Disney-Pixar late this morning released a new trailer for the upcoming animated film “Cars 3,” which will be in theaters June 16.
Here’s a description of the film:
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage!
Two observations from the trailer:
- Based on the footage, “Cars 3” definitely goes back to Radiator Springs — at least for a while. It’s clear Lightning McQueen has gone back to see his old friends in the Route 66 town. (Pixar confirmed in early March much of the old cast from “Cars” is returning.) For more about the real-life places and characters that inspired “Cars,” go here.
- It seems “Cars 3” returns more to the spirit of the original “Cars” film — that the journey itself is more important than the destination. I may be over-reading a 2 1/2-minute trailer, but the soul-searching seems to lead to that.
So it seems to be right to be more optimistic about the upcoming film. I suspect Pixar learned a few lessons from “Cars 2,” which was a decent James Bond satire but left many movie-goers cold.
At the least, “Cars 3” will spawn a mini-revival of the original “Cars” film and fuel new interest in Route 66 — much like it did during its original release in 2006. The first “Cars” grossed more hundreds of millions of dollars and billions in merchandising sales.
(Publicity image from “Cars 3” via Disney)