How Senior Anthony Mundle is Connecting Race and the Cars Franchise in His AP Research Project

For all Walls students, junior year marks a decision to either embark on the AP Capstone program, which includes AP Seminar followed by AP Research, or to complete the Walls Senior Project requirement. Anthony Mundle (‘25) opted for the AP Research track, leading him to a particularly interesting research project: an investigation of how the Pixar trilogy Cars uses genetic determinism in its portrayal of race.

Mundle’s niche topic was available to him as a project option because AP Research allows students the freedom to explore any ideas they are interested in. It is a full-year course, and by the end of the school year, each student taking it must produce a 4,000-5,000 word paper and a presentation on a topic of their choice.

Genetic determinism, or biological determinism, is the idea that one’s life is predetermined due to the nature of who they are. In a racial context, it suggests that life outcomes are determined solely because of one’s race. In his project, Mundle will explore this concept by analyzing how it appears within the Cars trilogy. However, judging this dynamic by the color of the cars alone would be difficult, so Mundle is using other means of comparison. Factors such as the model or brand of car, how each relates to certain cultures and social statuses, and "categories defined by the movie itself, such as being a lemon or rusty," will also be considered.

The Cars trilogy topic holds personal value for Mundle. He aspires to enter the field of animation and is "particularly fascinated by the commentary surrounding these films." He adds, "I find philosophy—particularly Kant’s aesthetic principles and Hume’s notions regarding free will—exciting to consider. Combining that with something I enjoy, like watching movies, creates a perfect conduit to develop my interests in this overarching field." Advising future AP Research students, Mundle said, "Picking something you’re passionate about should be a priority for your topic."

Although Mundle has become deeply invested in his project, it wasn’t his first idea. Initially, Mundle wanted to base his project on the ecology of previously redlined and combined neighborhoods in DC. He came up with this idea the summer before his senior year and began conducting some background research on "how green spaces are degraded in those previously redlined neighborhoods." After starting AP Research, he thought he would continue his studies and base his project on this topic. However, he ended up changing his mind. In practice, the project would have required much more work and would not have been possible to complete under the time constraints. It also would have been challenging to collect data from residents of those areas.

Currently, Mundle is working on formally beginning his project after an extensive research phase. So far, for background research, Mundle has read papers on concepts he will cover throughout his project, such as determinism, race, stereotyping, and eugenics. He is now deep in the analysis stage of the project, using all his background knowledge to examine the movies through a more research-based lens.