 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** From the creators of Cars and Toy Story 3 comes a new, laugh-out-loud, heartwarming adventure geared for the entire family. Star race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship on the road from Radiator Springs to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage! Experience all the fast-paced fun with an "all-car" cast -- plus enjoy two hilarious short films, "Air Mater" and "Hawaiian Vacation." It's turbocharged action and thrills and "even better than before," raves Peter Travers of Rolling Stone. Storyline: After Mater gets his best friend, star race car Lightning McQueen, a spot in the very first World Grand Prix, he is given the job of pit crew chief. But while they are in Japan, Mater crosses paths with Holly Shiftwell, a spy searching for an American spy. Unknown to Mater, the American spy attached a tracking device on him while being attacked. Thinking the tow truck is the spy, Holly and another spy, Finn McMissile, take Mater around the world to find and stop an evil plot created by "lemons," old cars considered ugly. Written by Mr. Top Hat Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on October 18, 2011 -- I suppose it was bound to happen. Pixar couldn't continue to churn out modern animated classics one after the other. I just didn't expect Pixar's most uninspired, conventional film to date to come on the heels of Toy Story 3, one of the animation powerhouse's finest. No, Cars 2 isn't a complete failure. It's fun, it's funny, it's flashy, it's full of fast, none-too-furious spy-vs-spy hijinks. But it's also flat, one-dimensional and, despite a high-profile theatrical release, hindered by direct-to-video storytelling. Mater is thrust into the spotlight, a misstep from which the sequel never really recovers; new characters are shortchanged, even though they frequently upstage McQueen and other Radiator Springs regulars; and the entire film feels like an extended Mater's Tall Tales short, a 106-minute routine that isn't nearly as entertaining as its four-minute small screen counterparts. Cars 2 is an average animated adventure, one that kids will undoubtedly love. But let's be honest: when it comes to Pixar, average just doesn't cut it. Rust-riddled tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and four-time Piston Cup champion race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) are back and raring to go in Cars 2, even though they quickly ditch Radiator Springs and leave the majority of the first film's characters in the rearview mirror. When an alternative fuel mogul named Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) is hosting a three-race Grand Prix to showcase his latest innovation: Allinol, a game-changing biofuel that attracts the attention of the world... and a few unsavory lemons, namely the sinister Professor Zündapp (Thomas Kretschmann) and his near-endless supply of embittered henchmen. Zündapp's scheme? To sabotage the Grand Prix competitors, discredit Axlerod, put a stop to Allinol and keep the cars of the world dependent on oil. Luckily, British superspy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and trainee Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) are hot on the evil professor's trail. Well, it would be lucky if McMissile and Shiftwell didn't mistake Mater for an American spy. Whoops. After embarrassing McQueen in Tokyo, Mater finds himself caught up in an international bit of intrigue that pits him against gun-toting junkers, Zündapp and a shadowy mastermind. Can he stop the bad guys? Can he retain his friendship with McQueen? Can he win the girl and save the world from an oil-stained future? If anyone can, Mater... might. Jetting off to Japan, Italy and England may strike some as a dangerous departure from everything that made Cars the entertaining and surprisingly emotional road trip that it is and, to an extent, that isn't far off. Doc is shuffled off without much explanation (other than the passing of original voice actor Paul Newman), Sally (Bonnie Hunt) stays in the States until the last leg of the Grand Prix, and other favorites, Guido and Luigi (Guido Quaroni and Tony Shalhoub) chief among them, aren't given much room to work. And Filmore (Lloyd Sherr), Sarge (Paul Dooley), Mack (John Ratzenberger), Sherriff (Michael Wallis), Ramone (Cheech Marin) and Flo (Jenifer Lewis)? They get even less screentime, even though Filmore and Sarge join Guido and Luigi in McQueen's pit crew. (Come to think of it, why is Filmore still kicking? George Carlin died, but Filmore earns a new voice actor. Why drop Doc, then? Especially when his death isn't crucial to the plot. At all.) Don't blame co-directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis' Bond-fueled premise, though. For ten action-packed minutes, Cars 2 burns rubber and flashes its true potential as secret agent extraordinaire Finn McMissile infiltrates an oil rig, dips into a bag of gadgets, and blasts out of the shadows as one of the most exciting new additions to the