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Cars 2 (2011)
- IMDb page: Cars 2 (2011)
- Rate: 6.4/10 total 32,270 votes
- Genre: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family
- Release Date: 24 June 2011 (USA)
- Runtime: USA:106 min
- Budget: $200,000,000(estimated)
- Gross: $191,450,875(USA)(11 December 2011)
- Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy and Michael Caine
- Original Music By: Michael Giacchino
- Soundtrack: Mon Coeur Fait Vroum (My Heart Goes Vroom)
- Sound Mix: Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS
- Plot Keyword: Spy | Grand Prix | Best Friend | Friendship | Ship
Writing Credits By:
- Ben Queen (screenplay)
- John Lasseter (story) &
- Brad Lewis (story) &
- Dan Fogelman (story)
Known Trivia
- Finn McMissile is a hybrid of several cars. The roof-line and doors are from a Volvo P1800, the car used by James Bond actor Roger Moore in the The Saint, the grill and fenders are from a BMW 507 and many other elements are from an Aston Martin DB5, James Bond’s trademark vehicle. (According to ‘James Bond Vehicles’ by John Cork and Collin Stutz, it never carried missiles, though. The Goldfinger version had machine guns where McMissile has his missiles.)
- Out of respect for Paul Newman, who died in 2008, Doc Hudson Hornet from Cars is not included in Cars 2. An early scene implies that Hudson has died. However, Fillmore the VW van, once voiced by George Carlin who also died in 2008, appears here voiced by Lloyd Sherr.
- The first John Lasseter-directed Pixar film not to have a score by Randy Newman.
- The name Miles Axlerod, as voiced by Eddie Izzard, was taken from one of Izzard’s stand-up routines about the invention of the wheel and axle.
- John Lasseter conceived the story for Cars 2 while he was in Europe promoting the first Cars.
- Finn McMissile was originally conceived for an unused scene in the first Cars where Lightning McQueen and Sally were seeing a spy movie featuring McMissile while on a date.
- At one point in the film, Mater is prompted to think of insurance agents, and he sings the State Farm Auto Insurance jingle, with modified lyrics. State Farm Insurance was one of the sponsors for the film, and Pixar created an animated television ad for them.
- HIDDEN MICKEY: Luigi’s family are all variants of the Fiat 500, a popular small car produced in Italy from 1936-1955. The car was nicknamed ‘Topolino’ which is the Italian name for Mickey Mouse. This is why Luigi’s uncle is called Uncle Topolino.
- During the race in England there is a sign on track wall that says “Lassetyre.” This is a reference to the film’s director/writer John Lasseter.
- When Mater is trying to drive away from McQueen while driving backwards, Darryl Cartrip mentions “He’s got to be the best backwards driver in the world!” Mater had made this claim himself in the first Cars movie.
Goofs: Factual errors: When the cars race from Trafalgar Square to the Mall, they go through Admiralty Arch. All three main arches are open. In reality the central arch is always closed to traffic except on state occasions when the Royal vehicles are allowed through that way. Normal traffic only uses the outer two main arches.
Plot: Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Full summary » »
Story: After Mater gets his best friend, star race car Lightning McQueen, a spot in the very first World Grand Prix, he is given the job of pit crew chief. But while they are in Japan, Mater crosses paths with Holly Shiftwell, a spy searching for an American spy. Unknown to Mater, the American spy attached a tracking device on him while being attacked. Thinking the tow truck is the spy, Holly and another spy, Finn McMissile, take Mater around the world to find and stop an evil plot created by "lemons," old cars considered ugly.Written by Mr. Top Hat
Synopsis
Synopsis: A secret message is received from a spy named Leland Turbo (Jason Isaacs), giving information about a secret location, and something even more sinister. The coordinates provided in Leland’s message are followed by Finn McMissile (Michael Caine), who charters a fishing boat to the coordinates. As they get close, a large armored carrier appears and demands the fishing boat turn around. As it does so, Finn sneaks aboard the carrier.
It takes him to an area rife with oil derricks. Finn ascends one of the derricks, and finds numerous lemons (aka small vehicles that often have engine trouble and need constant upkeep) milling about. He radios in to contact Leland, but is treated to two shocking sites: a tv camera in a special case with the logo World Grand Prix on the side, and Leland Turbo-having been killed by being crushed into a cube!
The lemons suddenly notice Finn, and give chase. Finn takes out some of them, before plunging off the derrick into the water, and activating his hydrofoil mode. Several lemons climb aboard the armored carriers and give chase, firing their weaponry. One of them appears to score a direct hit, and Finn’s tires bob to the surface in the fiery aftermath. Unseen to the lemons, Finn has dove down, activated his submarine mode, and piloted away.
Meanwhile, in Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has returned from his latest racing season, having won his 4th Piston cup. The win holds special meaning for Lightning, as this is the first year that they have renamed the Piston Cup in honor of Doc Hudson, who has since passed away. Mater is overjoyed that his best friend is back, and fills their first day with a full plate of things to do. However, Lightning tries to convince Mater that he also wishes to spend time with Sally that evening.
Mater claims he understands, but that evening at the Wheel Well Motel, he shows up as their waiter. Trying to get them drinks, Mater is distracted in the Motel’s bar when the news tells of famed millionaire Miles Axelrod, who has turned himself into a fully-electric vehicle and developed a new alternative fuel source called Allinol.
