CARS 2 (2011)
Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy
Directors: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Studio: Disney/Pixar
Genre: Kids/Family, Animation
Rating: G

Grade: B+

This will probably come as no shock to those of you who follow my reviews, but I have a huge crush on Pixar films. I feel that they are far and wide the best animators in the game today and have been since their inception twenty-five years ago. I have recently seen several other studios’ animated works, such as Rio (Sony), Rango (Paramount) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks), and I enjoyed all of them to the point that I thought they may be giving Disney/Pixar a run for their money. However, then I saw Cars 2, and that notion was quickly extinguished. In Cars 2, the old Radiator Springs gang is back together again. This time, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) enters the World Grand Prix and decides to bring his best friend, Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), on the racing tour with him. The grand prix will make stops in Tokyo, Italy and London.

Of course, Mater  is a bit out of his element in all of these cities, and he accidentally finds himself in the middle of some pretty intense international espionage. Cars 2 introduces us to some lively new characters. First, we meet veteran actor Michael Caine as the voice of British spy, Finn McMissile, and secondly, his colleague and “Money Penney” counterpart, Holley Shiftwell (voiced by Emily Mortimer). These two new characters were one of the highlights of the film for me. They seem to bring some elegance to the Cars film series that was hard to get from an obvious NASCAR-influenced Radiator Springs. The addition of their characters also fit nicely since this film takes us overseas to so many intriguing destinations. They unknowingly act as our tour guides through most of the film. The British spies and the dimwitted Mater are out to uncover the reason for a deep-rooted attempt at revenge from an underground “Lemon” car gang of criminals. However, once Mater’s BFF, Lightning McQueen’s, life is at risk, it gets a whole lot more personal. Aside from the very charismatic new characters that I already mentioned, the best thing about Cars 2 is simply the animation and visual components.

The scenes from the countries abroad is breathtaking. I still cannot believe how beautiful the artists at Pixar are able to make legendary tourist attractions such as Paris, London and Tokyo look. They have done it before with Ratatouille (2007) which is set in Paris, and Finding Nemo (2003) which takes place in Sydney, Australia. However, they have hit the jackpot with the visual imagery in Cars 2. The filmmakers are able to transport us as tourists to these destinations, and it is an awesome spectacle to take in. The action in Cars 2 is also extremely entertaining.

However, I do fear that younger kids may not take the time to invest in, and could be confused by, the spy plot lines that carry most of the film’s action sequences. There is still plenty of racing from McQueen and other “animated” cars, such as the Italian born Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro) who plays McQueen’s nemesis. The car racing is even better this time around due to the wonderful backdrops and landscapes accompanying it. Cars 2 is a fun ride, and I think I am one of the few critics that actually enjoyed it more than the original Cars (2006).

Cars 2 is like James Bond meets NASCAR meets “Mario Kart” (Nintendo).  It clashes several different worlds and cultures to appeal to a much wider audience than the original was able to do, in my opinion. Along with the detailed spy-thriller scenes, it also runs a bit long coming in at around 1 hour, 45 minutes. Keep these two key factors in mind if you are taking any younger children to see it. Even still, they (and you) will enjoy the action, racing, bright colors, off-the-wall characters, and beautiful scenery of Cars 2. The animators over at Disney/Pixar really know how to keep a Car in mint condition.

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