Cars 2

In this follow-up to the 2006 Pixar animated film that had Paul Newman's Doc Hudson serving as mentor to Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen in the tiny town of Radiator Springs, the plot revolves around the friendship between race car McQueen (again voiced by Wilson) and a battered, buck-toothed tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The pair travel to Tokyo, Paris, and London to compete in the World Grand Prix after a taunting challenge from Italian Formula One speedster Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). En route, they're intercepted by a debonair James Bond–inspired Aston Martin named Finn McMissile (Michael Caine)—and his assistant Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer)—who mistakenly thinks that Mater is an American agent contact. An environmental subplot revolves around eccentric oil billionaire Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard), who has invented a new alternative fuel. Directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis rev this sensory-overloaded sequel up to a confusing, high-octane frenzy, but fail to forge any emotional connection with the audience. Granted, the kids will enjoy the cleverly caricatured talking cars and video arcade–like speedway crashes, while the adults will appreciate details like Notre Dame's car-goyles and London's Big Ben refitted as Big Bentley, but Newman's passing (and the resulting absence of Doc) leaves this franchise with an emotional pothole that is simply not filled here. Still, this sure-to-be-popular title is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by filmmakers John Lasseter and Brad Lewis, a “Hawaiian Vacation” short featuring Toy Story characters (6 min.), the “Air Mater” Cars characters short (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a rather stripped down extras package for a somewhat disappointing follow-up to the wonderful original.] (S. Granger)