This film's predecessor worked so well due to its worthwhile story filled with tenderness and brimming with nostalgia. In Cars 2, everything (and I mean, everything) that made Cars so great is thoroughly scrapped in favor of...whatever the final product wants to be. Cars was a hit primarily due to its incredible cast of characters, especially the ones found in Radiator Springs, but its sequel could not care less about these characters. Instead of focusing on the continued relationship with Lightning McQueen or Sally, or even continuing the overall relationship between McQueen and Radiator Springs, Mater is unnecessarily featured in a starring role as Carburetor County is traded in for a international adventure filled with espionage in the lamest James Bond ripoff to date. Of all the aspects that infuriate me the most about Cars 2, this may be the most disheartening and maddening. Pixar had a formula that worked, and they had characters and a setting that were begging to be further explored (hello! Disney dedicated an entire land in California Adventure to Radiator Springs and its inhabitants!), but all of these excellent elements from the first installment are relegated to appearing in glorified cameos, because clearly, everyone will be much more interested in watching Mater make a fool of himself on a global scale (yes, sarcasm is definitely intended). Listen, I am not saying that Cars is the greatest Pixar film ever, but its sequel surely does make it appear that way. All of the magic found in the first film is completely nonexistent in this sequel and for no good reason. Pixar had so many different, more creative directions to take this story after Cars, and this is the best they came up with? For shame, Pixar. For shame.
That brings me to an in-depth analysis of the characters. Lightning McQueen is the star of this franchise, not Mater. I would much rather explore McQueen's relationship with Sally or his continued career in racing, or even deal with the aftermath of Doc Hudson's death (if we ever needed Paul Newman, it's now). Instead, McQueen is given nothing to do other than race. That's it. He literally is just racing and jawing to Francesco Bernoulli (another weak character that, like McQueen, has nothing to do) the entire time. Mater was a fine, oftentimes great supporting character in Cars, but he is just not leading character material. After a while, Larry the Cable Guy's voice becomes quite annoying, and therefore, when it is time to attempt to bring Pixar's signature emotion to the film, it doesn't even come close to working because we find ourselves caring very little about Mater if we do care at all. As I mentioned earlier, the Radiator Springs crew is rendered useless in this film. I honestly would have been perfectly fine if they had not been in this film whatsoever because their roles are so unnecessary. Their presence, albeit limited, is a constant reminder of what this film could have been had Pixar been thinking straight. The film's two biggest additions to the cast, Finn McMissile and Holly Shiftwell, are nice additions, but their screentime is too often sacrificed for more time with Mater, unfortunately. Cars worked because of its characters, and Cars 2 fails because of its lack of care for these characters.
If there are any redeeming qualities to be found in this film, it is the animation and music, two staples I think Pixar can never mess up. While I may have my issues with the globetrotting perspective from a story standpoint, this twist does allow the animators to create some beautiful sequences in the various countries, especially when the World Grand Prix is actually racing. Mater and McQueen's first encounter with Tokyo is quite gorgeous, as is the final climatic scene through the streets of London. Michael Giacchino's score is the only thing worth listening to in the entire film as he does a stellar job of infusing energy into each scene. His ability to take the classic cues from other spy films and put his ingenious twist on them is undoubtedly the film's highlight (of course, that is not saying much considering his competition for highlights, but I digress). As he usually does, Giacchino swoops in and almost single-handedly makes this film passable (the operative work in that sentence, however, is almost). The unfortunate aspect of this is when animation and music clearly outshine your story and characters, you have a gigantic problem on your hands.
I always find a way to get myself extremely excited for every Pixar film, but next summer, we'll see the release of Cars 3, and it is really difficult to get pumped for that one due to the immensely sour taste left in my mouth from Cars 2. In a film devoted to alternative fuel, Cars 2 runs on empty from beginning to end. It is lifeless, unnecessary, and a disgrace to the Pixar name. Here's hoping that Cars 3 can right this egregious wrong; it certainly can't be any worse.
Rating: 5/10 (Side note: a five is just about as low as I go in my ratings for all films on a scale of one to ten. A five indicates that the film is terrible overall, but there are a few bright spots to be found, such as the animation and music in this case.)
