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| “ | Luigi only follow the Ferraris. | „ |
| ~ Luigi. |
Luigi is a supporting character in the Cars franchise.
He runs the local tire shop at Radiator Springs with his assistant Guido. After meeting racecar Lightning McQueen, Luigi and Guido would go to be members of McQueen's pit crew where they help change the racecar's tires.
He is voiced by Tony Shalhoub, who also voiced Aradesh in Fallout and portrays Adrian Monk in the USA Network show, Monk. In the Japanese dub from the movie, he is voiced by Girolamo Panzetta.
Description
Personality
Luigi has a kind-hearted and flamboyant personality. He wishes to sell his tires to cars and will get upset when no car buys a tire or wants them for free. Luigi has a vast knowledge of tires and has a tendency to know what type of tires customers truly need as evidenced that Luigi gave Lightning McQueen a set of whitewall tires, knowing they would look good on McQueen. Luigi also has a huge love for racing, especially for Ferrari races by quoting "Luigi follow only the Ferraris." However, after meeting McQueen, Luigi was honored to change a racecar's tires and supported him during his Piston Cup races where he became a member of McQueen's pit crew.
Physical appearance
Luigi is a yellow 1959 Fiat 500 with chrome rims, a black sunroof that is modified to look like his hair, and brown eyes. In the first film, Luigi briefly wears a red hat covered in pins of the Ferrari symbol and of the Italian flag and holds a red flag with the Ferrari symbol on it.
Powers and abilities
Luigi has a vast knowledge of tires and everything related to them. Whenever they go missing, Luigi is eager to find them, at one point even exploring all around Carburetor County on his own just to hunt them down.
According to Cars: Mater-National Championship, he is apparently a good racer, with good acceleration and handling, though his boost is weak.
Biography
Background
Many years ago, Luigi and Guido had been working at a tire shop named Luigi's Casa Della Tires. They and the rest of the Radiator Springs residents used to attract a number of customers until the Interstate 40 was built to bypass the town, leaving it and Route 66 forgotten.
Cars
Luigi and the rest of the residents are spending their time, when they see a racecar named Lightning McQueen being chased through the town and unknowingly destroying the main road while being attached to the statue of the town's founder Stanley. Luigi is cross with McQueen the next day and agrees with Sally that McQueen should fix the road with a road-paving machine named Bessie since Luigi won't be able to sell his tires if the road is not fixed. By the mention of McQueen being a racecar, Luigi is pleased by the fact that he and Guido are fans of racing, but it soon turns out that McQueen is not a Ferrari, since Luigi only watches Ferrari racing.
When Van and Minny come through Radiator Springs while trying to find the Interstate, Guido and Luigi attempt to get them to buy tires, but they decline everyone's attempt to buy something. Guido and the other residents get unhappy when McQueen causes the road's new tarmac to get sloppy and bumpy due to pulling Bessie too fast but is cheered up by the news that he challenges a race against Doc Hudson because he attempts to perform a pit stop. This attempt, however, fails after McQueen points out what Sheriff said about the race is only one lap. Despite this, Luigi excitedly starts the race where McQueen, but notices that Doc stayed at the starting line. Luigi tries to help Doc go on with the race, but watches Doc drive with Mater come to the sight where McQueen falls into a cactus pit, leaving Doc to finish the race and forcing McQueen to repave the road at a much slower speed.
When part of the road is fixed the next day, Luigi is captivated by the new road, believing it to have been paved by angels. When Lizzie remarks that the new road makes his shop look like a dump, Luigi is offended by her comment until he notices how old and unkept his store looks, making Luigi realize that Lizzie is right. So Luigi and Guido begin polishing their tire shop, even being congratulated by Sally. The next day, McQueen tells everyone that Doc used to be a racer, but none of them believe him, having not been told by Doc before. That evening, a stampede of tractors comes into Radiator Springs, and Luigi tries to stop a tractor from eating radial tires and have it eat snow tires.
The next morning, everyone sees that the road has been completed and there is no sign of McQueen. Immediately, McQueen turns up, having decided not to leave yet because he wants to help out the residents after hearing about what happened to the town when the Interstate was built. When McQueen says he wants to buy new tires before he leaves for California, Luigi becomes overjoyed to have a customer for the first time in years that he gives McQueen a hug. McQueen asks for a set of blackwall tires, but Luigi refuses, saying that he knows what McQueen wants: a set of whitewall tires. McQueen takes Luigi's advice and Luigi has Guido perform a pit stop to give McQueen a set of whitewall tires. It also turns out that the neon lights of every building have been fixed, and everyone decides to take a cruise around, until the press arrives to take McQueen to the final Piston Cup race of the season, due to Doc calling them after being displeased by the fact that McQueen did not leave. However, Doc regrets his decision when he sees how sad everyone is about McQueen leaving and informs his friends his old days of being a race car.
