Joe Ranft played the fire truck Red in Cars before his death, making it his last major Pixar character, but I’ve noticed in the film that his character never really says anything except when he starts crying. Was Red always intended to be shy, or did they change his character a bit because Joe was no longer there to do his voice?
Hmmm… Good question.
I honestly believe pixar made his character as the shy and sensitve type. I don’t really think it had anything to do with Joe, shrug No idea, did he die soon after Cars was made? Or sometime in the middle of the process?
He was in a car accident in 2005, so maybe it was close to when they were getting finished.
That’s an interesting question. I’d say that because of the timing, Pixar just intended Red to be a shy character anyway, but it’s difficult to know for certain.
Yeah, I agree. I always saw him to be a big car with a big heart, but with a small voice. His caring actions speak for him. But… when he gets too emotional, obviously it’s shown a little more than usual, lol. So, I never really saw it having to do with Joe’s death. It’s just his personality. They needed a quieter car after having all those outgoing cars anyway! 
I’m thinking that since Joe died near the end of production, they probably had what they wanted for Red’s voice. I think Red was just meant to be a shy character.
According to a televised interview I saw with John Lassetter, Red was originally supposed to have speaking lines, but Joe Ranft was tragically killed before he got the chance to record those lines. Out of respect for Joe, Pixar decided that Red would not speak, since his “voice” had been taken away.
It was a symbolic representation of a voice that had been silenced too soon.
pitbulllady