‘Cars 2’ is one for the kids
Cars 2
(Cert U, 101 mins, Animation/Comedy/Action)
Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) returns home to Radiator Springs as the four-time champion of the Piston Cup.
Italian racing car Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) goads Lightning into participating in a newly announced championship organised by environmentalist Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard), who will use the Grand Prix to showcase his state-of-the-art biofuel, Allinol.
However, a group of rogue cars led by the diabolical Professor Zundapp (Thomas Kretschmann) is plotting to sabotage the three races in Japan, Italy and the UK.
Thankfully, secret agent Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) are on the case, roping in Lightning’s best friend Mater (Larry The Cable Guy) for the dangerous mission.
Cars 2 is a sweet and colourful yarn about being true to yourself, as seen through the headlights of Mater.
The visuals look spectacular and its action sequences have been breathlessly orchestrated to take full advantage of the 3D format, available on one version of the Blu-ray, so you feel like you are burning rubber down winding roads at dizzying speed.
Young viewers will whoop with glee as tow truck Mater skids and screeches from one disaster to the next and the film’s turbo-charged characters circumnavigate the globe in the first ever World Grand Prix.
However, next to last year’s triumph, Toy Story 3, this Pixar film falls short, lacking sufficient heartfelt emotion under the bonnet to really rev our engines in the way that we have come to expect from the mercurial John Lasseter and his team.
A three-disc set comprising Cars, Cars 2 and Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales, plus a gift set packaged with the CD soundtrack of Cars and a book of Cars 2, is also available.
Rating: 3/5.
