“Cars 2,” the sequel to the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated film, turns out to be a different type of movie than its Route 66-inspired predecessor, but still an enjoyable one.
I saw the earliest matinee today. To answer a question on the minds of many Route 66 fans, “Cars 2” does feature the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs in two short but important sequences. So rest assured, the Mother Road definitely has not been jettisoned by Pixar’s animators.
The rest of the Radiator Springs gang shows up, too (except for one, which I’ll explain in a moment). Fillmore, the Volkwagon minibus, is voiced by a soundalike of George Carlin, who died two years after the original “Cars.” And Michael Wallis, author of the bestselling “Route 66: The Mother Road,” returns to his role as the Sheriff of Radiator Springs.
The one notable absence is Doc Hudson, voiced by Paul Newman in the original film. Newman died not long after the release of “Cars.” Without giving away many details, it’s briefly intimated in “Cars 2” that Doc Hudson has died, in one of the film’s most poignant scenes.
“Cars” became a contemplative tale about getting off the fast lane of life and finding out what was important on the literal and metaphorical Route 66. “Cars 2” returns to a fast lane of a spy caper amid a backdrop of a World Grand Prix racing event, with a subtext of staying true to yourself.
The action sequences, anchored by Michael Caine voicing the British agent Finn McMissile, turned out to be good enough to impress my wife, a James Bond devotee. Without giving away much of the intricate plot, an international conspiracy against a new alternative fuel involves the lovable rube Tow Mater (voiced memorably again by Larry the Cable Guy) being mistaken for an American agent.
The Mater character in the original “Cars” was easily the funniest of the film, so it probably was wise to give him a big role in “Cars 2.” Mater’s hilarious antics — especially involving a sushi chef in Tokyo — remind one of the silly Marcel Ledbetter character that comedian Jerry Clower concocted during the 1970s.
I found “Cars 2” to be well-paced, well-conceived, and entertaining. About the only thing missing that is in virtually every other Pixar film is a scene that will bring tears to even eyes made of stone (the “Married Life” sequence in “Up” is a good example).
“Cars 2” turns out to be a very good film, if not a great one. I’ve noted a number of critics dinging it. But this seems to be where Pixar has set the bar so high, “Cars 2” comes in for criticism for being anything less than pure excellence. I’d wager you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks this is a truly bad film.
(In fact, my biggest complaint was the seven previews and at least the same number of short ads before the main feature. That was more than 25 minutes. And theaters are wondering why so many movie fans are staying home with their Netflix streaming and DVDs.)
The short Pixar film that preceded “Cars 2” saw all of the “Toy Story” characters trying to engineer a first kiss with the Barbie and Ken dolls. Utterly delightful.
Recommended.
Mater totally reminds me of Sheriff J.W. Pepper from Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun.
It’s been my experience that if critics just LUUUUUUVED it, I probably won’t.
And if they hate it, it’s probably fair-ta-middlin’.
As a general rule, critics and I don’t seem to have the same taste in movies. So far, I’ve liked every Pixar movie I’ve seen.
To be fair, Trevor, film critics have overwhelmingly liked nearly all of Pixar’s films. The critical reaction for “Cars 2” is more mixed, but Roger Ebert, who is the dean of movie critics, liked it very much.
Saw Cars 2 Friday night with my 5 year old son. We both enjoyed it very much. It is a completely different movie than the first Cars, so you just have to take it at that level. It is not a “return to Route 66” that I think some of us here would not have minded to some level, but lets face it Disney/Pixar could not do that. I give them credit for making a completely different kind of movies with characters we all love, and doing a good job at that! Listen to Roger Ebert, ROlling Stone, Variety, and other major reviewers who gave the movie a fair shake, and also take note that almost every critic who is bashing it admit in their review they did not like the first Cars either.