What kind of car is Guido?
Guido, one of the most adorable and iconic characters from the hit Disney Pixar Cars franchise, is a passionate Italian forklift with big dreams. Specifically, he is a light blue forklift modeled after a 1959 BMW Isetta design.
Backstory and Personality: An Endearing Italian Dreamer
Right from his first scene, Guido won over audiences with his infectious enthusiasm and charm. As the best friend and eager assistant to Fiat 500 Luigi at the local Radiator Springs tire shop, Guido shares Luigi‘s obsession with Ferraris and dreams of performing a live pit stop on a real Ferrari racer.
Though he has a broken English vocabulary, Guido‘s expressive body language and energetic sound effects make him a lovable character. His over-the-top reaction to flashing the Michael Schumacher Ferrari‘s headlights is nothing short of epic. It‘s no wonder Guido quickly became a fan-favorite – he represents every racing fan who dreams big.
Importance to the Cars Storyline
While pint-sized, Guido plays a crucial role across the Cars movies as the lead pit crew member keeping Lightning McQueen in top racing form. The scene of Guido creatively using tools and forklift arms to rapidly change Lightning‘s tires in seconds is both hilarious and emotional, showing his dedication behind the scenes.
In many ways, Guido is the heart of the pit crew – when he is briefly fired in Cars 2 for his team‘s failure, it‘s a tearjerking moment. Fans undoubtedly cheered when Guido was reinstated for his undeniable loyalty and competence. Between his comedic scenes yelling enthusiastic nonsense to his pure expressions of joy or sadness, Guido adds a special energy at pivotal storybeats.
Based on a Real-Life Vehicle: The BMW Isetta
Guido takes inspiration from the iconic BMW Isetta, a tiny egg-shaped microcar built in the 1950s and 60s. Like Guido, the Isetta had a charming, almost cartoonish look with a single front door and small wheels compared to its body. BMW took a creative approach fitting all the car components into this novel bubble car shape that was practical for economical personal urban transportation.
No doubt Pixar‘s artists recognized the visual humor and appeal of basing a character on this uniquely designed vehicle. It echoes Guido‘s distinct personality as a tiny forklift with outsized Ferrari racing dreams.
Cultural Impact: Beloved Character of the Cars Franchise
A quick search online reveals endless Guido fan art, toys, t-shirts and memes shared between nostalgic Cars fans. Over a decade since the first Cars film release, Guido remains one of the most popular characters. Fans distinctly recall his expressive mannerisms and zany pit stop antics.
Clearly Guido connects with audiences young and old due to his lovable underdog spirit in pursuing his passion. He adds so much heart and levity that takes the Cars story a notch above other animated franchises. It‘s no wonder that diehard Pixar fans rank Guido as an all-time great animated character.
Appearances Beyond the Films
Given his widespread popularity after the original Cars film, Guido unsurprisingly returned for the sequels Cars 2 and Cars 3 in central pit crew roles bringing his signature energy. Cars creator John Lasseter remarked that animating Guido remained as fun as ever each time.
Guido also regularly appears in various Cars shorts, video games, merchandise and was even the star of a Disney on Ice show. For devoted Cars fans, getting to know and love Guido across his filmography and expanded content is a special treat.
What‘s Next for Guido?
With the Cars franchise revving up again recently for the next generation, many fans speculate and hope that the series‘ heart in Guido will return too. Could Guido fulfill his Ferrari pit stop dreams in a future Cars storyline or short? Might animators have even more creative hi-jinks in store taking advantage of Guido‘s unique forklift body? One thing is certain – Guido would race to any screen time again!
