Each and every summer, a new Pixar movie is an event. This has been the case for the past decade, going all the way back to the release of the original Cars in 2006. When I was growing up and unable to watch the big blockbusters that came out every summer, the new Pixar was a must-see on opening weekend. And even as I got older, I still was excited to see Monsters University or Inside Out or whatever the iconic studio happened to be releasing that year in the heart of the season. I say all this because I could not have cared less about Cars 3, this year's summer release from the California-based animation house. And I'm not even someone who hates the first two films- I was at the world premiere of the original film and I even enjoyed the spy film absurdity of Cars 2. But going back to the well for another adventure with Lightning McQueen and friends just didn't sound that appealing. And yet, I've seen every Pixar movie in theaters dating back to Monsters Inc., so I knew that I had to see this one eventually. What I found was perhaps Pixar's most gorgeous animated achievement yet, a richly crafted, extraordinarily detailed piece of work from a studio that just keeps getting better and better. But for all of its technical wizardry, Cars 3 is also Pixar's most narratively confused project, a film with two equally intriguing storylines that can't marry the two together to create a satisfying whole. It's pleasant to watch, but this is ultimately mid-level Pixar.
For years, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) has been on top of the racing world. He's still in competition for the Piston Cup, competing against the best of the best and winning almost every. Enter Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), the arrogant poster boy for a new generation of race cars. Storm is faster and better than McQueen in virtually every way, and worst of all, he knows how good he is. Storm pushes Lightning to his absolute limit, eventually causing him to blow out two tires and end up in a horrific crash in an important race. Defeated, McQueen retreats back to Radiator Springs, with rumors swirling that he's done with racing for good.
Months go by, and Lightning is still holed up in a shack in his favorite small town, avoiding the racing world and reflecting on the possibility of the end of his career. But after a little pep talk from Sally (Bonnie Hunt) and a message of encouragement from his sponsors, Lightning decides to get back in the game to challenge Storm and his next generation colleagues. McQueen's sponsors at Rust-Eze sell the company to an entrepreneur named Sterling (Nathan Fillion), who has access to all the next-gen technology that Lightning could ever need. The veteran car is paired up with Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), a bright and bubbly trainer who has always dreamed of racing. In the hopes of beating Storm, Lightning will take an unconventional route to training, getting back on the open road and recapturing the magic of "real" racing. In the process, he'll look back on the mentorship of Doc Hudson (the late Paul Newman, who is featured in this film through previously recorded dialogue) and consider his past and future in the racing industry.
Whenever I think that Pixar has reached their peak abilities when it comes to animation, they top themselves with a piece of work that is straight-up jaw dropping. With their landscape designs for Brave and The Good Dinosaur, I was simply awe-struck. The animation looked completely realistic, like they were photographs that just so happened to be a home for animated creatures. Just when you think that they can't get any more photo-realistic or visually impressive, Pixar comes along to blow us away all over again. The plot of Cars 3 takes us to a variety of stunning vistas- beaches, mountains, dusty old towns, metropolitan cities- as part of its trek across America. And the incredible level of detail captured by the talented people at Pixar is never anything less than awe-inspiring. This movie is amazing to look at, and no matter how good some of these other studios get, Pixar is on a whole different level when it comes to animation quality.
But there's one big problem, and it's a problem that nearly undermines everything else that is good about the film. Cars 3 is attempting to tell two stories- the comeback of Lightning McQueen, and Lightning McQueen's shift to a mentor position. Both are good stories for a third installment of an aging series, but when put together, the narrative is left in an unsatisfying position. While Cars 3 never fully gets off the ground, it settles into a fairly entertaining groove for most of its runtime, recapturing the magic of the original film and bringing the focus of the franchise back to the characters. It's the ending that serves as the major issue, because when the filmmakers are forced to bring two conflicting stories to their conclusions, it doesn't work out so well. Cars 3 ends on a rather disappointing note, despite the rather impressive work that comes before it.
It took an absurd seven people to write the story and screenplay for this film, and that shows during the most important moments. Either narrative told in Cars 3 would be great on its own, but when you put the two together, one story is bound to let down the audience. The film also suffers from an abundance of over-familiarity. The similarities between this installment and the original film are quite apparent, and while it's certainly a step up from the preposterous spy story of Cars 2, there's something that just feels stale at times. This is almost always an entertaining movie, and one that I think plenty of kids will enjoy. It's just a messy film, one that probably had a writer's room with many contradicting voices and ideas.
