Cars 2 is far more entertaining than the 2006 original, and it’s a good thing, because it’s also the weakest film in the Pixar cannon. As one would expect, the film looks fabulous, and has some nifty action sequences, but the story, by John Lasseter, Brad Lewis and Dan Fogelman with a screenplay by Ben Queen, is sorely lacking.
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is looking forward to some time away from the racing circuit to relax and hang out with his friends in Radiator Springs. However, those plans are foiled when he is challenged by to participate in a World Grand Prix by Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro), a cocky Italian sports car who believes he is faster than Lightning. The race is being sponsored by Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy entrepreneur/adventurer who has converted himself into an electric car and has developed a sustainable new fuel, Allinol, that doesn’t rely on oil. As such, all the cars in the World Grand Prix will have to run on Allinol.
While in Tokyo for the first leg of the race, Lightning’s old buddy from Radiator Springs, the dimwitted tow truck Mater (Larry The Cable Guy), is mistaken by British spies for their American contact. The spies—the James Bondian British roadster Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and the well named Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer)—make Mater a vital part of the mission, which involves trying to stop an international crime syndicate from scaring the world’s car population off of foreign oil by exploding engines that use Allinol.
In the wake of Cars‘ success, Disney and Pixar looked to extend the brand by producing short films with Mater in the lead. By shifting the focus away from Lightning McQueen Cars 2 feels like one of those—either Mater and the Ghost Light or Mater’s Tall Tales—stretched very thin in order to fill out a feature. Owen Wilson’s self-centered, yet loveable racecar is missed, as he takes a backseat in favor of a rather lackluster spy spoof. While some of the race action is involving, others are poor staged; such as a crucial sprint through London’s streets where we’re not even told who wins.
The most surprising thing about Cars 2 is the lack of genuine humorous moments. When the film does go for laughs, the best I could conjure up was an amused smile. For instance, when the cars travel by plane, they have to remove their tires at the airport security checkpoint. Many of the gags rely on Mater’s cluelessness, which is funny in small doses but doesn’t really carry an entire film. While Cars 2 isn’t a terrible film, it’s hard not to come away from this one feeling like the folks at Pixar lost sight of what they’re really good at: telling a story.
This is a Pixar film. As such, the 239:1, 1080p transfer looks fabulous. Colors are incredibly vivid, detail quality is absolutely impeccable, and black levels are wonderfully inky and consistent without ever resorting to crush. There are no instances of banding or aliasing to mention, nor is there any compression artifacting anywhere. This is what an HD transfer should be.
The DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound mix is no less impressive. Balancing clear dialogue with an immersive surround presence, this track is a booming rush. Fidelity is super-strong, high- and low-ends are replicated perfectly. This is everything an HD soundtrack should be.
English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish DTS-HD HR 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are included, as are English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
The vast majority of Cars 2 extras are exclusive to the 5-disc 3D combo pack; a trend that began with the Blu-ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D. As such, what we get here isn’t overly impressive.
- Audio Commentary: Directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis deliver an extensive, nearly non-stop commentary that covers every aspect of the production, from the film’s origins to its story development to its animation and final cut. And while Lasseter sometimes sounds as if he’s reading from notes, the information is still fascinating.
- Hawaiian Vacation (HD, 6 minutes): A great little Toy Story 3 animated short in which Buzz, Woody and the gang try to cheer up Barbie and Ken by staging an impromptu trip to Hawaii… in Bonnie’s room.
- Air Mater (HD, 6 minutes): A second animated short finds Mater taking to the skies in one of his Tall Tales.
- Sneak Peeks (HD, 10 minutes): Trailers and promos are included for Pixar’s Brave, Cars spinoff Planes, The Muppets, Lady and the Tramp, Cars 2: The Videogame, Naughty vs. Nice and Secret of the Wings.
