Has Cars 2 been unfairly criticized?

[Pokeholic_Prince]

Here is the thing, I do feel like Cars 2 was sort of unfairly bashed. However, the movie is still not that great. While it doesn't deserve the 39% rotten score, it doesn't deserve a fresh score either. And I hated how the reviews say it is not Pixar's best work and the we expected better from this company. They are solely alluding to that this isn't Pixar's best work, but in reality it isn't a great movie in general, it's very average. While I had fun with the movie, you could not say it wasn't cliched, had weak characters, lack of heart, and the story is poorly executed.

And as for the original Cars, I liked it, but feel that it's by far the weakest of Pixar movies, but it at least managed to have heart. The story and the characters were alright, but at the same time it was slow and the story was a bit hard to connect to and feel for the characters that emotional connection was not there.

I think Cars 2's rotten score should be more in the 50's. It was a average movie, nothing special. It had good action scenes and animation, but that can't keep it going for ever. Just like a car, you can impress the opposite sex with how your car looks, but if don't have gas or your cars doesn't work, it won't keep the attention very long.

As for where it ranks with other animated movies this year (not having seen Happy Feet 2, Arthur Christmas, Puss in Boots, and TinTin). I'll say Panda, Pooh, Rango, and Rio are all better than Cars 2.

[DisneyFan09]

Well, everyone are allowed to entitle their opinion, but to be honest, I thought Cars 2 became way more bashed than it deserved. I'm not saying that it's one of Pixar's best, but for what it was, I really enjoyed it. It was fun and entertaining. It didn't deserved all the hatred that it got.

[St.GeorgeMickeyMouseFlynn]

Cars 2 was just a fun movie to watch and enjoy. However, most people expected more of a roller coaster emotion ride from Pixar. So, when Pixar doesn't take them on that trip they bashed it. Not every Pixar movie needs to be super deep.

[Elladorine]

Honestly, it was a fun story, but it just didn't mesh well with the whole Cars universe that was established with the original film. I enjoyed it for what it was, but can understand why the critics bashed it.

Would have been better with a whole new set of characters that weren't . . . well, automobiles. There was something kinda awkward about that.

[pap64]

Having seen the movie twice (once in theaters, and once on Blu Ray), I will agree that the movie isn't as awful as some people made it out to be. However, it does rank as one of Pixar's weakest, and I think it's because Lasseter was too blinded by his own vision and tried to do too much with it.

The first Cars movie worked for me because it was about a small community trying to survive in an era that has forgotten them. It is about the importance of those small moments in life where you truly learn to appreciate yourself and others. It was more than just Mater being silly or Lightning being cool. The film had HEART.

Cars 2, while I think does have some heart to it, focused too much on the comedy and action. Yes, I did say that Pixar shouldn't be pigeon-holed into making one kind of movie each year, but in Cars 2 you could tell they were struggling to tell two different kinds of stories. In my opinion, the film should have been about the world grand prix. That's it. Have the characters explore new areas, interact with the natives and have fun while learning the true meaning of spirited competition and friendship. The need to make it a spy flick just makes it confusing.

So like I said, Cars 2 is not the worst animated movie of the year (that honor goes to Hoodwinked Too), but this is clearly the case in which Pixar lost focus.

[bradhig]

I like Cars 2. Dang gum lemons!!

[REINIER]

My final statement about the Matter..

This Movie. more so than it's predecessors was soully
commercially ''driven''

That, and all statements by PatrickvD & Sotiris quite sums it up nicely

[Elladorine]

Well, to put it another way . . . I was happy to pick up the Blu-ray to watch at home, but it wasn't a day-one purchase for me (and yes, I did see it in the theater), and I've only watched it once since buying it.

Was much more excited for Rango when it came out. I've been a huge fan of Crash McCreerie since the early 90's and this film was just bad-ass in so many ways (saw this one in the theater too). Loved how it felt like a live-action film and that it didn't try to be anything like a Pixar wannabe movie.

