‘Cars 2’ Proves Franchise Should be Junked

Since 1995’s game-changing masterpiece, Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios has had one of the most extraordinary track records in cinema history, producing one unforgettable gem after another.

The superior quality of its inventive animation was nearly always equaled by the ingenuity of its scripts. Yet in the last few years, Pixar’s once immaculate reputation has begun to tarnish ( the company became part of the Disney empire in 2006).

I wasn’t a huge fan of Up, the seismically overrated fantasy from 2008 that paired a cantankerous widower with a precocious Boy Scout. The setup held enormous promise, and included an achingly poignant prologue that caused audiences to tear up a mere 10 minutes into the picture. Yet it became increasingly clear that the filmmakers hadn’t thought beyond their clever premise, resulting in a meandering final hour overstuffed with cutesy comic relief.

Though last summer’s Toy Story 3 was a brilliant return to form, it hinted at Pixar’s gradual transformation into a franchise-churning machine.

Now we have Cars 2, an unnecessary follow-up to what is surely the weakest entry in the studio’s entire oeuvre. Whereas its 2006 predecessor borrowed the “young hotshot-wizened mentor” formula from 1980s Tom Cruise flicks, the sequel is awash in the clichés of international espionage thrillers from the golden era of James Bond. The casting of Italian Job star Michael Caine as a heroic spy with a mustache-shaped grill is an in-joke only adults will appreciate.

In fact, I can’t imagine many children (especially those in the G-rated demographic) appreciating Cars 2 on any substantial level. Sure, the colors are bright and the story moves at a frenzied pace, but there’s nothing here to truly engage young viewers. The plot is ludicrously complex, requiring a great deal of expositional dialogue that caused the children at my screening to grow extremely restless.

Screenwriter Ben Queen--best known for his short-lived TV series Drive--seems desperate to cram in as much plot details as possible to distract from the paper-thin characters, who could barely carry one film, let alone two.

Red-hot racing superstar Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is relegated to a supporting role this time around, while redneck comic relief Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) hogs the spotlight. Larry sure is lucky to be a member of the Cars franchise, since he wouldn’t have a prayer of sustaining a film career without it.

The joke is that Mater, a rust-covered tow truck, is very, very dumb, but his tireless loyalty and friendship makes him lovable. The audience is expected to laugh at Mater’s thick-headed remarks until the third act, where we’re supposed to pity him. I didn’t find him funny or pitiful--just plain annoying.

Queen, the screenwriter, places him at the center of a plot so idiotic that it may cause moviegoers to lose patience, particularly if they have the capacity to follow it.

The action kicks off as McQueen drags Mater along for his latest epic ride: the World Grand Prix, a three-part, three-continent race that allows for much espionage-laden globetrotting. After displaying all the traits of a classic ugly American, Mater is mistaken for a U.S. spy by undercover agents Finn McMissile (Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). No matter how many inane things Mater says and does, the veteran spies remain absolutely convinced that it’s all just a clever cover. To say more about the plot would be to miss the point.

The breathless twists and turns are expertly designed to conceal the hollow mediocrity of the story. Even the verbal banter is derivative (I stifled a groan when Mater quipped, “Is the Popemobile Catholic?”). 

Perhaps talking cars were never meant to anchor a cinematic franchise in the first place. Directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis clearly have a great nostalgia for cars, and viewers who share their passion will simply enjoy the film’s vast array of auto-cultural references.

As in most Pixar features, the best moments occur when animators find unexpected ways to attach human nuances onto ordinarily inanimate objects. I liked the clunky charm of McQueen and Mater’s secret handshake, as well as the way McMissile managed to strike a karate pose. But Cars 2 is often too fast and furious to pause for such playfulness.

By the second half, audiences may stop appreciating the animation and simply feel like they’re trapped in another bombastic, predictable, utterly forgettable summer movie. 

This may be the first Pixar film that fails to engage its primary target audience. Yet I have no reason to lose hope for the studio’s future efforts. Filmmakers such as Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) have created one instant classic after another. But as for Lasseter and the Cars franchise, the fuel is running on empty.

Cars 2 opened June 24 at the AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18, Regal Gardens 1-6 and Regal Gardens 7-13 in Skokie. It raked in the most money in its debut weekend to place No. 1 in ticket sales, earning an estimated $68 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

This is part of our series titled "Dinner and A Movie," which runs every Monday. Each week, we review a local restaurant and the latest movie. To read this week's restaurant review on Burt's Place,

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