Cars 3 seemed like a horrible idea on paper, but it actually worked surprisingly well for me considering my expectations. It's a breezy, charming film that just can't stick the landing, which means that it's still a step up from most of the animated nonsense out there today. I just wish that the emotional beats had a better payoff, and that it provided us with an opportunity to get involved in the journey of both Lightning and Cruz Ramirez. Because in its current state, the finale will either make or break this movie for most viewers. I enjoyed Cars 3 more than I thought I would, but it also gave me more reasons to be let down by its execution.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.8/10)
Image Credits: IMDB/Disney
For years, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) has been on top of the racing world. He's still in competition for the Piston Cup, competing against the best of the best and winning almost every. Enter Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), the arrogant poster boy for a new generation of race cars. Storm is faster and better than McQueen in virtually every way, and worst of all, he knows how good he is. Storm pushes Lightning to his absolute limit, eventually causing him to blow out two tires and end up in a horrific crash in an important race. Defeated, McQueen retreats back to Radiator Springs, with rumors swirling that he's done with racing for good.
Months go by, and Lightning is still holed up in a shack in his favorite small town, avoiding the racing world and reflecting on the possibility of the end of his career. But after a little pep talk from Sally (Bonnie Hunt) and a message of encouragement from his sponsors, Lightning decides to get back in the game to challenge Storm and his next generation colleagues. McQueen's sponsors at Rust-Eze sell the company to an entrepreneur named Sterling (Nathan Fillion), who has access to all the next-gen technology that Lightning could ever need. The veteran car is paired up with Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), a bright and bubbly trainer who has always dreamed of racing. In the hopes of beating Storm, Lightning will take an unconventional route to training, getting back on the open road and recapturing the magic of "real" racing. In the process, he'll look back on the mentorship of Doc Hudson (the late Paul Newman, who is featured in this film through previously recorded dialogue) and consider his past and future in the racing industry.
Whenever I think that Pixar has reached their peak abilities when it comes to animation, they top themselves with a piece of work that is straight-up jaw dropping. With their landscape designs for Brave and The Good Dinosaur, I was simply awe-struck. The animation looked completely realistic, like they were photographs that just so happened to be a home for animated creatures. Just when you think that they can't get any more photo-realistic or visually impressive, Pixar comes along to blow us away all over again. The plot of Cars 3 takes us to a variety of stunning vistas- beaches, mountains, dusty old towns, metropolitan cities- as part of its trek across America. And the incredible level of detail captured by the talented people at Pixar is never anything less than awe-inspiring. This movie is amazing to look at, and no matter how good some of these other studios get, Pixar is on a whole different level when it comes to animation quality.
But there's one big problem, and it's a problem that nearly undermines everything else that is good about the film. Cars 3 is attempting to tell two stories- the comeback of Lightning McQueen, and Lightning McQueen's shift to a mentor position. Both are good stories for a third installment of an aging series, but when put together, the narrative is left in an unsatisfying position. While Cars 3 never fully gets off the ground, it settles into a fairly entertaining groove for most of its runtime, recapturing the magic of the original film and bringing the focus of the franchise back to the characters. It's the ending that serves as the major issue, because when the filmmakers are forced to bring two conflicting stories to their conclusions, it doesn't work out so well. Cars 3 ends on a rather disappointing note, despite the rather impressive work that comes before it.
It took an absurd seven people to write the story and screenplay for this film, and that shows during the most important moments. Either narrative told in Cars 3 would be great on its own, but when you put the two together, one story is bound to let down the audience. The film also suffers from an abundance of over-familiarity. The similarities between this installment and the original film are quite apparent, and while it's certainly a step up from the preposterous spy story of Cars 2, there's something that just feels stale at times. This is almost always an entertaining movie, and one that I think plenty of kids will enjoy. It's just a messy film, one that probably had a writer's room with many contradicting voices and ideas.
Cars 3 seemed like a horrible idea on paper, but it actually worked surprisingly well for me considering my expectations. It's a breezy, charming film that just can't stick the landing, which means that it's still a step up from most of the animated nonsense out there today. I just wish that the emotional beats had a better payoff, and that it provided us with an opportunity to get involved in the journey of both Lightning and Cruz Ramirez. Because in its current state, the finale will either make or break this movie for most viewers. I enjoyed Cars 3 more than I thought I would, but it also gave me more reasons to be let down by its execution.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.8/10)
Image Credits: IMDB/Disney
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