‘Cars 3’ runs a little smoother in the franchise’s latest lap
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, such as the ingeniously heartfelt
Toy Story trilogy or the enjoyably rambunctious Monsters,
Inc. And it’s not as if anybody’s comparing the underwhelming Cars franchise to the magical Inside Out.
Though the film is still not a Pixar classic by any stretch, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and his fourwheeled bunch finally get in the right lane with the surprisingly deep Cars 3 ( out of four; eegE rated G; in theaters nationwide Friday), which amounts to Rocky
IV with anthropomorphic automobiles. The aging champ has lost his mojo, he needs to battle a new-school foe to get it back, and there’s a strange path to get there.
Lightning is on career cruise control, getting himself psyched up using old tricks (chanting “I ... am ... speed” usually works) and enjoying the fruits of his labor. The racing world, though, has been invaded by a crop of new top-of-the-line rookies including Jackson Storm (über-smarmy Armie Hammer), who leaves 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 no longer the fastest.
His new benefactor, Sterling (Nathan Fillion), gives Lightning 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 spy-spoof 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 selfrediscovery. Kids will revel at the action-packed demolition derby where he has to fight for his life against insane school bus Miss Fritter (Lea DeLaria), while their parents will understand the nuance of him caking mud all over his iconic red-and-yellow paint job so he can win on his own merits rather than 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, and Kerry Washington voices racing analyst Natalie Certain.
Some punny lines are painful — just a warning, “Life’s a beach and then you drive” does get uttered on a sandy track — 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.