At the Los Angeles International Speedway, Luigi shows up with the Radiator Springs folk to help Lightning during the race. When Chick Hicks' pit crew begins to tease Guido by telling him that he is not fit for changing tires, Luigi stops him from speaking against them, saying that he will soon have his chance. During the race, Chick purposely punctures McQueen's tire, bringing out the pace car. With no time to lose, Guido performs a very quick pit stop, lasting four seconds, making McQueen able to get back on the track in front of the pace car. His performance also leaves Chick's pit crew shocked and their grilles, which represent mustaches, to fall off. Luigi congratulates his friend for making an excellent pit stop.
On the final lap, McQueen gets into the lead, and the whole townsfolk cheer on for him before Chick purposely rams The King off the track. When McQueen sees this, he screeches to a halt before he could cross the finish line moments before Chick zooms by and selfishly celebrates his win, leaving Luigi and the others confused, until they see that McQueen is deciding to let The King finish his final race. As a response, Luigi and everyone else congratulates McQueen for his heroism, which results in Chick Hicks being ignored and booed by the media and the fans for his selfish actions as he gets on the podium to claim his trophy.
Soon after the race, Guido and Luigi decide to redecorate their shop, when they notice Ferrari racer Michael Schumacher Ferrari arriving in the store with his friends to buy new tires. Luigi becomes so overjoyed to have a real Ferrari in his shop that he faints. Meanwhile, McQueen sets up his racing headquarters in Radiator Springs, attracting customers once again and allowing Luigi to sell his tires once again while spending quality time with his friends.
Mater and the Ghostlight
Luigi appears, along with the other residents of Radiator Springs, in the short, Mater and the Ghostlight. He listens as Sheriff tells the story of a mythical vehicle called the Ghostlight, scaring the rest of the town, especially Mater. Deciding to pull a practical joke, he and the other townspeople place a lamp on Mater's tow hook, scaring him all the way around Carburetor County.
Cars 2
Radiator Springs resident Luigi is a big-hearted, gregarious and excitable Italian Fiat 500. A tire virtuoso and owner of Luigi's Casa Della Tires, he and his sidekick Guido join Lightning and Mater as members of Team Lightning McQueen for the World Grand Prix. Luigi is also an aficionado and fanatic for all things Italian, and is particularly enchanted with Ferrari race cars. When the competition takes the team to his hometown of Porto Corsa, Italy, Luigi is over the moon to introduce the Radiator Springs crew to his charming village and the wonderful ways of Italy. His family welcomes the gang from Radiator Springs in a big, passionate Italian way: Amore!
Cars Toons
Luigi has a minor role in the Mater's Tall Tales series, appearing along with the other residents of Radiator Springs as background characters. His role in the Tales from Radiator Springs series is slightly more major.
In The Radiator Springs 500½, He is half painted a Honeydew Green, and only has a few lines.
He has half of his paint job changed for the "Stanley Days" celebration that is in honor of Stanley, the town's founder. He later works with Guido to customize McQueen for racing with a group of Baja racers led by Sandy Dunes, before following Mater in his Stanley costume on a leisurely drive
Cars 3
He reappears as McQueens pit crew and came with him for his training. He and Guido later accompany Lightning on his trips to the Rust-eze Racing Center, Fireball Beach, Thunder Hollow Speedway and Thomasville, often serving as a flag car in Lightning's training sessions. He is once again part of Lightning's pit crew at the Florida 500 and serves as the flag car for the race at Willy's Butte.
Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool
In Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool, Luigi makes a cameo when they prepare to go to Radiator Springs.
Pixar Popcorn
Unparalleled Parking, Luigi plays a parking game with his town friends.
Dancing with the Cars, Luigi and Guido dance and the dance continues with their other friends.
Cars on the Road
Dino Park
In the first Cars on the Road episode: Dino Park, Luigi alongside the rest of the Radiator Springs inhabitants are also shocked by the news with some giving input like Fillmore, stating that Mater is a complicated guy. Mater also reveals that he is somewhat reluctant to talk about his sister as he has not seen her in a while and that the two do not get along very well and claims that he is not looking forward for the trip.