Axelrod is sponsoring a race dubbed The World Grand Prix, of which the news is interviewing one of the race entrants named Francesco Bernoulli (John Tuturro). The talk turns to Lightning having turned down an invite to the Grand Prix due to having just completed his current racing season. Francesco brags how much better of a racer he is than Lightning, causing Mater to call up the news program and defend his friend.
The news and Mater’s call soon attract Sally and Lightning inside (as well as several other patrons). When Francesco seems to have insulted Mater over his fandom of Lightning, Lightning gets on the phone and vows to put aside his vacation and enter the World Grand Prix.
Lightning assembels his pit crew (made up of Sarge, Fillmore, Luigi, & Guido), and also (at Sally’s urging) asks Mater to come along and help with the pit crew. Mater is eager to travel with his best friend, and soon the gang jets off to Japan for the first leg of the race.
The crew tours the sites, before going to a pre-game party where Lightning meets Francesco and the other racers. Also in attendance are Finn, and new field-agent, Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). Finn’s photos taken at the oil derricks do not provide sufficient information, but both agents are in Tokyo to meet up with an American spy who will be doing a drop-off of more concrete photo evidence. However, the two note that there are several lemons milling about the party, and suspect they may be up to something here as well. During the party, Miles Axelrod makes an appearance, and claims the World Grand Prix will show the world that his alternative fuel works just as well as gasoline. As part of the promotion, all of the racers in the event will be using Allinol.
Mater soon gets himself into trouble by mistaking wasabi for pistachio ice cream, and ‘leaking oil’ during Lightning’s introduction on camera (though Mater insists it wasn’t him). Mater rushes off to the restroom to clean-up. While in a stall, the American spy enters the men’s room, a sports car named Rod Torqueline. However, he is soon accosted by two lemons: Grem, and Acer. The two rough up Torqueline, but are interrupted when Mater exits the stall. Rod has activated the homing beacon on the information packet he has, and attaches it to Mater’s undercarriage to keep the information from being retrieved by the lemons.
As Mater exits the men’s room, Holly is shocked to see that the homing beacon is coming from Mater. Though she is unsure, Finn convinces her that Mater is their contact, and Holly is slightly convinced when Mater actually answers her test question correctly (though it’s about older vehicles, something Mater is an expert on). Though Mater claims he’s busy, he and Holly agree to ‘rendezvous’ the next day. Mater tells the others about meeting Holly, but his friends do not believe him.
Later on that evening, Rod Torqueline is tortured by the lemons and Professor Zendepp. Rod is fueled with Allinol, but then has a special laser trained on him. Zendepp explains that when heated to a high temperature, Allinol can become an explosive. The group displays a number of pictures of possible people that Rod could have given the information to, and when Rod’s gaze lingers on an image of Mater, the group make plans to eliminate Mater as Rod’s engine explodes.
The next day at the race, Mater joins the rest of Lightning’s crew, and the race appears to be going well, until Holly’s voice comes over Mater’s headset, trying to warn him that several lemons are nearby, and intend to get him. Mater doesn’t realize that Holly is contacting him on a secret frequency, and his voice distracts McQueen, giving him incorrect racing information, and causing Francesco to pull ahead and win the race by mere seconds. The race also takes a shocking turn when a couple of the racer’s engines blow out (a result of Grem and Acer using the camera-disguised laser that was used on Rod). Miles Axelrod is called into question regarding this, and promises that his alternative fuel source is safe.
In the aftermath, McQueen and Mater have a falling out, and Mater quietly leaves the team. While at the airport, Mater is met by Finn, who quickly leads Mater on a chase onto the tarmac as Grem and Acer give chase, intending to take both of them out. The two are quickly saved by Holly and a spy plane named Siddily.
Back at the hotel, Lightning and the crew find a goodbye note from Mater, claiming he is going back to Radiator Springs. Lightning feels bad that he has driven his friend away, but he feels some comfort in knowing that Mater will safely be back home.
Meanwhile, Holly has found the hidden information in Mater’s undercarriage, and is analyzing the photos. The photos show a vehicle with an open hood, exposing an engine, as well as a number of spare parts. Both Finn and Holly are clueless as to the items, but Mater’s knowledge of spare parts allows him to recognize them as the kind of parts used in ‘lemon’ vehicles. Amazed at this information, Finn has Siddily fly to Paris.
In Paris, Finn finds a seedy parts dealer named Tombar (pronounced Tom-bay). The vehicle tells Finn, Holly, & Mater that the parts in the picture look like some he sold an unknown contact in Porto Corsa. Tombar has also heard a number of lemon vehicles are making there way their as well. Finn then knows where he and his cohorts should head next.
Meanwhile, Lightning and the others have stopped in a little village where Luigi’s Uncle Topolino and his Mama are. A festive party is held for Lightning and his friends, but Uncle Topolino notes that Lightning seems a little dour. Lightning confides about how he feels he pushed his best friend away, but Uncle Topolino gives Lightning some words of wisdom.
Meanwhile, Finn, Holly, and Mater have secretly arrived in Porto Corsa. Holly’s wiring into the local security cameras shows a large number of lemons going around, and a couple well-preserved models being towed around town. The Finn and Holly recognize a couple as being part of large crime syndicates, and upon seeing one of the groups being towed by a tow-truck with a very similar appearance to Mater, it is decided to send Mater undercover.
