CARS 3 Review

I could not have been less excited about the prospect of a third Cars movie. Most would say it is fair to classify this now trilogy as the weakest link in the ever-growing Pixar brand, but I don't bring this up to quickly cut down the third installment in this franchise that has borne nothing more than extended or unnecessary narratives, but rather to commend it for stepping up its game with what is likely the last chapter largely featuring Lightning McQueen if not the beginning of a new generation of Cars films as Cars 3 actively attempts to correct much of what has dragged these films down to sub-par Pixar levels from the beginning. In 2006, an idea such as a world filled with talking vehicles and a story that paid homage to the racing world, where it'd been, and where it might be going was an inspired enough one especially considering the combination of Disney and Pixar had yet to fail to meet if not surpass expectations. There seemed so much energy and so much enthusiasm for this first endeavor and while, having re-watched that first film recently, Cars is certainly a fine enough experience it didn't transcend the genre of animated movies in the way many of its predecessors had. Rather, Cars was more along the lines of an animated movie made strictly for the kiddos rather than one that had the ability to both appeal to the children in the crowd as well as emotionally resonate with their parents. That isn't to say it didn't try, but it is in the same kind of middle area where the purpose is present yet the payoff doesn't totally work that we find Cars 3. Many will agree Cars 2 was a total misstep and deviated from what at least made the first film charming and even if the Cars movies didn't make them buttloads of cash via merchandising it would seem Pixar might be intent on course correcting for the sake of artistic credibility as Cars 3 makes a genuine attempt to steer this franchise back into the arms of what inspired it in the first place-the good ole open road. While we are eleven years down the road from the first Cars in the future the dynamic will be rather jarring as the original Cars and Cars 3 more or less bookend the career of McQueen; chronicling both how he learned to be the racer he always aspired to be as well as helping him cope with the passing of time, the passing of the baton, and understanding there might be more to life than crossing the finish line first.

New Trailer for CARS 3

In always looking forward to what Pixar might come out with year after year it was always going to be something of a disappointment when the inevitable Cars 3 came around and now...here we are. This summer we will not be graced by a new, inventive piece from Pixar nor will we see a sequel to one of their more beloved films (Ratatouille 2, anyone?), but rather we will have the only trilogy capper in Pixar history outside of Toy Story for what is easily the weakest two films on the studios slate. I'm trying really hard here to be positive about what the film might offer as this new, official trailer is marginally intriguing, but there simply seems to be no balance of audience awareness and content maturity. The Cars franchise, like Planes, should strictly be for children, but this trailer looks to hint at a story with complexities that we know Pixar is capable of conveying convincingly, but that we know the world of Cars can't exactly deliver like, say, Woody and Buzz might be able to. Directed by Brian Fee (a storyboard artist on the first Cars) this looks like to be a darker film than what its predecessors might have indicated. The worst thing about the previous two Cars films were that they left no lasting impression, especially when compared to their peers. It may be that Fee is attempting to break that stigma around the franchise with this third film by going in an unexpected direction and if any of the marketing so far is any indication-things are definitely not looking the way I imagined a Cars 3 would look. That said, we still have a story dealing with Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen as he attempts to prove to a new generation of racers that he's still the best race car in the world. With this new trailer we get a better idea of what Cars 3 will look and sound like and while I'm intrigued by the implications of what the movie could actually be about there is still a lack of any genuine excitement. Cars 3 also features the voice talents of Armie Hammer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Larry the Cable Guy, Katherine Helmond, Cheech Marin, Paul Dooley, and opens on June 16, 2017.

Teaser Trailer for CARS 3

In always looking forward to what Pixar might come out with year after year it was always going to be something of a disappointment when the inevitable Cars 3 came around and now...here we are. This summer we will not be graced by a new, inventive piece from Pixar nor will we see a sequel to one of their more beloved films (Ratatouille 2, anyone?), but rather we will have the only trilogy capper in Pixar history outside of Toy Story for what is easily the weakest two films on the studios slate. The cards have been dealt though and despite the fact it always seemed the Cars franchise was something of a "baby" to Pixar and Disney chief creative officer John Lasseter it seems even he is too busy now to mess with this third installment as Brian Fee (a storyboard artist on the first Cars) has taken over and has seemingly delivered a much darker film than what its predecessors might have indicated. The worst thing about the previous two Cars films is that they are more or less forgettable, especially when compared to their peers. It may be that Fee is attempting to break that stigma around the franchise with this third film by going in an unexpected direction and if the first teaser was any indication-things are definitely not looking the way I imagined a Cars 3 would look. This meaning that rather than the bright colors and zooming sounds of stadiums packed with racing and cheering automobiles that instead we have a story dealing with Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen attempting to prove to a new generation of racers that he's still the best race car in the world. That first teaser showed us McQueen crashing on the track with the tagline, "From this moment. Everything will change." Pretty grim for a franchise that has made its name on merchandising and brand appeal rather than tapping into genuine emotion as most Pixar films do, but again...here we are. With this new trailer we get a better idea of what Cars 3 will look and sound like and while I'm intrigued by the implications of what the movie could actually be about there is still a lack of any excitement. Cars 3 also features the voice talents of Armie Hammer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Larry the Cable Guy, Katherine Helmond, Cheech Marin, Paul Dooley, and opens on June 16, 2017.