Video games
Cars: The Videogame
In Cars: The Videogame, Luigi stars in his own mini-game, Luigi to the Rescue, in which the player controls him as he sets out to find all of the missing tires and return them to the shop within the given time limit. Despite being playable in story mode, he is not controllable in road races and other events in arcade mode, though he will occasionally appear as an opponent.
Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
Luigi appears in the game Luigi's Fantastico Fun!, in which he drops lots of tires so that Guido can catch them with his forklift arms.
Cars: Mater-National Championship
In Cars: Mater-National Championship, Luigi turns Lightning into a monster truck during story mode, after Lightning has gathered all of the needed parts. He also appears as an opponent during races, including Luigi and Guido's Team Relay 1 and Inside the Turkey. He also appears as the opponent in the sixth level of Doc and the Law's Race 'n' Chase.
In arcade mode, Luigi is a playable character, with one alternate paint job to unlock, which is the one he is wearing during the cut-scene for Luigi and Guido's Team Relay 1 in story mode. He stats are 1 for boost, 4 for acceleration, 4 for handling, and 3 for stability.
Cars 2: The Video Game
In Cars 2: The Video Game, Luigi is a playable character that is unlocked from the start of the game. An alternate version of him, titled Team Lightning Luigi, can be unlocked by earning the "Tokyo Vandal" crest. Both versions are light weights, with much more speed than power.
Disney Infinity
In Disney Infinity, Luigi appears as a cast member in the Cars Play Set, as well as an opponent during race challenges. A toy of him can be unlocked for use in the Toy Box, by opening one of the twelve character chests or the Cars Play Set's vault.
Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition
Luigi is unlocked in Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition by purchasing him in the Toy Store or placing one of the Cars figures on the game's base. Additionally, a Toy Box costume version of him can be unlocked in the Toy Box, and being one of the townspeople who give tutorials about the Toy Box.
Cars: Fast as Lightning
Luigi is the sixth unlockable character in Cars: Fast as Lightning, with his races being against Chick Hicks, Todd Marcus, Mater, Fillmore, Snot Rod, Wingo, Carla Veloso and Guido.
Disney Parks
Cars Land
Luigi originally served as the host of Luigi's Flying Tires in Cars Land before it was replaced by Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters. In the ride, the guests will get into their fettuccine tires. When Guido turns on the air compressor, air will come out of the holes, and the tires will float in the air. There are also some beach balls with the colors of the Italian flag in the ride, and Italian music will play.
He also appears in Radiator Springs Racers.When the rider comes to Radiator Springs from tractor tipping with Mater, they will either go into Luigi's Casa Della Tires or Ramone's House of Body Art to welcome racers who enter his store, then he and Guido head to the starting line to start the race.
Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy
In Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, he and Guido briefly appear to change Lightning's tires after Chick lowers his tire pressure.
Trivia
- Tony Shalhoub is actually Lebanese-American, not Italian.
- A yellow car driving by the dentist's office window in Finding Nemo is a reference to Luigi. However, Finding Nemo was released three years before Cars.
- In the teaser for the film Luigi serves as the car waving the checkered flag in the race.
- Luigi is a 1959 Fiat 500. His yellow coloring is a reference to Lupin the Third's yellow 1965 Fiat 500 in Hayao Miyazaki's The Castle of Cagliostro. A similar Fiat 500 in the same color as Luigi would later be featured in the upcoming 2023 action spy movie, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I where it would be driven by Ethan Hunt.
- His license plate is 44.5-10.8, the latitude and longitude of the biggest Ferrari factory in Maranello.
- Several cars of the same model appear when they visit Porto Corsa and Carsoli.
- Luigi, like Ramone and Francesco, often refers to himself in third person.
- Luigi is the same nationality as Tony Shalhoub's past role of Antonio on Wings.
- In the Italian version of the movies, Luigi is voiced by comedian Marco Della Noce, famous for Ferrari-themed sketches.
External Links
- Luigi on the Disney Wiki
- Luigi on the Pixar Wiki
- Luigi on the World of Cars Wiki
- Luigi on the Heroic Benchmark Wiki
 Heroes
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Radiator Springs Racers C.H.R.O.M.E. Propwash Junction Piston Peak National Park Others | ||
