover crash caused by Chick Hicks, and later greets Lightning again at the Wheel Well Motel. Lightning tells Sally that the town has been put back on the map and that he is setting up his racing headquarters there. The two attempt to kiss, but are interrupted by Mater flying in a Dinoco helicopter. The two later race back to Radiator Springs to celebrate the town's newfound popularity. Sally often calls Lightning McQueen "Stickers", at first because of the many stickers covering his body and later as a friendly nickname.

Cars 2 (2011)

In Cars 2, Sally's relationship with Lightning McQueen has grown stronger over time. After Lightning returns to Radiator Springs from a successful Piston Cup season, the two go on a date at the Wheel Well Motel, which has been converted into a restaurant. Soon Sally and Lightning find Mater arguing with Italian racer and World Grand Prix competitor Francesco Bernoulli, who Sally reveals to have an interest in. Lightning goes to defend Mater, and winds up entering himself into the World Grand Prix, which is taking place overseas in three countries. Sally agrees to let Lightning compete but asks him to bring Mater along, telling him that he has never let Mater attend any of his races. Lightning agrees, and Team McQueen heads out to Japan for the first race, leaving Sally with Red, Sheriff, Ramone, Flo, and Lizzie to run Radiator Springs.

Later, Sally travels to London after Lightning calls her asking where Mater is. She stays in the pits when Lightning finds Mater and goes after him trying to apologize, and is shocked when she sees on TV that Mater has rocket jets that allow him to travel at an incredible speed with Lightning McQueen in tow. Sally witnesses Mater uncover Miles Axelrod as the mastermind behind the plot against alternative fuel at Buckingham Palace, and attends Mater's royal knighthood by the Queen of England.

Cars 3 (2017)

In Cars 3, Sally continues to be the love-interest of Lightning McQueen, and attends his races to show support. She is present when Lightning crashes while trying to keep up with the nextgens, and gives Lightning the inspiration to continue racing after he is rebuilt. When Lightning is summoned to the Rust-eze Training Center, Sally chooses to stay with the other cars in Radiator Springs.

At the Florida 500, Sally witnesses firsthand Jackson Storm's rude behavior. Later, Sally celebrates with Lightning after it is revealed that he won the race despite being replaced with Cruz Ramirez, and returns to Radiator Springs where Lightning reveals that he would continue racing but act as Cruz's crew chief for the rest of the season.

See also

References

  1. ^ Disney Pixar's The World of Cars: Meet the Cars. Disney Press. 2008. p. 9. ISBN 978-142311925-8. Charming, intelligent and witty, she became the town attorney.
  2. ^ Mike Hanlon (March 26, 2006). "Disney's cute Porsche - Sally Carrera".
  3. ^ "A-List Auto Shop". Popular Mechanics. October 1, 2009.
  4. ^ Ann M. Job (May 7, 2006). "New movie rekindles love affair with cars". Newhouse News Service. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  5. ^ Daniel Schorn (February 11, 2009). "Bonnie Hunt Is Revved Up In 'Cars'". CBS News.
  6. ^ Lori Bedingfield (June 9, 2006). "Sold on Cars". Jacksonville, Florida Times-Union.
  7. ^ "Pixar's Jay Ward on modern car design and why Sally wasn't a Mustang". 28 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Oklahoma Businesswoman and Route 66 Promoter Dawn Welch Honored by State Senate". Oklahoma State Senate. February 4, 2010.
  9. ^ David Hanigar (August 2006). "Dawn Welch, the Little Blue Porsche". Edmond Outlook. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  10. ^ Larry Edsall; Valerie Höhne (August 2006). "Goodbye, Mustang Sally – Hello, Sally Carrera!". Christophorus Magazine. Porsche AG. pp. 72–78.

External links