Historical Significance: Paul Newman, the voice of Doc Hudson in Cars, passed away in 2008, so out of his respect for the late legend, Doc doesn't not appear in Cars 2 as it is implied that he has also passed away. However, the original voices of Fillmore and Red, George Carlin and Joe Ranft, also passed away before the sequel's release, but their characters appear in Cars 2. Lloyd Sherr replaced Carlin while Ranft's Red is present in the film but does not speak. Additionally, Cars 2 became the first Pixar film to not win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature since the category's creation in 2007. This broke a five year streak which saw Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3 take home the prize. Cars 2 was nominated, but lost out to The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (a film which, by the way, would not receive an Academy Award nomination despite winning the Globe). Cars 2 would fail to receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards as well, becoming the first Pixar film to miss the field entirely since the category's creation in 2001 (Rango took home the Oscar). Only Cars 2, Monsters University, and The Good Dinosaur have failed to receive the Academy's nomination. Only Monsters Inc. and Cars have failed to win the award upon receiving the nomination (Shrek defeated Monsters Inc. while Happy Feet took down Cars).
Behind the Scenes: Brad Lewis was originally hired to direct the film solo. Lewis had previously helped produce Ratatouille while also providing voices for Ratatouille and The Incredibles. He conceived the story alongside John Lasseter during promotion of Cars in Europe. Lewis was ready to kick production into gear. but at some point in the process, Pixar wasn't satisfied with the direction the film was going (should have taken the hint, Pixar). Lasseter then assumed the role of lead director with Lewis assuming the co-director duties. One of the biggest changes made to the script was reducing the World Grand Prix from five races to three. Paris and Germany were suppose to be featured in addition to Tokyo, London, and Porto Corso, but production dragged on too long and cuts had to be made. Furthermore, the character of Finn McMissile was first developed during the production of Cars. McMissile was originally intended to be a movie star that is featured in a movie being watched by McQueen and Sally while on a date.
Favorite Character: How do I choose a favorite character from a film in which its biggest pitfall is its lack of character development? It is a near impossibility, but since I must choose a favorite, I am going with Finn McMissile. This choice is not because I think Finn is some extraordinary character; in fact, he is quite ordinary, and I am basing my decision for this selection solely on the fact that Michael Caine provides the voice and he is a bonafide legend. How Pixar convinced Caine to sign on to this film is beyond me, but Caine voices Finn with his signature accent to make a nice spymobile (?). While Caine performs admirably, this is basically a default choice. All of the characters that I know and love from Cars are either wasted or horribly mishandled. Sally was a fascinating character in the original, but she is nothing more than a pawn here. I already mentioned my disdain for the way they handled McQueen, and Mater in the lead role is simply a bad decision. Whenever Finn and his assistant, Holly Shiftwell, are on the screen, Cars 2 is at least semi-watchable, and the lion's share of the credit for that fact belongs to Caine (and Emily Mortimer as Shiftwell, who gets an honorable mention here).
Favorite Scene: For a brief few moments near the beginning, Cars 2 gives me a ray of hope. After the conclusion of the opening sequence with Finn hunting down the evil automobiles, the scene shifts to Radiator Springs, which is still the cutest little town in Carburetor County (if you don't get that reference, shame on you). The whole gang is back together and excited to welcome back the now four-time Piston Cup champion, Lightning McQueen. Radiator Springs is thriving as are its inhabitants. We get nicely reacquainted with Luigi, Guido, Sally, Red, and the rest of the crew, and then, the focus shifts to the fraternal bond between McQueen and Mater. They are causing havoc like they always do, and we even get a lovely upgrade to the famous tractor tipping past time. Then, McQueen pays a homage to the late Doc Hudson in a tremendous scene that, if only for a moment, recaptures the magic of the original. Sally and McQueen then go on a date to the newly refurbished and booming Wheel Well Hotel, only to be interrupted by a newscast discussing the World Grand Prix, and the rest is unfortunately history. These scenes contain the tone and style that should have penetrated Cars 2 from beginning to end. It further expands on the legend of Radiator Springs and its citizens while bringing the audience back home to a place we love. Here's hoping that Cars 3 sets up shop in Radiator Springs more often than not.Updated Ranking: There is no drama here. Cars 2 finds itself in its rightful place: the bottom of the rankings. I honestly hope it stays that way forever because I cannot imagine a worse film coming from the geniuses at Pixar.
- Toy Story 3
- The Incredibles
- Toy Story
- Finding Nemo
- Up
- Ratatouille
- Wall-E
- Monsters Inc.
- Toy Story 2
- A Bug's Life
- Cars
- Cars 2
Tomorrow, we revisit our old friends in the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh!
-Cody Fleenor
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