franchise. He's 007 and a sleek, tricked-out superspy ride, all rolled into one. With Michael Caine at the wheel, how could it go wrong? By introducing McMissile in spectacular fashion and then relegating him to a supporting role, that's how. And he isn't alone. Almost everyone, save Mater, is a supporting player while overpopulation and over-plotting take their toll. So if spies are the sequel's nuts 'n bolts, why not abandon the Radiator Springs crew altogether? Had Lasseter and Lewis simply parted ways with McQueen and Mater and made the Cars universe just that -- a universe that didn't hinge on any one or two characters -- the sputtering sequel would have had plenty of open road to explore. Instead, we're treated to a startlingly predictable round of mistaken identity with Mater; a slightly tedious take on The Man Who Knew Too Much (channeled by way of Jon Amiel's already tedious The Man Who Knew Too Little). If you thought Mater was a one-trick tow truck before, just wait till you get a load of him here; if you've seen the Cars 2 trailer, you've already seen the breadth of his arc; if you've seen Mater's Tall Tales, you'll see the formula coming a mile away. (A last-minute gag all but confirms it.) There's some soul-searching thrown in for good measure, sure, but nothing that resonates, and certainly nothing that reaches the heights or depths of other Pixar productions. Even Cars, considered by many to be the lowest common denominator in the Pixar equation, runs circles around its sequel, delving into deeper waters and examining everything from socioeconomic hardships to generational divides to once-proud communities bypassed by modern civilization. When asked what Mater came to learn over the course of Cars 2, my six-year-old, typically dead on with his analyses (I've trained him well), thought for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and said, "how to use mini guns?" As usual, he got it right. But he also had a blast in the theater, even as his dear ol' dad and mum grew more and more disenchanted. His review: "It was very funny and very good. And very action-y!" As I said, children will find Cars 2 to be flashy, funny, and fun. Adults may groan and wonder where the Pixar magic has gone, but kids won't bemoan the downgrade for a second. (And no, if you have a blast with it all, I'm not equating you with a child. You're allowed to indulge in harmless fun from time to time too.) If anything, kids will declare it one of their favorite Pixar productions as it dispenses with unnecessary time-sinks like character development, nuanced themes, seamless allegory and other things early grade schoolers tend to deem non-essentials. Am I being too harsh? Maybe. I'll be the first to admit I expect far more from Pixar. I'll also be the first to admit those same lofty expectations made it that much harder to sit back and enjoy Cars 2 on its own terms. But, lest we forget, it's Pixar that's set such steep standards. It's Pixar that's raised the proverbial bar so high. And it's Pixar's stunning successes that make a serviceable sequel like Cars 2 difficult to swallow. So harsh is relative. Still, my son spit out his first "you just don't get it dad" (presumably the first of many) and there's an argument to be made for embracing kids' entertainment as kids' entertainment. Not that it's a very sound argument. Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of telling my son he can't watch a movie he loves a second, third or fourth time. But I will space out of his viewings and continue to help him refine his cinematic palette by pointing him in the direction of better animated films, more rewarding Pixar adventures and richer sequels than Cars 2. Passable as it may be, kid-friendly as it is, it just doesn't measure up. Cars 2 may not set a new Pixar standard, but its 3D presentation does. Easily one of the best 3D experiences of the year, John Lasseter's somewhat misguided sequel looks absolutely astonishing (flaws and all), matches its breathtaking 3D visuals with a full-throttle DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, and delivers a variety of special features, the majority of which are exclusive to Disney's 5-disc 3D combo pack. If you're ready to add Cars 2 to your collection, this is the release to snag, regardless of whether or not you own a 3D-capable display. Cast Notes: Larry the Cable Guy (Mater [voice]), Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen [voice]), Michael Caine (Finn McMissile [voice]), Emily Mortimer (Holley Shiftwell [voice]), Eddie Izzard (Sir Miles Axlerod [voice]), John Turturro (Francesco Bernoulli [voice]), Brent Musburger (Brent Mustangburger [voice]), Joe Mantegna (Grem [voice]), Thomas Kretschmann (Professor Z [voice]), Peter Jacobson (Acer [voice]), Bonnie Hunt (Sally [voice]), Darrell Waltrip (Darrell Cartrip [voice]), Franco Nero (Uncle Topolino [voice]), David Hobbs (David Hobbscap [voice]), Patrick Walker (Mel Dorado [voice]). IMDb Rating (06/19/17): 6.7/10 from 16,973 users
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