Kung Fu Panda 2 was one of my favorites of the year (another one for the theater). Great characters, with amazing visuals (like the first) and some wonderful story moments. Been holding off on purchasing it though since I've somehow lost my original DVD of the first film. I've been hoping to get a good deal on grabbing both on Blu-ray (it sucks there doesn't seem to be a combo pack of the movie collection) but I just might cave and buy the separate combo packs.

Puss in Boots was a nice break from the typical humor of the Shrek franchise (although I've gotta say I enjoy the franchise immensely outside of the third film); didn't like the Humpty Dumpty character much, although to be fair I don't think we were supposed to (I also felt he should have been voiced by Billy Crystal, but that's another issue altogether). Anyway, it's solid, noble, and entertaining. It also didn't stray too far from its roots like Cars 2 did. Glad I caught it in the theater and am looking forward to the Blu-ray.

Absolutely loved Rio, my favorite animated film of the year, felt lucky to catch it before it left theaters (actually caught it at a dollar theater a few days before the Blu-ray release). The energy, atmosphere, colors, and music were simply wonderful. I know people complained about a predictable story, but I see it as being no more predictable than any given DAC.

Haven't seen Winnie the Pooh yet. Yes, I've heard great things about it, and yes, I claim to be a supporter of hand-drawn animation, but this one hasn't really interested me. I've never been much of fan of the Winnie-the Pooh franchise to be honest, and was a little disappointed that we didn't get a film full of other hand-drawn characters that would be new to us. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I do finally see it.

So . . . personally speaking, it's kinda sad that Cars 2 ranks near the bottom of all these films for me. Though it had great material and I liked it a lot, it simply doesn't measure up.

[pap64]

Well, to put it another way . . . I was happy to pick up the Blu-ray to watch at home, but it wasn't a day-one purchase for me (and yes, I did see it in the theater), and I've only watched it once since buying it.

Was much more excited for Rango when it came out. I've been a huge fan of Crash McCreerie since the early 90's and this film was just bad-ass in so many ways (saw this one in the theater too). Loved how it felt like a live-action film and that it didn't try to be anything like a Pixar wannabe movie.

Kung Fu Panda 2 was one of my favorites of the year (another one for the theater). Great characters, with amazing visuals (like the first) and some wonderful story moments. Been holding off on purchasing it though since I've somehow lost my original DVD of the first film. I've been hoping to get a good deal on grabbing both on Blu-ray (it sucks there doesn't seem to be a combo pack of the movie collection) but I just might cave and buy the separate combo packs.

Puss in Boots was a nice break from the typical humor of the Shrek franchise (although I've gotta say I enjoy the franchise immensely outside of the third film); didn't like the Humpty Dumpty character much, although to be fair I don't think we were supposed to (I also felt he should have been voiced by Billy Crystal, but that's another issue altogether). Anyway, it's solid, noble, and entertaining. It also didn't stray too far from its roots like Cars 2 did. Glad I caught it in the theater and am looking forward to the Blu-ray.

Absolutely loved Rio, my favorite animated film of the year, felt lucky to catch it before it left theaters (actually caught it at a dollar theater a few days before the Blu-ray release). The energy, atmosphere, colors, and music were simply wonderful. I know people complained about a predictable story, but I see it as being no more predictable than any given DAC.

Haven't seen Winnie the Pooh yet. Yes, I've heard great things about it, and yes, I claim to be a supporter of hand-drawn animation, but this one hasn't really interested me. I've never been much of fan of the Winnie-the Pooh franchise to be honest, and was a little disappointed that we didn't get a film full of other hand-drawn characters that would be new to us. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I do finally see it.

So . . . personally speaking, it's kinda sad that Cars 2 ranks near the bottom of all these films for me. Though it had great material and I liked it a lot, it simply doesn't measure up.

Rango was OK to me. Dare I say it, though, it is VERY overrated. OK, here's the thing...

I agree that the movie has a lot of good to great things going for it. The visuals are stunning, the story (despite being derivative) is good, the characters interesting and there's a lot of creativity involved. But I saw it on Blu Ray (which is drop dead gorgeous BTW), and... once was enough.

