PIXAR has a high bar. No other movie company has such a consistently high bar to jump over for any of their releases. Cars was a good movie, but not a great movie, especially when looked at through the prism of what people expect from PIXAR. With this background established I saw Cars 2 with a key member of their demographic, a 4 year old boy and his father.
The Plot
Lightning McQueen, the racecar superstar from Cars comes home to a hero’s welcome. His best friend, Mater, the tow truck, is ecstatic to spend some time with him again. They go out for a day trip and then have an awkward exchange when McQueen decides to have a date with Sally instead of spending time with Mater.
It’s during the date that Mater learns about the World Grand Prix Race. It’s a new race that’s being put on by Sir Miles Axelrod. The key to the race is that all of the cars have to use a new fuel that has been developed by Axelrod. However, the race is also being monitored by an international group of spies and villains who are trying to sabotage it.
Cars 2 is Mater’s movie. It revolves around him, his exploits as he travels to Tokyo, Monaco and London with McQueen. Cars 2 is essentially a children’s version of a James Bond movie played out with cars as all the characters.
The Verdict
Cars 2 is amazing. It’s a technically beautiful movie that goes at a quick pace and never stops. There were so many jokes that adults will appreciate I wonder if children will enjoy the movie as much as the parents that take them. Based on the market research of the 4 year old that I went with the answer is yes. He loved the movie and sat still the entire time.
The story is also great. I enjoyed the ‘alternate fuel’ subplot, cultural jokes as Mater traveled the world and British spy parallels. John Turturro voices the Italian rival race car, Francesco Bernoulli and is a highlight of the film. Eagle eared fans of The Evil Dead and Burn Notice will also notice that Bruce Campbell is in the movie as the first British spy car.
We saw the movie in 3D. The animation was sharp, vivid, detailed and so full of life you forget that you’re not watching real cars. Did the 3D add to the movie? Not really, there were some moments where things popped more, but if you see the movie in 2D you’ll be fine and get as much out of the experience.
Cars 2 is a movie that dads, moms and kids of all ages will enjoy. All ages, that is if your child is old enough to go to the theater and not cause a ruckus. Cars 2 is rated G.
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