Mater is equipped with a disguise program, but Holly notices the disguise doesn’t completely cover him up due to a large dent. Holly is all for fixing the dent, but Mater refuses, claiming that each dent is important to him. Holly respects his request, and works the disguise around this limitation.
Mater waits for Holly to let him know once their intended target is detained, and spends a few moments talking with Finn. Mater insists that he is simply a tow-truck, but Finn simply feels that Mater is still acting like a fool as part of his spy disguise. Hearing himself being considered to be a fool by Finn gives Mater a moment to reflect on himself, before Holly returns with the knocked-out target.
Mater dons his disguise and goes into the hotel where the lemons are meeting. It is there they are greeted by Professor Z, and are contacted by camera to their benefactor. However, like the spy photos, only the leader’s exposed engine is shown, and his voice is disguised. He then explains to the lemons his grand plans.
With Professor Z having found out about Allinol’s explosive connotations, they intend to sabotage the World Grand Prix, and destroy Miles Axelrod’s plans to create a clean energy source. Once Allinol is finished, the lemons will have the last laugh on the world’s energy woes, as their leader has found a large source of oil in the Atlantic Ocean, and intends to sell their stock at inflated prices.
To cap off the festivities, the group are treated to race footage currently happening Porto Corsa. As they watch, 3/4 of the racers are eliminated by Acer and Grem using the laser. In the end, only Lightning and Francesco cross the finish line, but totally in the dark regarding the fate of their other racers.
During this time, Finn is detained by a helicopter of Z’s, and Holly is captured as well.
Back in the hotel, the lemons are toasting their success as Miles Axelrod sadly proclaims he will forgo the use of Allinol in the final race in Britain. However, the festivities grind to a halt when in an interview, Lightning claims he will still use Allinol in the final race, as Fillmore has deemed it to be safe. Professor Z and the group’s leader both proclaim that Lightning McQueen is the new target, as his victory in England using Allinol will ruin the group’s plans.
Fearing for his best friend’s life, Mater rushes off to tell McQueen, but accidentally decloaks from his disguise. Mater intends to reach Lightning and tell him, but only gets to the edge of the press crowd before the lemons’ spies detain him.
Mater is knocked out with gas, and in his knocked-out state, Finn’s talk about acting a fool circles around in his head, as he recalls alot of the embarrassing things he has done in the last few days. When he awakens, he finds himself tied inside Big Bentley in London, along with Finn and Holly, who are minute away from being crushed in the clock’s giant gears.
Down on the racing circuit, Lighting and his crew have now been joined by the rest of the Radiator Springs gang (minus Lizzie). After thinking he heard Mater in the crowd in Porto Corsa, Lightning contacted his friends back home, but when they reported they had no idea where Mater was, they came as quickly as possible to be with Lightning. Also on hand is Miles Axelrod, who thanks Lightning for not giving up on Allinol.
As the race gets underway, Acer and Grem (inside Big Bentley) attempt to use their laser on Lightning…only to find it has no effect on him! They quickly leave to take care of him themselves, but let Mater know they have planted a bomb nearby that should take care of Lightning if all else fails.
After they leave, Mater realizes that his gatling guns (though empty) create enough friction to sever the threads in the rope he’s tied up in. Mater wants to save Finn and Holly, but the two demand he save Lightning.
After he leaves, Holly manages to get them untied, but nearby find Mater’s filter, leading them to a shocking conclusion. The two quickly race to the pit area, where they check Mater’s engine. Sure enough, in place of his filter, a bomb has been welded to Mater’s engine block! However, after they realize this, Lightning notices his friend and quickly drives over. However, Mater begins driving backwards as fast as he can, afraid he’ll hurt his friend. Lightning continues to follow unsure just why Mater is driving away from him.
Meanwhile, Finn and Holly find the Lemons’ crime bosses nearby, but Professor Z drives off. Finn manages to catch him, and returns him to Mater. Finn demands that Z deactivate the device, but the Professor reveals two things: the bomb is voice-activated, and his voice will not deactivate it. Mater and his friends are unsure what to do as the clock ticks down, until Mater suddenly activates his rockets, and flies back to the main starting area.
There, in the presence of The Queen and her son Prince Wheeliam, Mater confronts Miles Axelrod, claiming he’s the one behind the entire scheme. Mater accuses Miles of just pretending to have turned himself all-electric, and that most likely, his engine requires the spare parts that he saw in the photos. Mater also claims that lemon-like engines tend to leak easily, and he knows that the leak during the Tokyo pre-game party was made by Miles, who pinned it on Mater. Miles continues to deny this until the last seconds of the bomb’s countdown, when he voice-deactivates the bomb, proving Mater’s theory to be correct.
In the aftermath, Mater is knighted by the Queen, and returns to Radiator Springs a hero. Since the World Grand Prix has been called off, Lightning and his friends invite the entrants to their town for a nice, friendly race. As it gets underway, Finn and Holly stop by. Holly whole-heartedly admits to being Mater’s girlfriend, but the two spies have come to request Mater’s help on an upcoming mission. However, Mater feels he is better suited to staying in Radiator Springs. However, before the two spies leave, they give in to Mater’s request to keep the rocket engines installed in him. With his newfound speed boosters, Mater, Lightning, and their new friends, race their way through the twisting roads surrounding Radiator Springs and Ornament Valley.
FullCast & Crew
Produced By:
- Mark Nielsen known as associate producer
- Denise Ream known as producer
FullCast & Crew:
- Larry the Cable Guy known as Mater (voice)
- Owen Wilson known as Lightning McQueen (voice)
- Michael Caine known as Finn McMissile (voice)
- Emily Mortimer known as Holley Shiftwell (voice)
- Eddie Izzard known as Sir Miles Axlerod (voice)
- John Turturro known as Francesco Bernoulli (voice)
- Brent Musburger known as Brent Mustangburger (voice)
- Joe Mantegna known as Grem (voice)
- Thomas Kretschmann known as Professor Z (voice)
- Peter Jacobson known as Acer (voice)
- Bonnie Hunt known as Sally (voice)
- Darrell Waltrip known as Darrell Cartrip (voice)
- Franco Nero known as Uncle Topolino (voice)
- David Hobbs known as David Hobbscap (voice)
- Patrick Walker known as Mel Dorado (voice)
- Tony Shalhoub known as Luigi (voice)
- Jeff Garlin known as Otis (voice)
- Michel Michelis known as Tomber (voice)
- Jason Isaacs known as Siddeley / Leland Turbo (voice)
- Lloyd Sherr known as Fillmore / Combat Ship (voice)
- Bruce Campbell known as Rod 'Torque' Redline (voice)
- Teresa Gallagher known as Mater's Computer (voice)
- Jenifer Lewis known as Flo (voice)
- Stanley Townsend known as Victor Hugo / Vladimir Trunkov / Ivan the Tow Truck (voice)
- Velibor Topic known as Alexander Hugo (voice)
- Sig Hansen known as Crabby (voice)
- Guido Quaroni known as Guido (voice)
- Vanessa Redgrave known as The Queen / Mama Topolino (voice)
- John Mainieri known as J. Curby Gremlin (voice)
- Brad Lewis known as Tubbs Pacer (voice)
- Cheech Marin known as Ramone (voice)
- Jeff Gordon known as Jeff Gorvette (voice)
- Lewis Hamilton known as Lewis Hamilton (voice)
- Paul Dooley known as Sarge (voice)
- Edie McClurg known as Minny (voice)
- Richard Kind known as Van (voice)
- Katherine Helmond known as Lizzie (voice)
- John Ratzenberger known as Mack (voice)
- Michael Wallis known as Sheriff (voice)
- Fernando Alonso known as Fernando Alonso (voice: Spanish release)
- Jess Harnell known as Additional Voices (voice)
- Junichi Kajioka known as Additional Voices (voice)
- Sonoko Konishi known as Japanese Toilet Assistant voice (voice)
- Barbara Kottmeier known as Carla Veloso (voice)
- John Lasseter known as John Lassetire (voice)
- Jan Nilsson known as Flash (voice: Swedish release)
- Colleen O'Shaughnessey known as Additional Voices (voice)
- Daniel Okeefe known as Additional Voices (voice)
- Vitaly Petrov known as Vitaly Petrov (voice: Russian release)
- Memo Rojas known as Memo Rojas (voice: Latin American release)
- Sebastian Vettel known as Sebastian Schnell (voice: German release)
- Jacques Villeneuve known as Jacques Villeneuve (voice: French release)
- Mark Winterbottom known as Frosty (voice: Australian release)
..
Supporting Department
Art Department:- Erik Benson known as storyboard artist
- Josh Cooley known as storyboard artist
- Brian Fee known as storyboard artist
- Craig Foster known as graphic designer
- Mark Cordell Holmes known as graphic artist
- Jason Merck known as artist
- Laura Meyer known as graphic artist
- Scott Morse known as storyboard artist
- Kevin O'Brien known as storyboard artist
- Bill Presing known as storyboard artist
- Nick Sung known as storyboard artist
- Derek Lee Thompson known as storyboard artist
- Alexander Woo known as storyboard artist
- Jack Chang known as sketch artist (uncredited)
..
Company
Production Companies:
- Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
- Pixar Animation Studios
Other Companies:
- Intelligent Media international monitoring agency
- Klass Security and Investigations anti-piracy security
- POP Sound ADR recording
- Skywalker Sound post-production sound services
- Walt Disney Records soundtrack
Distributors:
- Feelgood Entertainment (2011) (Greece) (theatrical)
- Forum Cinemas (2011) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
- Forum Hungary (2011) (Hungary) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (France) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (UK) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2011) (Greece) (DVD) (3D blu-ray)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Belgium) (DVD)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2011) (Portugal) (all media)
..
Other Stuff
Visual Effects by:- Adel Abada known as lighting technical director
- Eric Andraos known as sets materials lead
- Mimia Arbelaez known as lighting techical director
- Amit Baadkar known as effects technical director
- Nick Bartone known as lighting technical director
- Max Bickley known as lighting technical director (as Maxwell Bickley)
- Brian Boyd known as master lighting artist
- Charu Clark known as lighting artist
- Justine Codron known as lighting technical director
- Francisco DeLaTorre known as sets shading artist
- Jared Fong known as character modeler/rigger
- Maël François known as lighting techical director
- Michael Frederickson known as matte paint technical
- Eric Froemling known as visual effects artist
- Michael Fu known as motion graphic effects supervisor
- Christina Garcia Weiland known as sets dressing artist (as Christina Garcia)
- Tolga Goktekin known as visual effects artist
- Ralph Gootee known as rendering engineer
- Robert Graf known as rendering & optimization artist
- Dave Hale known as effects artist
- Jim Cody Harrington known as fx technical director
- Allen Hemberger known as fx technical director
- Michael Honsel known as character modeler/rigger
- Tiffany Erickson Houghton known as motion graphics artist
- Katherine Ipjian known as lighting artist
- Yibing Jiang known as shading technical director
- Sungyeon Joh known as master lighting artist
- Jason Johnston known as visual effects artist
- Thidaratana Annee Jonjai known as character shading artist
- Mitch Kopelman known as master lighting artist
- Tanja Krampfert known as character modeler/rigger
- Matt Kuruc known as sets technical development
- David Lally known as crowds artist
- Sherrie Law known as sets shading & paint artist
- Holly Lloyd known as digital artist
- Holly Lloyd known as visual effects producer
- Hsiao-Hsien Lo known as crowds artist
- Fatima Mojaddidy known as systems administrator: Pixar
- Ashok Nayar known as rendering intern
- Paul Oakley known as lighting technical director
- Jonathan D. Penney known as stereoscopic rendering
- Nick Pitera known as sets modeling artist
- Konstantin Promokhov known as effects technical director
- Kyle Ranson-Walsh known as rendering manager
- Farhez Rayani known as lighting artist: Pixar Animation Studios
- Jordan Rempel known as master lighting artist
- Dawn Rivers known as lighting technical director
- Michael Rutter known as sets dressing artist
- Afonso Salcedo known as lighting artist
- Laura Savidge known as image mastering engineer
- Julien Schreyer known as master lighting artist
- Alex Seiden known as global tech
- Vincent Serritella known as effects animation technical director
- Apurva Shah known as visual effects supervisor
- Nadim Sinno known as rendering & optimization artist
- Joseph Suen known as character modeler
- Joseph Suen known as sets modeler
- Lan Tang known as sets shading & paint artist
- Cameron Taylor known as shading technical director
- Bill Watral known as effects artist
- Jesse Weglein known as lighting technical director
Release Date:
- USA 18 June 2011 (Hollywood, California) (premiere)
- Italy 22 June 2011
- Australia 23 June 2011
- Belarus 23 June 2011
- Brazil 23 June 2011
- Greece 23 June 2011
- Kazakhstan 23 June 2011
- Kuwait 23 June 2011
- Russia 23 June 2011
- Slovenia 23 June 2011
- Thailand 23 June 2011
- Ukraine 23 June 2011
- Bulgaria 24 June 2011
- Canada 24 June 2011
- Colombia 24 June 2011
- Mexico 24 June 2011
- Panama 24 June 2011
- USA 24 June 2011
- Poland 29 June 2011
- Belgium 6 July 2011
- Netherlands 6 July 2011
- South Africa 6 July 2011
- Spain 6 July 2011
- Argentina 7 July 2011
- Chile 7 July 2011
- Portugal 7 July 2011
- Paraguay 8 July 2011
- France 10 July 2011 (Paris Cinéma)
- Ireland 10 July 2011 (Galway Film Fleadh)
- Peru 21 July 2011
- Iceland 22 July 2011
- Ireland 22 July 2011
- Pakistan 22 July 2011
- UK 22 July 2011
- France 27 July 2011
- Germany 28 July 2011
- Hungary 28 July 2011
- Japan 30 July 2011
- Denmark 4 August 2011
- Estonia 5 August 2011
- Lithuania 5 August 2011
- Norway 5 August 2011
- Romania 5 August 2011
- Sweden 5 August 2011
- Hong Kong 11 August 2011
- Finland 12 August 2011
- Turkey 19 August 2011
- Philippines 24 August 2011
- Croatia 25 August 2011
- Malaysia 25 August 2011
- Singapore 25 August 2011
- Georgia 8 September 2011
- Indonesia 12 October 2011
..
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database
Cars 2 (2011) Related Movie
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29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
16 years ago, Pixar Animation Studios released the first feature lengthcomputer animated film in history, Toy Story. What followed was anincredible run of success, an 11 film hot streak that yielded dozens ofawards (including 11 Oscars), billions of dollars in box officereceipts, and the admiration of audiences and critics everywhere. Yearafter year Pixar was a company you could rely on, and while not all thefilms were perfect, they all were at least of decent quality, and lightyears ahead of their competition from the likes of Dreamworks and Sony.So therefore it's heart-breaking to say that Pixar's hot streak hascome to a crashing halt in 2011. Cars 2 is not just the weakest film inPixar's catalogue, it is the worst high-profile animated release forsome time.
If there is one Pixar film that divides opinion much more than anyother, it is 2006's Cars. While by no means a bad film, it just didn'thit in the same way as films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, or TheIncredibles. It did middling numbers at the box office (by Pixarstandards) and currently sits with a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, theonly film from the studio below 90%. For director John Lasseter (alsohead of Pixar), Cars is obviously a very personal film, a nostalgicstory about the loss small-town American values in the face ofincreased modernity. If it's not a complete success, credit must begiven to Lasseter for at least trying to say something meaningful, andin typical Pixar fashion the film stands out in the increasinglycrowded computer animation film market for at least attempting thematicdepth, and it's ability to reach audiences both young and old. Cars 2on the other hand is completely devoid of depth and subtlety, and willmore than likely annoy adults while at times being arguablyinappropriate for children. Returning director Lasseter takes the worstcharacter from the first film (in my opinion the biggest reason forCars' failure), and structures the whole story around his infuriatingexploits. Imagine George Lucas, upon seeing the negative feedbackfollowing The Phantom Menace, making all of Episode 2 about Jar-JarBinks. That's the kind of thing we're left with in Cars 2. Compoundingthe story problems is the troubling amount of guns and violence in thefilm. To make the argument that 'it's OK because they're just cars' isinexcusable. This is still supposed to be a children's film, and whilethe espionage sub-plot does have potential, there are elements thatseem shockingly unsuitable for young kids.
This brings up a question: why would Pixar choose to revisit the onlyfilm they have produced which could conceivably be called a failure?Lasseter is on record as saying that the company would only exploresequels to their films if a good story could be developed, and thelevel of quality of the two Toy Story sequels seems to back up thissentiment, but it's hard to believe that anyone would think the scriptof Cars 2 is worthy of that high standard. Interestingly, there is oneother way that Cars stands apart from other Pixar films: the estimated$8 billion merchandising revenues. While all Pixar films have profitedfrom merchandising, none have had the global appeal of Cars. It'supsetting to think that Pixar, a company who seemed previously to placegreater importance on the quality of its films than the bottom line,have gone for the easy cash grab, but there really seems to be no otherreason for the existence of Cars 2. Everything about the films seemsdesigned to increase the potential for selling merchandise, whetherit's the films global locations which pander to internationalaudiences, or the increasingly ridiculous characters and set-pieces,tailor made to be toys and video games. It's a cynical opinion, onewhich I had hoped I'd never feel towards a Pixar film, but it isundeniably true: Cars 2 is a film created not as an artistic endeavour,but to feed ancillary markets.
Pixar's golden run had to end sometime, and one bad film is a smallprice to pay for 11 good, with two or three being genuine masterpieces.What is most unfortunate is the catastrophic level of Cars 2's failure,and Pixar will undoubtedly lose a lot of respect for making such asoulless film, unworthy of the studio's name.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
We all know that Pixar makes incredible movies, I personally have neverdisliked a Pixar film. The first "Cars" film, was a great movie, not aperfect film. It was one of the least better films, Pixar has made, butthat's like saying, Insomnia was one of Christopher Nolan's worstfilms. I had high expectations when coming to see the film, like Ialways have before I see a Pixar film.
After my viewing of the film, I have to say Pixar never fails toproduce a great, entertaining film. Although it doesn't reach theheights of Wall-E, Toy Story 3, etc. It still stands by itself prettyhigh up there. The animation is extremely well done, the look of thefilm is amazing. The voice actors are great, I miss Paul Newman though.Although the film is not perfect. The movie is not perfect though, thestory is not great, but not bad, the movie does not have the emotionalas other Pixar films, but it is definitely not a heartless film. Butthe film is definitely entertaining and a great beginning to 2011Summer movie season. Take your whole family to see this movie, it willprobably not disappoint. It will not only satisfy kids, but also theadults, this film is for everyone. Fun for kids, but the adults canalso connect with it and will have a great time watching this movie intheaters. It is quite an adventure and I will be glad to give it asecond viewing.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
We hoped it would never happen, but no one is perfect. Even the bestcan stumble. This had to happen eventually. Even the string of terrificDisney's classic films and the 90s Disney Renaissance didn't lastforever. I'm afraid that, yes, Pixar has made a bad film.
Cars 1 was their least ambitious film. The story was predictable andcharacter development obvious making it their most mediocre film. Itwas good but it lacked that little extra touch that made their filmsgreat. However, they had some great side characters, a heart, andwonderful scenes that elevated it up beyond most other films. But eversince this film's announcement I always wondered why. McQueen had hisstory and there's not much else to tell. Like Finding Nemo, where elseis there to go? And I'd rather see sequels to better movies like TheIncredibles, even Bug's Life seems to have more potential. It's easy tosee why they made a sequel to it, since all you need to do is go toDisneyland or any Disney Store and see it covered in McQueen and Mater,which happened to be two my of three year-old cousin's first words. Offall the Pixar films, Cars made the most with the merchandise.
The biggest problem is the story. Cars 1, while predictable, wastouching. Cars 2 has almost no heart or character development. Thefocus shifts from McQueen to Mater. McQueen had his story in the firstand there's little to tell here. He has one character moment that'sessentially the same realization as the first film's. The problem withMater is that he's such a simple character. Everything about him is onthe surface for all to see. He's the same person throughout the movie,with one predictable realization which goes no where, that he doesn'twarrant his own film. He's like Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove.They're both terrific side characters but lack enough complexity for afull story. And Larry the Cable Guy has always been better with theother Blue Collar guys rather than on his own.
While Cars 1's highlight was its side characters, this movie almostabandons them. They do nothing. McMissile is a moving plot device andlittle more. Shiftwell is supposed to be a love interest but lacks anyinteresting moments. The rest of Radiator Springs basically sit backwhile McQueen and Mater have all the fun. Their stories and characterare pushed aside so Larry can have fun being Mater. Because of this,there are almost no funny little side scenes where characters just havefun being themselves. Instead, most of the humor is derived from seeingMater do silly things.
The look is impressive but not more than anything else Pixar's done.With each movie, the studio has pushed the graphics into new levels.Each movie has had some wow moment where audiences can't help but beamazed by what they're seeing. There were times in Cars 1 when itlooked almost real. Cars 2 lacks any wow factor. One of the mostimpressive sets, Tokyo, were already spoiled by the Tokyo Mater short.This more than anything makes me wonder if Pixar was even trying to upthe ante or if they were just using what they had to make a movie ayear.
Spies and Cars seems to work well together. After all, any Bond orBourne film will easily demonstrate why the two go together. Indeed,the opening scene on the drilling platform is easily the best with thefast chase and cool gadgets. But they weren't able to properly combinethe racing and spy elements, almost as if you're watching two movies atonce. There's too much spy stuff for the racing to be interesting,which becomes pointless against the overpowering and overly clichéd spystory. Perhaps Pixar should have set it as simply a spy movie set inthe Cars universe and had McQueen and his friends in cameos or as abackground story.
Another lousy spot is the music. Cars 1 had a terrific soundtrack withexcellent uses of popular songs like Life is a Highway and Route 66.But there's not one memorable song or music cue in this movie.Giacchino usually does terrific work like with The Incredibles,Ratatouille, and Up. But he too fumbles the ball here. Perhaps he wasjust uninspired by what he had to work with.
Cars is Lasseter's pet project. But I think he's too close to it. He'sgot that Lucas Star Wars prequel trilogy problem. The people around himeither were in awe of the man who made Pixar and Toy Story or they wereafraid to hurt his feelings since he loves the Cars franchise so much.Pixar efforts have been so well done because they were collaborativeefforts, each fixing each other's problems to make a better project.But with Lasseter off working more directly with Disney, he reallyshould have had a co-director or perhaps given the reins to someoneelse like he did with Toy Story 3.
I almost rated this movie higher. It is fun while you're watching it,even if as soon as it's over it becomes too easy to pick apart theproblems. But this is Pixar. They've dominated the animation marketsince Toy Story and have been pushing the boundaries at the AcademyAwards ever since. To see them stumble with a not-so-great film wouldbe one thing. But they're coming off from two Best Picture nominees toa movie that's simply flashy but with little substance. Kids will lovethe bright colors and silly antics, but parents will hate having tothen buy twelve new Mater toys. Cars 2 is stalled and in need of atune-up.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
Espionage, assassinations, sabotage of renewable energy, propaganda,corporate cover-ups, media manipulation and The Mob…
James Bond? Nope. Jason Bourne? Nope.
Disney/Pixar's CARS 2. Wow. This movie wasn't at all what I wasexpecting. In the second serving of Lightning McQueen and his pals,they take their show to the international stage in a world championshiprace-off sponsored by oil-alternative manufacturer, Allinol. Butturmoil behind the scenes pulls the gang into a world of spies, theMob, Big Oil, evil German scientists and hit men. Now they have to savethe world before it's too late. Oh, and they race too. The animation isamazing. Water, large balloons, backgrounds during races…payattention because the quality of the graphics in this one areworld-class. There are some goofy, funny moments and some nice one-liners for the older crowd. The themes of being true to yourself andbonds of friendship run strong throughout this film but it's theremainder of the message that worried me. There were non-stop put downsthroughout and some other questionable topics. I was beginning toquestion the G rating when the villain ordered his henchmen to "kill"several other cars. Thinking back to the innocence and the good spiritof the first movie, I began to wonder how we got from there to here.Adventures in racing take a back-seat to the more mature plot of anespionage thriller. Looking around the theater, I could tell that kidsyounger than 4 or 5 were beginning to get lost. Even my ten-year-oldhad a hard time understanding the socio-political messages. On top ofall that, I'd be willing to bet that Cars 2 is a contender for mostguns, explosions and bullets fired in a G-Rated movie. This movie hadmuch more violence than the first one.
Aside from the appropriateness of the movie, it wasn't bad. All thelikable characters from the first movie were back with bigger roleslike 'Mater & Luigi and there were many new characters added that alsobrought their own personalities into the mix. To me, this was anespionage-thriller so the added bonus of some comedy made the moviemove right along at a good pace.
It was engaging for me, I enjoyed it, but the entire time I couldn'thelp but wonder why Disney/Pixar chose to tell this story through akids movie.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
As an ardent fan of the first Cars, I was shocked at what an absolutemess this movie is. I was prepared for a certain level ofdisappointment from the trailers, but I didn't expect the sheersecond-rate train wreck that is this movie. All the heart of the firstfilm has been chucked out the window on the way to cashing in onmerchandising possibilities.
McQueen has been practically relegated to minor character status here(one wonders why Owen Wilson even bothered showing up). Occasionalglimmers of clever humor are all but eclipsed by a rickety plot thatcan't bear the weight of all it's trying to accomplish. Mater's hi-jinxas the centerpiece of a ridiculous (and unfunny) spy plot go fromannoying to disturbing as the violence ratchets up. While severalcritics have claimed this sequel is aimed at particularly youngaudiences, no other children's movie you're likely to see in the nearfuture does more to glorify gun violence.
Pixar has sucked all the dimensionality out of every returningcharacter, and the new ones it's added are so one-dimensional as to benonexistent. This is a pathetic offering from a studio that should knowbetter.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
When I go to see a Pixar movie I expect to be blown away. Cars 2 simplydid not. There were many problems with Cars 2, mainly that the storystrength just was not there. Yes it did have some funny moments butthey were few and far between. The main problem with this movie howeverwas that Pixar made Mater, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy, the maincharacter. After 20 minutes into the movie I wanted to leave because ofhow annoying he was. Larry is annoying as a human, making him a themain character as a car is just stupid. It was honestly the only Pixarmovie so far that I left feeling completely nothing. What adisappointment this was as this topped my summer movie list. What adisappointment…
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
We went to see Cars 2 with my boys who are 6 years old. We all lovedthe first movie, it had a simple to follow, heart-warming story and NOVIOLENCE!!!
This movie had TONS of violence, guns, "dead" cars, cars gettingbashed, burned, tortured. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!? Just because it wascars and not people did you think the kids wouldn't notice? It was avery hard to follow story for them. A full-on James Bond movie, withtwists and gadgets, except in animation and with cars instead ofhumans.
My twins could not repeat the story back to us when asked afterward.Espionage, oil wars and the likes were lost on the younger audience.The violence was full-on. Even Mater, the plain, redneck, lovablecharacter was fitted with machine guns!! In fact the movie was more aMater movie than a Lightning McQueen movie. We see McQueen in very fewscenes compared. It more like a full feature Mater Tale than a sequelto the movie… plus it wasn't about racing at all but rather about oilwars.
Very disappointing. My husband made a good point, he said it was as ifit was aimed to the 8 year old who watched the original 5 years ago andare now 13 years old. Certainly NOT aimed at young kids. If your kidsare very young and you do not approve of violence, beatings, killingsand guns DO NOT TAKE THEM. I wish someone had warned us, we wouldn'thave gone.
I can't fathom what Pixar was thinking! I am now dreading Monsters INC2… it will most certainly be … I don't know… full of blood andguts? That seems to be their next step…
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
I've watched the first movie with my kids a 100 times and we still loveit.
But for the sequel, I should have known something was wrong with thismovie when I saw a Mater toy with pop out machine guns.
Mafia boss cars torturing, saying "Kill him" and killing another car.My kids were 2.5 and 4 years old. Had I known I would not have taken mychildren. Questionable G-Rating. This is Cars meets BourneIdentity/James Bond. One car gets bashed in a bathroom fight scene,like in many adult movies.
Young kids were not following the plot. Oil companies, mafia, espionageetc.
The first movie had a great heart warming story and many greatcharacters. There ware no memorable characters in this movie. The firsthad great music and scenes and action and is re-watchable manytimes…..where-as I was bored in the sequel…boring and too long.
I wish they developed the locations and characters more. Have a LondonBus character etc like they had Radiator Springs characters in thefirst.
My kids had their first cinema experience and their first sequeldisappointment!
And I'm a little angry at some of the violence.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
The best of Pixar's films have protagonists who are a small part of avery large world and are almost helpless against incredible odds – ToyStory, Wall-E, Finding Nemo etc. The protagonists of Cars are very bigin a very small world, so do not play to the strengths of Pixar.
However, being Pixar, they still make these films better than anyoneelse would have with the same material. Cars and Cars 2 areintelligently written and filled with more detail than you couldcomfortably fit into a single screening.
This movie is not so much a sequel to the first as an affectionateJames Bond parody that happens to be set in the Cars universe. Whereasthe original Cars was thematically slow and patient, this onedeliberately takes things in the exact opposite direction. Whetheranyone will prefer the first film or the second is entirely theirpreference, and it is wrong to say that one is better than the other.Each film has its own appeals and drawbacks.
The main weakness of this film is a failure to create any kind ofsympathy for the characters. They are not alone, they are not lost,they have friends and allies and the resources to get out of anysituation. It never feels like there is any real danger, as there iswith the Toy Story films. Whereas the first film had enough focus oncharacter development to compensate for this, the subplot about thetested friendship between McQueen and Mater seems especiallyinsubstantial here.
Nevertheless, I feel like this is an enjoyable installment in thefranchise, never letting your attention wander and always ready with aclever idea. They have demonstrated that they are willing to go inentirely new directions with this world – maybe if they make a thirdfilm, they can make something truly worthy of the Pixar name?
If I were rating this in comparison to other Pixar films, my scorewould be lower… but scoring this as a film on its own, I think it isdeserving of between five and seven stars.
29 Mar 2012, 4:21 pm
I'm finding myself very disappointed by the generally critics about"Cars 2", and I found the nucleus of the issue the fact that Pixar'slatest movies have had a very philosophical idea floating around(Wall-e, Up, Toy Story 3) and the "Cars" franchise it's not about that.
Does "Ratatouille" have a philosophical script? I'm afraid not, "A BugsLife"? Sure not, But they accomplish another goal, they were made foranother approach, a different image and a different perception of themovie.
Is Pixar a philosophy-related books maker? Is Pixar a adult-animationsproducer? They're not, they're great storytelling guys (They found outa way to link the whole world without making a "Around the World in 80Days" film), they make the gorgeous 3D scenarios (I was astonished bythe great detail of London and Porto Corsa) and they develop almostperfect characters (Who in the world will link as many cars parts withbody parts as Pixar did?) and most important, they bring entertainmentto the audience, and "Cars 2" fills all those gaps.
I'm afraid this is the result of what happens when someone (in thiscase Pixar) develops a great reputation and suddenly they came up withsomething different of what we are used to, and it became for somepeople a "horrifying" creation.
I enjoyed "Cars 2" since the stressful opening scene until the happyending and I think is because I entered the theater hoping to have agreat time, fun and a visually amazing experience, and not hoping tofind the anthropological greatest creation, and that's exactly what Igot.