For me, the problem was that it has the same issues as the Pirates sequels had, which was pace issues. You first had these moments where nothing really happens except quirky character dialogue, then it's all OOOOOOOH MY GOD ACTION ACTION ACTION EXPLOSIONS BLIND MOLES RIDING ON BIRDS WHILE PLAYING A BANJO VERSION OF RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES WOAAAAAAH, and then it's back to long dialogue scenes where nothing really happens. It's funny because the Pirates movies were heavily criticized for these same issues, yet Rango gets heavily praised for it.

No offense to you or anyone that liked the movie, though. I honestly can see why people loved the movie, it's just wasn't my movie. MY movie, though, is definitely Kung Fu Panda 2. For me, it is the perfect sequel. Not only does the story manages to develop the main characters it is able to give solid existence to the first story. The action scenes are beyond epic, yet it strikes a near perfect mix of drama, action, emotion and comedy, something I felt Rango severely lacked (for me anyway). If it were up to me, I would award Kung Fu Panda 2 as the best animated movie of the year.

Regarding Winnie the Pooh, let me put it this way... I may be the world's biggest Pooh fan. That means that while I love the characters, the 90s television show and the music, I have never been so invested in that universe, so when the new movie came out I didn't exactly rush out to see it, I saw it on DVD much later. I LOVED THE MOVIE TO DEATH. Dare I say it, not only is it already one of my favorites in the animated canon it blows the first movie out of the water. That's because the movie, much like Kung Fu Panda 2, has a really great balance of comedy, warmth and charm. It has a lot more plot than the first movie, the characters have more weight to them and the music is really, really good. I recommend it even if you are not a big Pooh fan. I was not a fan, but the movie made me into a big one.

Plus it has one of the best Pooh characters ever... the Backson :3 .

Rio was indeed a great film. The funny thing? At the beginning of 2011 I saw Alpha and Omega. Both Rio and Alpha and Omega tell the same story: two unlike lovers go on a journey where they learn to love each other deeply. But Rio is SO... MUCH... BETTER. That's because it does have a lot of passion put into it, despite how cliche the story may be. With Alpha and Omega, you can see that they were OK with just, well, OK. They didn't try to be creative in any way, the humor is off and the visual style is just "blah". A lot of love and care went into Rio, so even if it doesn't get creative with the story it does a great job of telling it.

I have not seen Puss and Boots yet so I can't comment on it. So yeah... Cars 2 is on the bottom on the list as well. The only movie worse than it is Hoodwinked Too. My God is that movie awful, awful, awful... It feels like a bad Shrek rip-off. You may claim that the first movie was like that too, but it was more fun and clever in its execution. The sequel is just flat out embarrassing.

[Elladorine]

Ok now Pap, when I saw you had replied here, I just knew you were gonna go on about Rango being overrated. But that's ok. I understand why people think it is, and that pacing's also an issue. But I guess I didn't mind the pacing so much since I enjoyed the details and setting immensely . . . it's just clearly not everyone's cup of tea. Oh, and maybe I'm biased because of the whole Vegas thing (also loved to see the Vegas setting in Bolt and the Vegas references in Despicable Me).

I really wish I could say more about Kung Fu Panda 2, but I'm holding off on seeing it again until I buy it, and only saw it the one time back when it was in the theater. But it did leave quite an impression on me, and Po's newly-learned history really got to me in a bad way. I've been anxious to grab both movies so I can watch them back-to-back.

I did try to watch Alpha and Omega on Netflix streaming, and my god, I got so bored. Was glad I didn't go to the theater for it like I'd originally wanted. Heh, I didn't even notice how similar it was to Rio but you're absolutely right. Rio . . . I don't know, it's just so much fun to watch. The animators had so much down, right to the way those kinds of birds walk. It had so much energy and you could just feel the passion that went into it. I really hope they'll do a good job on the sequel. But back to Alpha and Omega . . . I can often forgive bad animation if there's a great story, but have a harder time with bad character designs. I don't know, I hate to say it but maybe if they had a bigger budget maybe I'd have been more interested?

Haven't seen Hoodwinked Too. While I was sorry to hear about its production and release issues, I was barely able to sit through the first one . . . once again, I have a hard time forgiving bad character designs; I felt trapped in the theater that evening. I'm kinda scared to hear that the second is much worse than the first.

