2011 | Dir. John Lasseter | 106 Minutes
"Everybody fights now and then, especially best friends. But you gotta make up fast. No fight more important than friendship."
Lightning McQueen participates in a globe-hopping race with Mater and company in tow as his support team. In a case of mistaken identity, British Intelligence agents mark Mater as an American spy and their ally. Together, Mater and his new friends from across the pond unravel a plot to discredit a new formula for clean alternative fuel.
While Cars 2 features more racing than its predecessor, as well as elaborate car chases and clever gadgets inspired by spy action films, it is unmistakably Mater's movie and ultimately suffers for it. Mater's struggle to be taken seriously despite his clumsy and oafish antics, emphasizing his undervalued knowledge of car parts, can be a relatable story but overall, the plot is paper-thin and merely an excuse to set up sight gags, car puns, and big action scenes barring a few twists during the film's final act. Like all Pixar Animation Studios films, Cars 2 is technologically sound, but this picture has even less heart than the director John Lasseter's first Cars film.
Larry the Cable Guy headlines this film returning as Mater, his severe Southern caricature sharply juxtaposed against the voice talents of British actors Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer as secret agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. John Turturro is amusingly arrogant as Lightning McQueen's Italian formula racer rival Francesco Bernoulli. Eddie Izzard plays Sir Miles Axlerod, sponsor of the global race and inventor of the new alternative fuel Allinol.
Returning from the first film are Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen in a reduced role, Tony Shalhoub as Luigi, Guido Quaroni as Guido, Paul Dooley as Sarge, Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera, Cheech Marin as Ramone, Jenifer Lewis as Flo, and Michael Wallis as the sheriff. Lloyd Sherr replaces the late George Carlin as hippy van Fillmore. The star-studded cast also includes Thomas Kretschmann as campy German villain Professor Zündapp, Italian film star Franco Nero as Luigi's Uncle Topolino in a small part, Vanessa Redgrave as Mama Topolino and the Queen of England, character actor Bruce Campbell as an American spy car in a brief but memorable role, and American NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon in a small cameo as Jeff Gorvette.
Cars 2 is not completely charmless, featuring fun set pieces and a new collection of colorful characters. However, the uncharacteristic lack of a strong story, and the shortage of emotional beats that ring true make this film a real disappointment to fans of Lasseter and his studio's body of work.
JOHN RATZENBERBER AS...
- Mack
A113
- Mater's license plate number
- The number on Siddeley the spy plane's tail
PIXAR INTERCONNECTIVITY
- An anthropomorphized version of the Pizza Planet delivery truck from Toy Story is seen at the Radiator Springs Grand Prix
- A marquee at the drive-in theater at Radiator Springs advertises a car version of The Incredibles entitled "The Incredimobiles"
- A car version of Gusteau's from Ratatouille known as "Gastow's" is seen during the Paris sequence and in the end credits
- A car version of the family tapestry seen in Brave (in production when this film was released) is seen hanging in a London pub
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Thomas Kretschmann (Wolfgang von Strucker in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron)
- Owen Wilson (Mobius M. Mobius in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
