There have been a few teaser trailers for Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3. It looks like it’ll be a darker movie.

I liked the first Cars and cannot remember anything at all about Cars 2.

Here is my pitch for Cars 3, a darker story for a darker time.

The film opens with Lightning McQueen racing around a track and being cocky. And then he crashes. We’ve seen this in the teaser trailer, so I’m sticking with it.

Here’s the twist: McQueen dies. He’s dead. His car isn’t alive anymore.

The car parts are disassembled and recycled as a sad folk song plays. Everyone in the theater is crying. At the recycling plant, we see the metal and plastic of his body being melted down and formed into new material. The recycled metal is made into screws.

We then see a bunch of recycled screws being juggled down an assembly line. We follow a few screws closely, screws we know were once part of Lightning McQueen. Where are they going? The screws are packed up and shipped out. The folk song hits a very low note. Is this the end? Screen goes black as shipping truck door slams.

The door opens. There’s a bright light. The folk song hits a happier chord. Something is happening. But what? The boxes of screws are poured into sorting machines. We follow the same four screws. More assembly lines. More music. Look at the detail on these machines! Pixar loves detail!

And then the screws are picked up and placed into…something.

Camera pulls back. It’s a Buzz Lightyear doll. A new one. With new screws…screws that were once Lightning McQueen’s flesh and bones.

The doll is stiff at first.

When it’s alone in the box, its eyes blink and he looks around. McQueen’s voice speaks, “What? What is going on?”

Cars 3 logo appears on the screen.

Rest of the movie is Lightning McQueen in a Buzz Lightyear body grappling with questions such as: Where did the cars from Cars come from? Do Cars have babies? Is there a Car god? Who makes the toys?

Film ends with Lightning McQueen Lightyear crucified for asking difficult questions. He looks directly at the camera before dying and whispers, “You.”

Also, there’s a big chase scene in a mall parking lot on Black Friday. It’s fun!