I was kinda hoping they were going to go with some sort of adaptation of the original story for Puss in Boots, but going with their own backstory for him wasn't a bad idea at all, and I liked what they did with the character and how he only wanted his "mama" to be proud of him. I like how it's totally independent of the Shrek films and doesn't contain the pop-culture references . . . they just wouldn't fit the tone of it.

I do keep telling myself I need to give Winnie the Pooh and chance, but I'd rather wait to watch it when I'm in the mood for it.

At the very least, Cars 2 had some gorgeous animation going for it. While I do love Pixar, I do often find their films a bit overrated. Not so in this case. Still enjoy it for what it is though.

[estefan]

I definitely agree with the sentiments on Rio. I'm of the opinion when it comes to a formulaic story, that if the filmmakers are still able to make it compelling, then it doesn't make a lick to me if it's formulaic. Rio had so much energy and such a fun set of characters, I had a massive smile on my face the whole time. While I'm slightly disappointed it wasn't nominated for Animated Feature, I'm pleased the music was recognised. I also think Rio had the best use of 3-D I saw this year (yes, even above Hugo). This being a personal project for Carlos Saldanha, you can tell he put his heart into it and it paid off. Rio is even one of the reasons why Blue Sky is probably the animation studio I would most like to work at.

As for Cars 2, I enjoyed it. It is Pixar's weakest, due to lack of character development and much heart, not to mention the message is spat in our faces rather than the subtlety we expect from Pixar. However, I enjoyed it for the fun spy romp it was meant to be. I thought the racing sequences were spectacular and I did laugh a good number of times. Frankly, it's still the only Pixar universe that makes no sense to me, but it doesn't bother me too much. I also like Mater, which I think is the tipping point for a lot of people. If you don't like Mater, you're not likely to enjoy Cars 2.

[fmilton]

Cars 2 wasn't that bad, though when you compare it to the impact the first installment made, it fails quite disappointingly. But movies are never meant to be compared even those which proceed from an earlier movie release. But then again, you cannot take that away from people because they are meant to compare one against the other in any which world they are placed at.

I love cars so seeing a new flick about it was good enough for me, apparently not for a lot.

[DisneyGuy220987]

Having seen the movie twice (once in theaters, and once on Blu Ray), I will agree that the movie isn't as awful as some people made it out to be. However, it does rank as one of Pixar's weakest, and I think it's because Lasseter was too blinded by his own vision and tried to do too much with it.

The first Cars movie worked for me because it was about a small community trying to survive in an era that has forgotten them. It is about the importance of those small moments in life where you truly learn to appreciate yourself and others. It was more than just Mater being silly or Lightning being cool. The film had HEART.

Cars 2, while I think does have some heart to it, focused too much on the comedy and action. Yes, I did say that Pixar shouldn't be pigeon-holed into making one kind of movie each year, but in Cars 2 you could tell they were struggling to tell two different kinds of stories. In my opinion, the film should have been about the world grand prix. That's it. Have the characters explore new areas, interact with the natives and have fun while learning the true meaning of spirited competition and friendship. The need to make it a spy flick just makes it confusing.

So like I said, Cars 2 is not the worst animated movie of the year (that honor goes to Hoodwinked Too), but this is clearly the case in which Pixar lost focus.

Amen to that!

However, I loved Cars 2. I loved Cars.

People were bashing Cars 2 before it was even released, just based on the fact that it was a sequel to Cars. And I agree with the comments saying that Pixar films don't have to be super deep. I loved the action. I thought the story was straight forward in all honesty. I loved the spy stuff, but I agree, focusing on Mater pretty much killed the film. Mater should take a back seat (no pun intended).

I wouldn't mind seeing a Cars 3 to be honest, but I wish that it ONLY focused on racing

[MJW]

I just finished watching Cars 2 again (saw it in the theater and again when it first came out on Blu-ray), and I found myself really enjoying it. The original Cars is probably my 2nd least favorite Pixar film, after A Bug's Life, but I like Cars 2 more than just thinking "it's okay."

