Over the years, Pixar has been one of, if not the most, consistently impressive creative entities in the film business. Film after film raised the bar for visual and storytelling excellence, and the cast of characters created along the way hold special places in the hearts of the children and adults who have watched and re-watched their adventures. Sadly, with Cars 2, it seems that streak of excellence has finally hit a drab patch. While not an entirely bad film, it is saddled with the expectations of a Pixar movie, competing with the likes of Toy Story 3, and therefore, is a large-scale disappointment.
To be fair, Cars 2 is greased lightening in the visual departments – the exhilarating animation, the beautiful color and the incredible texture that Pixar has become legendary with are on full display in this film. It could even be argued as their greatest visual accomplishment. All of the exotic locales are rendered incredibly not only visually, but with extraordinary attention to ambience and cultural climate. However, as we all must learn, appearances can be deceiving.
When viewers get past marveling at its glossy exterior, Cars 2 starts showing its weaknesses. Pixar has never shied away from sentimentality, and the best of their films even have profound messages to offer. However, Cars 2 is overly reliant on a protagonist who just can’t handle the load – Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater. Mater was an excellent sidekick in the first cars movie; he was lovably oafish, enthusiastic and often hilarious. However, as the main character, with McQueen taking a backseat, he often comes across as shallow and ridiculous. Larry the Cable Guy just doesn’t seem to have the emotional range necessary to carry a film, even as a voice-over. Also, we miss out on the presence of many of the first film’s characters, who are only shown in passing.
As the film sees McQueen and Mater roll around the globe, the plot seems to hit snags on many of the gags. Again, it seems that Mater is the problem. Whether he is in elaborate disguise, attempting to infiltrate a convention for villains or zipping through an international airport, Larry the Cable Guy’s aw-shucks hillbilly shtick does little to endear Mater to the audience, in fact, it often grows annoying and thin. Perhaps being an adult adds an edge of harshness to these sentiments, and kids will find good ole’ Mater as lovable as ever, but when compared to Buzz or Woody from the Toy Story series, the Cars protagonists just don’t have the same charisma.
Overall, kids will still get a kick out of Cars 2, but adults will not find themselves teary from laughter or deep emotion as they may have at other Pixar classics. Visuals take precedence over story and character here, and the end product suffers for it.
About the author: George Stanzan is a contributing writer to getinsurancequotes.ca, an online site where he was able to save hundreds on the auto insurance quote he was provided.