Design for the Road in ‘Cars 2’

FOR the sequel to its 2006 film, “Cars,” Pixar Animation Studios once again takes to the streets to bring vehicles to life. But the roads this time are filled with considerably more adventure, excitement and peril. Think of shaken, not stirred. The plot of “Cars 2,” opening Friday, bears more resemblance to an entry in the James Bond franchise than it does to the original film.

Lightning McQueen, the little race car that could (voiced by Owen Wilson), returns, along with his tow-truck friend, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The two head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix, a race to determine the fastest car on the planet. Along the way Mater is mistaken for an American agent and becomes caught up in a global spy conspiracy that takes him, and the story, to Tokyo, London, Paris and a new city created for the film, an Italian spot called Porto Corsa. Michael Caine joins the cast as the voice of the British spy Finn McMissile, along with Emily Mortimer as the rookie operative Holley Shiftwell.

Live-action espionage films often involve extensive location shoots, and Pixar sought ways to give the movie that grand scale. The film’s director, John Lasseter (who is also chief creative officer of both Pixar and Disney), and his production team did their own kind of location scouting: traveling to several of the cities their characters visit and cataloging details for use in the movie’s visual strategy.

Following is a closer look at three of the cities, with thoughts from the production designer, Harley Jessup, and Mr. Lasseter on how the locations were adapted for a driverless universe of cars. MEKADO MURPHY