I do think it was judged too harshly when it came out and in the long run I don't think it will be thought of as Pixar's biggest blunder farther down the road. Everyone seems to think it was made to "cash in" on merchandise sales, and although that may be part of the reason, I think a lot of people are forgetting that the Cars franchise is one of John Lasseter's babies, and I have a feeling that whatever he says at Pixar goes. I honestly believe he loves this franchise and the characters, and when he wanted to make a sequel, I'm sure Disney didn't object (they probably saw dollar signs).

I, too, wouldn't mind seeing a Cars 3, but not sure how likely that is. I doubt the Cars 2 criticism cut Lasseter to the bone, but he still may be a bit apprehensive to do another because of it.

[DisneyFan09]

The first Cars movie was somewhat decent. And now, I call this the second worst Pixar movie ever, since I finally got my hands on Cars 2 last night when I rented and watched it on DVD. And yes, I consider Cars 2 an okay kids movie, but also a disappointing Pixar movie too. That's what happens when Pixar do a movie franchise about talking vehicles.

And what's bad about Pixar doing a film about talking vehicles?

[TheValentineBros]

The first Cars movie was somewhat decent. And now, I call this the second worst Pixar movie ever, since I finally got my hands on Cars 2 last night when I rented and watched it on DVD. And yes, I consider Cars 2 an okay kids movie, but also a disappointing Pixar movie too. That's what happens when Pixar do a movie franchise about talking vehicles.

And what's bad about Pixar doing a film about talking vehicles?

Nothing bad, except they're now cash cows from Pixar much like how the Disney tweens are cash cows of Disney.

[dvdjunkie]

I don't see the difference in a movie about cars than a movie about animals like "Bambi", or "Robin Hood", etc.

There are no humans in those films, and everyone says that "Cars" and "Cars 2" suffered from no human contact.

Don't really understand that. But if I were to rank (and I think that is stupid, but that's just me) the Cars films in the Pixar/Disney family, I would rate them both up there in the Top Five. I love "Finding Nemo" (another film with just animals, fish, birds, and such) and rate it close to the top of my Top Five. Again I think it is silly to rank films because everyone has their own opinions about them and has their own list.

Plus Rotten Tomatoes is the biggest fountain of misinformation on the planet next to Wikipedia.

That being said, I truly loved "Cars" and watched in five times in a movie theater, and bought it on DVD and then again when I jumped into the Blu-ray ocean feet-first. "Cars 2" I think was almost on the same level, but the excess of characters that appeared for no reason bothered me a little. My grand kids and I watch both of the "Cars" movies very often. And I think that they are great entertainment for children and adults alike.

[Lazario]

I can't believe anyone would actually ask the question this thread is named after. But the answer is a resounding:

No.

As a matter of fact, I believe the original has never been judged harshly enough.

[Sotiris]

As a matter of fact, I believe the original has never been judged harshly enough.

That's what I'm saying! Seriously, the first Cars does not deserve the 74% rating it has on Rotten Tomatoes.

[slave2moonlight]

As a matter of fact, I believe the original has never been judged harshly enough.

This is a good point. Though, people do generally call it the weakest of the PIXAR films... until the sequel, that is. But still, the level of love this film gets... ugh. Even if it is probably higher coming from within the company.

I think I already posted in this thread, but to repeat about why this is not the same as a film with talking animals...

I LOVE Susie the Little Blue Coupe and the Herbie movies, and I have a pretty big and forgiving imagination, but why would there be a world of just cars? Why do they have seats and steering wheels? I don't get that. Why do they have doors? That may be over-thinking to some, but it kinda ruins the movie for me, and I usually do not over-think for the sake of complaining, so this must have really bugged me for some reason. I don't hate the first film, but it was weak, and the second was just extremely contrived, and the whole franchise seems like the most crass thing ever. CarsLand? Do we really need a CarsLand in a Disney park? That's almost as bad an idea as test track. They should just redo Test Track and the Tomorrowland raceway, or whatever it's called now, with a PIXAR Cars theme. Devoting a whole land to one film (franchise) is a terrible idea (unless it's TinkerBell; surround me with Tink and other girls in fairy costumes, I won't complain a bit).