In 2006, Pixar asked the age-old question: What if cars had feelings?
Hotshot rookie Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) wants nothing more than to win the Piston Cup. Something he thinks he can achieve completely on his own. After the last race ends in a three-way tie, it’s off to California for a tie-breaking race. In a hurry to get there before the competition, he forces his driver Mac (John Ratzenberger) to drive through the night. Due to some troublemakers, Lightning ends up stranded in the middle of nowhere in Radiator Springs. He’s arrested and forced to repave the road forcing this fast car to slow down and focus on what’s really important in life.
I enjoyed rewatching this. It’s been years since I’ve seen it. I loved the animation of the cars in general. Larry the Cable Guy is perfectly cast as Mater the tow truck. Mater and Lightning McQueen are one of the best duos to come from Disney in general.
There’s occasional language and a few adult references throughout that will be amusing for the parents but hopefully fly over the heads of the kids. Overall, it’s a great movie with themes of friendship, needing community and reprioritizing what’s really important in life. Who knew that a movie about Cars would be one of Pixar’s best? Stream it now on Disney Plus.
Fun fact that nobody asked for: When we went to Florida on vacation, we got stuck in traffic for hours, but my brother and I didn’t know it at first because we were busy watching Cars on our brand new travel DVD player our grandfather bought for us before we left.
Cars 2 is a movie usually found near the bottom of most people’s Pixar’s rankings, but does it deserve the hate that it gets?
In 2011, Cars 2 asked the question What if cars could be secret agents?
McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) are back again. This time traveling around the world for a World Grand Prix that Mater has accidentally roped McQueen into. Wherever Mater goes, trouble follows, and he winds up being mistaken for an American spy caught up in a diabolical plot to put an end to natural fuel. Long live Gasoline! Will Mater be able to solve the case before someone ends up dead?
When I first saw this movie I hated it! I thought having Mater be the star of the show was a mistake. He’s better off as the lovable sidekick. While I still feel that Mater is better in the sidekick role and that him and McQueen are better together than apart, I actually enjoyed Cars 2 this time around. It’s actually surprisingly good. The secret agent storyline is still weird, but it’s fun.
It’s a bit dark for a kids movie with a car getting murdered onscreen, and there are a couple of adult references. It has a great focus on friendship and being yourself. It’s still near the bottom of my favorite Pixar movie list, but it’s moved up a space or two. Stream it now on Disney Plus.
After a potentially career ending accident, Lightning McQueen’s (Owen Wilson) future is thrown off the tracks. Some encouragement from Sally (Bonnie Hunt) is enough to get him to try one more, and he heads off to the Rusteeze Training Center to train with the latest and greatest technology to try to keep up with hotshot rookie, Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer).
Soon realizing that training using the new methods and technology isn’t working out, McQueen heads off in search of Doc Hudson’s mentor, Smoky (Chris Cooper). He drags his trainer and race-car wannabe Cruz (Cristela Alozo) along for the ride. To secure his future in racing, McQueen has to win his next race or be forced into retirement.
Pixar brought their A-Game and saved the best for last with the Cars trilogy. The story is amazing and emotion-packed. Cars 3 has a more serious, mature tone than the ones that came before. The animation is beautiful, especially the sequence where Mac is taking McQueen to the training center. The scenery is gorgeous!
Armie Hammer as Jackson Storm and Nathan Fillion as Sterling were great additions to the cast. The movie has wonderful themes of not giving up and believing in yourself. I love this movie so much! What a way to end the series on a high note! Cars 3 is streaming now on Disney Plus, and the new series, Cars on the Road, will begin streaming on Disney Plus Day, September 8th.
2¢ Movie Reviews 