Cars 3 revs up Pixar’s idling animated franchise
Other than filling up toy aisles with cars sporting cute eyes, the “Cars” movies haven’t been as noteworthy or artistically successful as others on Pixar’s slate — not as ingeniously heartfelt as the “Toy Story” trilogy nor as enjoyably rambunctious as, say, “Monsters, Inc.” It’s not like anybody’s comparing any of the underwhelming Cars outings to the magical “Inside Out.”
While still not a Pixar classic by any stretch, Lightning McQueen and his fourwheeled bunch at least get in the right lane finally with the surprisingly deep “Cars 3”(2 ½ out of four; rated G), which amounts to “Rocky IV” with anthropomorphic automobiles. The aging champ has lost his mojo, he needs to battle a newschool foe to get it back and there’s a strange path to get there.
Lightning (voiced by Owen Wilson) is on career cruise control, getting himself psyched up using old tricks (chanting “I ... am ... speed” usually works) and enjoying the fruits of his labour. The racing world, though, has been invaded by a crop of new top-of-the-line rookies including Jackson Storm (uber-smarmy Armie Hammer), who’s leaving Lightning in his high-test fumes regularly.
After a horrific crash (especially for a children’s film) sends Lightning back to the friendly confines of his hometown Radiator Springs, he has to face the fact that he’s not the fastest anymore. His new benefactor Sterling (Nathan Fillion) is giving him one last race to prove he’s still got it, and Lightning and his new trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) go on a wacky and revelatory road trip.
The first Cars in 2006 was a vanilla, kid-friendly tale of a hotshot getting a grounded comeuppance on the way to being a hero, while the 2011 sequel was a spyspoof disaster that turned the spotlight on Lightning’s redneck pal Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). No. 3, however, emphasizes the legacy inherent in the real-life racing world, with Lightning weighing his future while replaying the glory days of his mentor Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and imparting some of that knowledge to newcomer Cruz.
And while the youngsters might not get it, the story of the movie directed by Brian Fee cleverly explores a character fighting to maintain relevancy and needing to evolve: Lightning metaphorically “sheds his skin” quite a few times on his journey of self-rediscovery.
Kids will revel at the action-packed demolition derby where he has to stay alive against insane school bus Miss Fritter (Lea DeLaria), while their parents understand the nuance of him caking mud all over his iconic red-and-yellow paint job so he can win on his own merits and not because of his celebrity.
Having (and hearing) Newman’s Doc again playing an integral role — through old recordings of the late actor — will tug on the emotions, and for a movie series lacking in really cool female characters, the new emphasis on Cruz as Lightning’s equal is a welcome addition. (Bonnie Hunt returns as Lightning’s love interest Sally, while Kerry Washington voices racing analyst Natalie Certain.)
Some punny lines are painful and the plot doesn’t even pretend to be unpredictable. But “Cars 3” at least tries to put a little extra in the tank this time around.