Where did Doc Hudson go?
Is it ever implied anywhere exactly what happened to Doc Hudson between the events of Cars and Cars 2? At I've point one of the characters says something like "doc would've been proud of you". I assume the reason for the character's exclusion is because Paul Newman didn't get signed up.
Best Answer
Paul Newman died in September 2008 and, although the pre-production on Cars 2 was already in full swing, he was either too ill or already passed on before it came time to do the voice acting.
The scene you mention in your question is a touching homage to the legend that was Newman.
That said, it would have been nice if George Carlin (Fillmore) (and Joe Ranft (Red) for that matter) had been acknowledged in the same way instead of being replaced.
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What happened with Doc Hudson in Cars 3?
Although Doc has passed away in the story, Lightning hears the Fabulous Hudson Hornet's voice in flashbacks and visions, which required some old dialogue from Newman \u2014 and some, completely new vocalizations.Was there a real Doc Hudson?
Dave Bonbright's fabulous Hornet provided the inspiration for Doc Hudson in the first Cars movie. If you're a fan of the movie Cars, there is no real-life car cooler than this. It's a 1951 Hudson Hornet owned by Dave Bonbright, one of the automotive historians who worked on the Cars films.Is Lightning McQueen related to Doc Hudson?
As Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) comes to terms with his inevitable retirement from racing, we see multiple flashbacks and references to his old mentor Doc Hudson in the film who was quietly killed off screen in between "Cars" and it's 2011 sequel.What happened to the famous Hudson Hornet?
The original Fabulous Hudson Hornet can be found today, fully restored, at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This Hornet is also occasionally used in classic car racing.How Doc Hudson Died (Probably) | Disney Pixar Cars Theory The Fangirl
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Answer 2
In a Time interview with John Lasseter, he spoke about the reasons why Doc's voice wasn't recast;
Cars 2 includes an homage to Paul Newman, whose character, Doc Hudson, was the elder statesman of Radiator Springs. Newman died shortly after making the original Cars, and now the Piston Cup, McQueen’s big race, has been renamed the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup. Did you cast Michael Caine as Finn McMissile to try to fill those elder-statesman shoes?
First of all, Paul Newman and I became very close friends. I loved that man. I went to a number of races with him and shared his love of racing. Every time I went to New York, I would have dinner with him and Joanne. We have lost a few of our voice actors in the past and had to find soundalikes, but I just couldn’t do that because Doc Hudson was Paul Newman.
So, that’s why I say he was Doc Hudson and Doc Hudson was him. So, when we started contemplating the new movie, right away we said: “Let’s just come up with a tasteful way to somehow pay homage to the character and to Paul Newman.” So, we came up with the idea that the big cup that they race for is called The Piston Cup, which became re-named The Hudson Horney Memorial Piston Cup in honour of Doc Hudson and they turned his doctor’s office into a Doc Hudson Museum. So, there’s just a little moment with Mater and McQueen right at the beginning which was my kind of tribute to Paul Newman in the film.
That being said, I know of no source that confirms what the Doc actually died of in-universe (presumably simply of old age or the car equivalent of organ failure)
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