Delayed Reaction: Cars 3

The Pitch: Sorry about Cars 2. Here's the sequel you actually wanted.

Lightning McQueen attempts a comeback after a newer generation of cars take over the racing circuit.

I wonder what Pixar's opinion of Cars is. From a critical and box office viewpoint, the franchise is dragging the brand down. During Pixar's peak creative decade (2002-2012), the Cars movies were the only ones that failed to win the Animated Feature Oscar. While the first movie made decent money, all 3 movies in the franchise are in the bottom half of Pixar box office earners (domestically), and the sequels are among the four lowest grossing Pixar movies. All three movies are in the 6 lowest rated Pixar movies on Metacritic, including both sequels as the bottom 2 overall. And let's be honest, the only reason Cars 2 finished above 50 on Metacritix was because of the "Pixar bump" and the animation always looks good, even if they are telling a ridiculous story about Mater as a spy. Then there's the brand-ruiner, Planes, which is actually a Disney Toons production but gets so associated with Cars that most people think it's a Pixar movie.

But, Cars merchandise makes Disney sooooooo much money. As much as I love Up, there's not a lot they can do with that. But Cars is endless. The only reason that Pixar keeps coming back with Cars sequels is because there's a business mandate to do so. Granted, any sequel is a business mandate at the end of the day, but they've shown patience with other franchises that they haven't with Cars*. That's because each new movie means so much new merch. There's also the fact that the franchise is John Lassater's baby. With him booted from Disney, I wonder if there will be the same impetus to continue.

*It took over a decade for Monsters University, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 3, and Finding Dory. It only took 5 years for Cars 2 to come out and 6 years for Cars 3.

I'm of the opinion that the Cars movies are among my least favorite Pixar movies. Even the first one didn't do much for me. The second I've mostly blocked from my memory. The third movie, isn't bad. It wisely left Mater behind and kept the focus on Lightning McQueen. It tells a familiar and relatable story about aging and feeling like you are being phased out. It sneakily turns that into a story about female empowerment, which was cool.

Casting Cristela Alonzo as the second lead is an interesting choice. She's neither a famous name or an accomplished voice actress. The movie doesn't require any singing, so there's no promoting her for that. Instead, this is some old school voice casting. They just liked her for the part. You don't see that very often.

Let's be honest, the Cars universe don't make much sense. The less I think about the logistics, the better. Like, which parts of them are accessories, and which parts are part of their bodies? Apparently the tires are like shoes. Is the paneling their clothes or their skin? Regardless, I don't think this was very packed with jokes. I sensed the animation team growing board with the Cars world in a way that they haven't with the sea in Finding Nemo/Dory or the different toys in Toy Story. It's probably for the best that this came and went with little fanfare.

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend