Pixar’s latest film falls short of expectations
While it has the same dazzling visuals as any Pixar film, “Cars 2” lacks most of the other qualities of great Pixar films: the emotional ambition of “Up” (2009), the thrilling action of “The Incredibles” (2004), the visual poetry of “WALL-E” (2008) and the compelling characterization of “Finding Nemo” (2003). It does offer some — but not enough — humor and exciting intrigue, but intrigue is no substitute for emotion. There was also no reason for making this installment other than the strongly selling merchandise.
Instead of putting Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) back in the driver’s seat, Pixar instead decided to make the sequel’s protagonist Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), the least likable character and Pixar’s redneck Jar Jar Binks. As the sidekick in the first film, he was lovable and provided much needed comic relief with his puppy dog loyalty and redneck simplicity. As a blue collar Inspector Clouseau, he squanders all of his screen time with his embellished hillbilly drawl and overuse of taglines like “What in Sam Hill wuz that?”
While “Cars” (2006) focused on the simple story of Route 66 and a dusty old town, “Cars 2” follows a much more political concept: comparing the use of renewable fuels to more organic fuels. As a way of promoting his new renewable fuel, oil tycoon Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) sponsors the first World Grand Prix race, which McQueen competes in. He, Mater and his pit crew travel to Japan and Europe while McQueen makes an enemy out of an Italian F1 car named Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro).
But as said, this is Mater’s film. While McQueen is racing around the world, Mater gets mistaken for an American spy by secret agents Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). His mission involves retrieving a secret weapon that threatens McQueen and the other racers, as well as identifying the shadowy figure using it. When the James Bond elements begin to sink in, the plot becomes overly complicated and predictable, and follows a repetitious pattern: McQueen races and Mater does spy stuff.
The mild humor, which mostly comes from Mater’s comedic culture shock and parody of spy films, is interspersed with the action and the intrigue. As Mater travels around the world, he experiences European and Japanese cultures, making humorous remarks at Japan’s advanced technology and the fact that British people drive on the opposite side of the road. The spy parody, however, falls short as it lacks the sort of over-the-top absurdity normally found in a spy spoof.
What “Cars 2” doesn’t lack is the astounding CGI animation that is significant to Pixar Studios. It includes visual splendor and pays rigorous attention to its multinational settings. The neon sequences in Tokyo are especially striking as the movie pays tribute to Japan’s anime style of art with its blend of pop culture cuteness. The 3-D is extraneous, though Lasseter does successfully avoid the motion blurriness and other 3-D downsides.
Most of the main voice actors, with the exception of the deceased Paul Newman, return for the sequel, although most only make cameo appearances. Since he’s been bumped down to a side character, Owen Wilson’s McQueen lacks the individuality that made him so appealing in the first film. Michael Caine, however, provides his James Bond-like Aston Martin character with plenty of suave while John Turturro manages to make his Italian speedster amusingly haughty.
“Cars 2” is not a bad film, but it definitely won’t help Pixar win the Oscar race next year. Kids will still be entertained, but whether or not they will be able to follow the political story line is questionable. With its great movie streak broken, Pixar will hopefully be able to make a comeback with its 2012 project, “Brave.”