“Cars” made noise in Pixar circles for not immediately racing its way into our hearts.
How dare the animation studio produce a non classic?
So when the notion of a “Cars 2″ hit the news cycle Pixar fans figured a wrong was about to be righted. Isn’t this the same studio which made not one but two great “Toy Story” sequels?
But “Cars 2″ isn’t a do-over. It’s a calculated bid to sell more, more more “Cars” toys without a story worthy of its Pixar predecessors. And even those who loved Larry the Cable Guy’s voice work as Mater in the original will scoff at making the tow truck the star attraction.
But third-rate Pixar ranks higher than many movies, and “Cars 2″ shines with its sparkling visuals and avalanche of puns.
“Cars 2″ opens in Bond movie fashion, the “Quantum of Mater,” perhaps? A British secret agent named Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) is tracking a secret package and barely escapes with his chassis intact.
The action then returns to Radiator Springs where old pals Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater are getting reacquainted. Lightning eventually gets lured into an event run by a wealthy race sponsor (Eddie Izzard) promoting an alternative fuel called Allinol.
Yes, the folks at Pixar are pressing the accelerator on social issues again in “Wall*E’s” wake.
Lightning lets Mater tag along to the races held in three major international venues. And, of course, Mater is a fish truck out of water in high society. His bumbling irritates Lightning, but it also gets him ensnared in Finn McMissile’s spy games. Soon, Mater is working undercover – only he doesn’t know it – to crack the case.
Mater’s appearance in “Cars” proved delightful, even for those who can’t stand the comedy stylings of that Cable Guy. Making him the star of the show strains that good will, and it doesn’t help that the new film lacks dynamic new characters to reduce the pressure on him. Caine’s vocal work is as intoxicating as you’d expect, but there’s not much under the hood with this secret agent. And the subplot in which Mater flirts with Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) doesn’t hit comic paydirt.
The whole film, in fact, is mostly laugh free. That’s a stunning achievement from any modern animated film, let alone a Pixar offering.
“Cars 2″ finds a heartbeat when Mater testifies to the dents on his rusty frame. Every one has a memory attached to it, and he wouldn’t buff them away for all the money in the world. And the film’s early shout out to Doc Hudson, the cranky car voiced by Paul Newman in the original, is another quiet highlight.
Lightning McQueen almost feels like an afterthought in his own franchise, especially when saddled with his lame retorts to his new racing rival (John Turturro). We get variations of, “you’re so gonna get beat,” which feel like they were slipped in from a Saturday morning cartoon. The script, usually a Pixar strength, nails the essential story beats but feels overly complicated as if it’s making up for depth with details.
Yes, nearly every scenes comes equipped with inside jokes, cultural references and silly car puns, but those elements are meant to serve as the frosting, not the cake.
“Cars 2″ is something we’d never expect from Pixar. A sequel created for commercial reasons. There’s no sin in that. Just ask the folks who gave us “The Hangover Part II.” But coming from the most trusted film studio around it feels like getting a lung full of exhaust fumes.
(Photo: Finn McMissile (voice by Michael Caine) is featured in the new Pixar film “Cars 2.” ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.)
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Made purely for the money is pretty spot on. One entrance of the local Wally World super store is packed with Cars 2 merchandise for as far as the eye can see. Go back to the electronics department and across from it they’ve managed to pack even more Cars2 crap there.
It’s like they are merchandising any and everything. There was so much of the stuff I was afraid what I’d see if I strolled over to the women’s hygiene aisle.